Performance Load Testing Case Study – Agilent Technologies September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Agenda Introductions Background Testing Objectives Preparation Phase Execution Phase Analysis Lessons Learnt Contact Information September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Introduction Ramesh Padmanabhan Entegration Software Consulting & product company based in San Jose Proud to be service partners of Oracle Corporation Mercury Interactive Yash Technologies September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Introduction Agilent Technologies $6 Billion Global Mfg Company Over 30,000 employees in more than 50 countries One of the largest global single instance installs of Oracle E-business suite Consolidated over 150 legacy systems Expect a maximum 5,000 concurrent users September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Background Largest single instance install 3 HP Superdomes –Production, Reporting, Planning Single US based data center Over 50 operating units Significant business volume in Asia & Europe Consolidating over 125 different legacy systems Implemented all Financial & MFG Modules September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Testing Objectives September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Testing Objectives Validate single instance strategy Validate network and hardware infrastructure Scalability to 5000 concurrent users Stress test for “high water mark” Set user response time expectations Identify and fix significant performance tuning issues within Oracle Applications Identify and drive solutions for hardware issues September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Preparation Phase September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Data Gathering Identified major transactions within each application module Questionnaires sent for legacy data volumes by geography (US, Asia, Europe) Short listed transactions with high volume or data intensive processing Identified user distribution by region and by application areas Determined estimation methodology for inquiry transactions Numerous legacy systems and support groups. Data collection was complex. September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Hardware Preparation Ensure that the production configuration of back-end server and middle tier machines were set-up and configured Procure the Load generation agent boxes and have them installed and setup at the right locations Ensure that the Cisco load balancing router was correctly set up Set up network ‘sniffing’ devices to get detailed metrics of network traffic September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Software Preparation Procure and install LoadRunner on the agent and controller boxes Install LoadRunner and the Oracle Applications client on the machines of the scripters Install/Setup other database monitoring software Prepare scripts for detailed transaction analysis September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Data Preparation Validated various application setups Initial cycles required all key master data to be fabricated Developed numerous scripts to extract key data elements like items, customers, vendors etc. to be used in transactions Ensured adequate breadth of data. Identified key data and parameters for background load September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Develop LoadRunner Scripts Recorded scripts for all the critical and high volume transactions Adequate mix of inquiry and update txns. Parameterized all the critical pieces of data like item, customer, orders etc. Identified activities for which server response times were key and set up transaction timers around them e.g. commits, quick-picks etc. September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Execution Phase September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Build Test Scenarios Develop matrix for users by geography by transaction Manual scenarios Goal oriented scenarios Transactions split into three groups based on data dependency conditions September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Run Tests… 5 cycles of testing 1- validation cycle 2 – complete cycle with converted data 3- Stress test cycle 4- Complete integrated test with key interfaces and customizations 5- Production simulation run Each cycle comprised of two major runs/day for two weeks. Each test run was about 4-7hrs long September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Run Tests… 5000 concurrent user load generated from 8 LoadRunner agents – 4 in US, 2 each in Europe & Asia LoadRunner monitors set up for network, backend server & middle-tier boxes Dedicated DBA and performance tuning experts monitored the HP Superdome server September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Analysis Used LoadRunner Analysis tool Real time graphical interface to monitor the test progress Post run analysis includes numerous graphs and transaction timers More detailed analysis was done from the result data stored by LoadRunner in an Access database September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Analysis Data from the analysis used to Set up realistic response time expectations from the end users Modify various database parameters in the init.ora to better performance Tweak settings of the Cisco load balancer for middle tier machines Identify and tune some of the application code that had bad performance September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Limitations Some performance intensive processes could not be tested due to data dependency issues e.g. lock-box receipts Some dynamic and interactive processes could not be tested very well e.g. configured orders Some custom code not stable till the last cycle Some of the newer application modules not stable for a reasonable test Application version and patch set lags September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Lessons Learnt Performance test will only be as good as the data collected in the analysis phase While performance test can significantly reduce risk of poor performance, it is not a guaranty Initial performance testing cycles should focus more on non-code related performance variables September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Lessons Learnt Intensive code related performance testing & tuning should take place after custom solutions have been put into testing and application patch sets are frozen Performance testing should be in the critical path of project plan and performance testing instances should be patched just like the BST instances Should plan on at least one marathon testing run that extends for 3 or 4 days September 20, 2018 Entegration Software

Contact Information Ramesh Padmanabhan Entegration Software rpadmanabhan@entegration.com 408-674-3701 www.entegration.com September 20, 2018 Entegration Software