Why Is Synthetic Testing a Vital Tool for Web Developers?
What is Synthetic Testing? Synthetic testing is a non-invasive monitoring technique in which actual data from real users’ activities is analyzed to provide information needed by end-users and/or administrators of web-based applications. It is used to gain information that cannot be derived directly from the database, such as behavior of end-users or system operations. It also helps to test the accuracy and performance of database-based application.
Why synthetic testing? There are many possible reasons for implementing synthetic testing into your website monitoring strategy. It can: – Determine whether your application is providing an accurate representation of the real thing – Determine whether you have an application that is properly performing and meets your business’s requirements – Gains insight into the performance of your website – Increases the objectivity of your monitoring and allows you to focus more closely on the core business components rather than spending time on repetitive, inbound monitoring activity – Reduces your IT manpower costs – Offers relief from the pressures of managing a multitude of different monitoring resources and personnel.
Synthetic testing is based on real user monitoring data. In the production environment, it simulates user actions through logging into a database, using a standard SQLite compatible application, generating reports and performing any other necessary monitoring functions. Once the system is set-up, it performs the same database queries as the real user would. The only difference between this real user monitoring and synthetic testing is the fact that the user does not have to interact with the system to produce results. It still follows basic rules of database transactions and can use all the same database features, just as a real user would.
In the development environment, synthetic testing can help identify potential problems before the system goes live. With real monitoring, developers can quickly identify user experience issues as they arise. The problem areas may be less severe than originally perceived and they might be solved even before the application goes live. With synthetic testing, the developers can quickly test-fly or paper-test new features so that users do not encounter bugs or defects in the system when it goes live.
Another benefit of synthetic testing is that it provides a great test for integration testing. Many software packages come with both real user monitoring and integration testing capabilities and integration testing is an essential feature of acceptance testing for enterprise software packages. The use of synthetic testing allows the developers to reproduce the requirements of the integrated software application.
In the production environment, synthetic testing can reduce the cost of maintenance. As you can guess already, active monitoring helps determine the response time of your application and this can lead to significant cost savings for you. Moreover, active monitoring also lets you check the performance of your website through response time. By monitoring the response time of your application, you can fine tune the overall website performance by quickly identifying the areas where further improvements are required. If your web application does not meet the business requirement, then it definitely falls short of your expectations.
