4 Defining Virtual User Profiles

This chapter explains how to define virtual user profiles for use with Oracle Load Testing scenarios. Virtual user profiles specify the series of actions to perform on a Web site or application, which are recorded in Oracle Functional Testing Visual Scripts.

4.1 Default Profiles

Visual Scripts that you record using Oracle Functional Testing are default virtual user profiles. When you open a Workspace in Oracle Load Testing, any Oracle Functional Testing Visual Scripts in that Workspace and repository appear in the Select scripts and user defined profiles list of the Build Scenarios tab.

You can include any Oracle Functional Testing Visual Script in the Select scripts and user defined profiles list to play back the Visual Script as virtual users.

4.2 Creating User-Defined Profiles

User-defined virtual user profiles allow you to combine multiple Visual Scripts as a single virtual user profile. User-defined profiles must be specifically defined in Oracle Load Testing and appear in the Select scripts and user defined profiles list of the Build Scenarios tab.

In a user-defined profile, you can specify certain Visual Scripts to use as prolog, epilog, and error scripts. You can also insert synchronization points into a user-defined profile.

4.2.1 Creating a New Virtual User Profile

To create a new User Defined Profile:

1. Select User Defined Profiles from the Manage menu to display the User Defined Profile Manager.

   Repository - lists the configured repositories.

   Workspace - lists the workspaces in the selected repository.

   New - displays the Add User Defined Profile dialog box for adding a new profile.

   Edit - displays the Edit User Defined Profile dialog box for editing the selected profile.

   Name - lists the user defined profiles in the selected workspace.

2. Click New to display the Add User Defined Profile dialog box.

   Repository - select the repository containing the workspace with the scripts you want to add to the user defined profile.

   Workspace - select the workspace containing the scripts that you want to add to the profile. The scripts are listed in the box below these fields.

   <Scripts> - Oracle Functional Testing Visual Scripts available to include in user defined profiles.

   Name - the name of the user defined profile. Enter a name for the profile.

   Add Sync - opens a dialog box for defining the synchronization point's name and parameters.

   Edit Sync - opens a dialog box for changing the synchronization point's name and parameters.

   Delete - deletes the selected script or synchronization point from the section tree.

   <Sections> - the sections of the profile, as follows:

   Prolog - the Visual Scripts in this section play back only once at the beginning of the scenario run. An example of what you may add to this section is a login script.

   Run - the Visual Scripts in this section iterate as many times as is specified in the Autopilot. An example of what you may add in this section is the business transaction that you wish to load test.

   Epilog - the Visual Scripts in this section play back only once at the end of the Scenario run. An example of what you add to this section is a logoff script.

   Errors - the Visual Scripts in this section play back only if an error occurs during the Scenario run. An example of what you may add to this section is a visual script that resets your application on an error.

   Add - adds the selected script to the sections tree.

   <Up arrow> - moves the selected item up within the section of the Sections tree.

   <Down arrow> - moves the selected item down within the section of the Sections tree.

3. Select the repository where the workspace containing you Visual scripts are located.

4. Select the Workspace where your Visual Scripts are located. The available Visual Scripts appear in the box below these fields.

5. Enter a name for the job in the Name field.

6. Select the section in the tree where you want to add a Visual Script.

7. Double-click the Visual Script in the left-hand pane's list to add to the section or select the script and click the Add button.

8. Use the up and down arrows to move scripts in the section pane.

9. Repeat these steps to add more Visual Scripts to the sections tree.

10. Add synchronization points as necessary.

11. Click OK.

12. Click OK to exit the User Defined Profile Manager.

4.2.1.1 Adding Visual Scripts to the Sections Tree

To add Visual Scripts to the Sections tree of a user-defined profile:

1. Open a user-defined profile for editing.

2. Select the section on the Sections tree where you want to add a Visual Script.

3. Double-click the Visual Script (in the Profiles list) to add to the section or select the script and click the Add button.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to add additional Visual Scripts to the Sections tree.

5. Click the OK button when you have finished editing the profile.

6. Click Close to exit the User Defined Profile Manager.

4.2.1.2 Adding Synchronization Points to the Sections Tree

A sync point allows multiple virtual users to synchronize their actions and interactions with the application under test. Sync points provide the ability to create realistic multi-user situations that may expose resource conflicts such as deadlocks. When you specify a sync point, multiple virtual users executing the script will reach this sync point at various times depending on a number of factors (for example, the speed of the machine).

Sync points cause each virtual user to wait until all virtual users have reached that sync point. Each of the virtual users notifies the master upon reaching the sync point. The master waits for all of the virtual users to notify it and then issues the go-ahead for all the virtual users to continue past that sync point.

To add Sync point to the Sections tree of a user-defined profile:

1. Select User Defined Profiles from the Manage menu.

2. Select the Repository and Workspace that contains the profile that you want to edit.

3. Select the profile and click the Edit button.

4. Select the section on the Sections tree where you want to add a Sync point and click Add Sync.

5. Select the Sync Point and click Edit.

   Name - specifies the name of the Synchronization point.

   Group type - specifies how to determine when to release virtual users based on the following options:

   • All users - calculates when to release virtual users based on all virtual users whether or not they are running.

   • Running users - calculates when to release virtual users based on the number of running users only.

   Release trigger - specifies the percentage of virtual users that must be waiting before they are released. For example, if ten virtual users are running and the release trigger is set to fifty percent, then the waiting virtual users are released when five of them are waiting. Setting the value greater than one hundred percent causes the virtual users to wait until they are manually released.

   Open gate time - specifies the amount of time to keep the release open after it has been triggered.

   Maximum Wait - specifies, per individual virtual user, the maximum amount of time, in seconds, that the synchronization point will wait before releasing the virtual user.

6. Specify the sync point parameters and click OK.

7. Repeat these steps to add additional Sync points to the Sections tree.

8. Click the OK button when you have finished editing the profile.

4.2.1.3 Moving Items in the Sections Tree

When you have multiple items under any section of the tree, you can move the items up and down within that section. To move an item in the Sections tree of a user defined profile:

1. Select User Defined Profiles from the Manage menu to display the User Defined Profile Manager.

2. Select the profile you want to edit and click Edit to display the Edit User Defined Profile dialog box.

3. Select the item to move in a section.

4. Click the up or down button as appropriate.

5. Click the OK button when you have finished defining the profile.

4.2.2 Editing User-Defined Profiles

After you have created a user defined profile, you can make changes to it at any time. To edit a User Defined Profile:

1. Select User Defined Profiles from the Manage menu to display the User Defined Profile Manager.

2. Select the profile you want to edit and click Edit to display the Edit User Defined Profile dialog box.

3. Click the icons to expand the nodes of the tree.

4. Add a script by opening the repository and workspace where the script is located. Select the script and click the Add button.

5. Use the up and down arrows as necessary to move scripts in the sections tree.

6. Remove an item from sections tree by selecting it and clicking the Delete button.

7. Edit synchronization points, if necessary.

8. Click the OK button when you have finished editing the profile.

4.2.3 Editing Synchronization Points

To edit a synchronization point:

1. Select User Defined Profiles from the Manage menu to display the User Defined Profile Manager.

2. Select the profile you want to edit and click Edit. Oracle Load Testing opens a dialog for editing the sections tree of the profile. The dialog box shows the current sections tree, the available Visual Scripts, and the default synchronization points.

3. Select the Synchronization Point you want to edit in the sections tree.

4. Click Edit Sync to display the Edit Sync Point dialog box.

5. Make changes and click OK.

6. Click Apply.

7. Click OK.