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Software Testing - Scalability Testing

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Software testing involves the verification of both the functional, and non-functional requirements. The scalability testing is the one in which performance of the software, network or the complete process are verified with respect to its ability to scale up or down the total count of users, transactions, or other performance criterias.

What is Software Scalability Testing?

The software scalability testing is a concept under the non-functional form of testing, and can be executed against a hardware, software, or database. It is described as the capacity of the software, network, process etc to work correctly even though there are changes in the total count of transactions to satisfy the increasing needs of the market.

The scalability testing ensures that the software is able to tackle an anticipated increase in traffic, data, users, transactions etc. It also validates the capacity of the complete software, processes, or databases to handle an increase in volume. It gauges the threshold limit beyond which the software ceases to scale up, and the real reasons behind it. The configurations, and settings used for this type of testing is varied in varied software. For example, the scalability testing for a web based software is dependent on the total count of users, engagement of CPU, usage of network etc, while the scalability testing for a web server is dependent on the total count of requests worked upon.

Objectives of Software Scalability Testing

The objectives of the software scalability testing are listed below −

The scalability testing verifies how the software performs with the increasing load.
The scalability testing determines the threshold limit of transactions that the software can handle.
The scalability testing indicates how the performance of client side, and user experiences degrades with the increasing load of users.
The scalability testing measures the softwares performance under various network conditions namely latency, bandwidth inconsistencies so that proper performance can be achieved within a range of parameters.
The scalability testing confirms if the software has the capability to handle increased number of transactions without impacting its robustness.
The scalability testing ensures there is no downgrade of its performance or response time, both of which may impact the customer experience.
The scalability testing verifies if there is advancement or deterioration of the server side performances.
The scalability testing assists the developers to enhance the design and code of the software by pinpointing the areas where there may be issues in case there is an increase in transactions or users.
The scalability testing determines the optimal use of resources like CPU, memory, network etc while dealing with a surge of load for the purpose of efficient resource handling.
The scalability testing ensures that software meets all the performance conditions, and gives an improved user involvement. It also gauges the response time of the software under varying circumstances.

Different Attributes of Software Scalability Testing

The different attributes of the software scalability testing are listed below −

Response Time − It is the time interval between the end users requests, and the response time to process that request. It increases or decreases based on various load conditions. Generally, it increases with the increase in load. A lower response time determines a good performance of the software.
Throughput − It is the count of requests processed in a unit time. It is different in different applications. For example, in the web application, it is the count of requests processed in a unit time, while in a database application, it is the count of queries processed in a unit time.
Number of Users − It is the count of users that the software can handle without encountering a crash or standby situation.
Threshold Load − It is the count of users, transactions, requests etc that the software can handle with an anticipated throughput.
Usage of CPU − It is the measurement of CPU utilization while the software code is executed in terms of megahertz.
Usage of Memory − It is the measurement of memory utilization while performing a specific action by the software in terms of unit bytes.
Usage of Network − It is the measurement of bandwidth used by the software in terms of bytes, frames or segments received, and sent per second.

Steps of Software Scalability Testing

The steps of the software scalability testing are listed below −

Step 1 − Determine the process that can be repeated to simulate a scalability test.

Step 2 − Identify the acceptance criteria for the scalability tests.

Step 3 − Identify the tools to be used for the scalability tests.

Step 4 − Determine and then configure the test environment with the necessary resources to run the scalability tests.

Step 5 − Develop and validate the load scenarios.

Step 6 − Develop and validate the test script.

Step 7 − Run the scalability tests.

Step 8 − Analyze the scalability test results and report the discrepancies.

Step 9 − Share the test results to the project stakeholders.

Advantages of Software Scalability Testing

The advantages of the software scalability testing are listed below −

The scalability testing improves the accessibility, and usability of the software.
The scalability testing detects errors encountered during the page load, and other performance issues.
The scalability testing identifies defects from the early stages of the software development life cycle (SDLC).
The scalability testing enhances the user involvement, and satisfaction under particular load conditions.
The scalability testing provides an efficient way to track the tool utilization.

Disadvantages of Software Scalability Testing

The disadvantages of the software scalability testing are listed below −

The scalability testing sometimes fails to detect the functional issues in the software.
The scalability testing tools are expensive, and it adds to the overall cost of the project.
The testers in charge of the scalability testing need to be experienced, and should have the required knowledge, and expertise.
The scalability testing is a time consuming process.
There may be unexpected results after the software is moved in the production.

Key Features of Software Scalability Testing

The key features of the software scalability testing are listed below −

The software scalability testing should be driven by the performance metrics such as throughput, response time, concurrency etc.
The software scalability testing should have the scalability parameters defined. These include the softwares ability to handle increased number of users, data, transactions, complexities etc.
The software scalability testing scenarios should cover the performance metrics, and the scalability parameters.
The scalability testing environment should be the replica of the production environment having all the necessary configurations.
The scalability tests should be executed and all the performance metrics and issues should be measured and identified respectively.
The scalability test results should be evaluated to assess the software performances under various load conditions. All this information can be utilized to improve the performance, and scalability of the software.

Conclusion

This concludes our comprehensive take on the tutorial on Software Scalability Testing. Weve started with describing what is software scalability testing, what are the objectives of the software scalability testing, what are the different attributes of the software scalability testing, what are the steps of the software scalability testing, what are the advantages of the software scalability testing, what are the disadvantages of the software scalability testing, and what are the key features of the software scalability testing. This equips you with in-depth knowledge of Software Scalability Testing. It is wise to keep practicing what youve learned and exploring others relevant to Software Testing to deepen your understanding and expand your horizons.

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