Tool Mentor: Analyze and Evaluate Results from Reports Using Rational Performance Tester
This tool mentor describes how to use Rational Performance Tester to analyze and evaluate results from performance test reports.
Tool: IBM Rational Performance Tester
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Main Description

The results of your performance test are easily accessible to you.  With Performance Tester, results are generated dynamically during a run.  You can also regenerate the results for viewing and analysis after a run.  Performance has by default eight types of reports:

  • Overall Report--contains information on the progress of the state of the run and a bar chart showing the overall success of the run
  • Summary Report--displays the most significant data to the test run and lets you analyze the final or intermediate results
  • Page Performance--displays the average response of the slowest 10 pages in the test as the test progresses
  • Response vs. Time Summary--displays the average response trend as graphed through time
  • Response vs. Time Detail--displays the response trend as graphed through time
  • Page Throughput--presents an overview of the frequency of results being transferred per interval
  • Server Health Summary--presents an overall indication of how well the server is responding to the load
  • Server Health Detail--displays specific details for the 10 least successful pages

  For details on each of these reports, see the topic Evaluating results in the Performance Tester online Help.

After a run, the reports are stored under the Performance Tester runs in the Test Navigator.  From there, you can click on a run and select Display Default Reports.  This will bring up an eight-tabbed view of the default reports of the selected run.  You can also right click the run and select Display report-name Report to display on the given report you are interested in.

You may also want to customize your own report.  You can change the default report, modify a report (for example by dragging a counter on to the report), or filter result data for your report by concentrating on the data that is of interest to you and filtering out the outlying data.  For more information on customizing reports, see the topic Customizing reports in the online Help.

In most cases, the default reports listed above provide you with a sufficient amount of information to evaluate your results.  However, situations will arise in which you will want to create your own report.

To create a new report, perform the following steps:

  1. Select File > New > Performance Test Report
  2. In the Performance Test Report dialog box, enter the name of the new report in the Name field
  3. Since you are adding a new report, the Report Tabs field is empty.  Click InsertB to enter information about the report tab
  4. In the Performance Test Report Tab dialog, enter a name for the tab title in the Title field
  5. Select a tab as a template or select a custom tab and click Next
  6. The number of wizards you sdee for the graphics properties of your new report depends on the type of template you select
  7. Enter a title and select the graphic type and click Next (at this stage, it is best to add to filter after you examine your new report)
  8. When you have finished selecting the graphics and counters, click Finish

You are new able to manage this report just as you would manage the default reports.  The next time you right-click an item inthe Performance Test Runs view and select Manage Reports, your new report appears with the default reports.