LoadRunner scripting process

The LoadRunner scripting process involves the following steps:

1. Planning: The first step in the LoadRunner scripting process is to plan the test. This includes identifying the application under test, determining the load test objectives, and defining the user scenarios that will be simulated.

2. Recording: LoadRunner provides a feature called the "Virtual User Generator" (VuGen), which allows you to record user interactions with the application. You can record the interactions either in manual or automatic mode. In manual mode, you manually perform the actions you want to simulate, and LoadRunner records the scripts. In automatic mode, LoadRunner records the scripts automatically as you interact with the application.

3. Replay: Once the script is recorded, you can replay the script to verify that it works as expected. This allows you to identify any errors or issues in the script, such as missing parameters or missing correlation rules.

4. Correlation: Correlation is the process of extracting dynamic values from the application and using them in the script. For example, if the application generates a unique session ID, you need to extract this value and pass it to subsequent requests to ensure that the script accurately simulates the user interactions.

5. Parameterization: Parameterization is the process of adding variables to the script to allow it to simulate a large number of users. For example, you might want to simulate users logging into the application with different usernames and passwords. In LoadRunner, you can use parameters to specify the values for each user.

6. Error Handling: LoadRunner scripts should include error handling logic to handle unexpected responses from the application. This can include handling error messages, timeouts, or other unexpected conditions.

7. Adding Transactions: Transactions are a way to measure the performance of specific actions within the script. For example, you might define a transaction for the process of logging into the application, which includes multiple steps, such as entering the username, password, and submitting the login form.

Example: Let's consider a scenario where we want to test the performance of a web-based shopping application. The following steps outline the LoadRunner scripting process for this scenario:

1. Planning: We would identify the application under test, which is the web-based shopping application. Our load test objective is to determine the maximum number of users the application can handle without impacting the performance. We would also define the user scenarios that will be simulated, such as browsing the product catalog, adding products to the cart, and checking out.

2. Recording: We would use the LoadRunner Virtual User Generator to record the user interactions with the application. In this case, we would record the actions of browsing the product catalog, adding products to the cart, and checking out.

3. Replay: We would replay the script to verify that it works as expected and identify any errors or issues in the script.

4. Correlation: We would extract any dynamic values from the application, such as a unique session ID, and use them in the script.

5. Parameterization: We would add variables to the script to allow it to simulate a large number of users. In this case, we might use parameters to specify different usernames and passwords for each user.

6. Error Handling: We would add error handling logic to the script to handle unexpected responses from the application, such as error messages or timeouts.

7. Adding Transactions: We would add transactions to measure the performance of specific actions within the script. For example, we might define a transaction for the process of adding products to the cart, which includes multiple steps such as browsing the product catalog, selecting a product, and adding it to the cart. By measuring the performance of these individual transactions, we can determine the performance of specific actions within the application. In conclusion, LoadRunner provides a powerful and flexible solution for performance testing applications, and the scripting process involves several steps, including planning, recording, replay, correlation, parameterization, error handling, and adding transactions. By following this process, organizations can ensure that their applications perform optimally under heavy user loads and are able to handle the demands of their users.