What Is Volume Testing? Master Tools, Techniques, and Best Practices

Let us imagine that there is software with a particular size of its database. Now, we want to test its performance when exposed to a high volume of data. A sample file will be created and then the software will be tested with that high-volume file to analyze its behavior. This entire process of performance testing of software is called Volume Testing. 

In this article, we will dive deeper into what Volume Testing is all about. Why it is important, what various tools, techniques, and best practices are there to perform volume testing on software, websites, or applications? Keep reading!

What Is Volume Testing In Software Testing?

Volume testing is a type of Performance Testing where the software or an application is subjected to a huge volume of data. It is done to observe and analyze the performance of the system by expanding the volume of data in its database. Due to the nature of this test, it is also known as Flood Testing. 

In volume testing, instead of the number of users, we mainly pay attention to the number of data rates. As briefly described above, volume testing is when software is required to interact with a file (either reading or writing) and the file is bigger than the size of the system’s database. For instance: when millions of users are downloading the same song from a single music website. 

What Are The Characteristics of Volume Testing?

Like all the other kinds of software testing, Volume Testing also has its unique features. Let us have a look at them:

• There is a decline in the performance of the software as it interacts with a huge volume of data over time.
• You will need a test data generator to create the data or the file you want to test.
• During the developmental stage of software, only a small amount of data will be tested.
• Ensure that the test data is logically coherent.
• Special attention must be given to the prevention of data loss to save vital information present in the system.
• The performance of the software is examined through this process.
• Also, the response time is tested, and whether the system responds within a stipulated time is evaluated.

Why Do Volume Testing?

Volume Testing must be done for the following reasons:

• Identify errors or system failures due to the passing of a high volume of data.
• To assess system performance with the increase in data rates.
• Helps identify whether the system is prone to data loss or not when subjected to a heavy amount of data.
• To specify the point of optimum stability in software (after which it starts decreasing).
• Lastly, to test the capacity of processing a high volume of data in a software system.

Volume Testing Example

A very simple way of understanding volume testing would be to consider the example of an e-commerce company.  

Let us assume there is a popular e-commerce site called XYZ. XYZ generates 4k-5k traffic daily. The database of the website or its application is accustomed to that range of traffic. Hence, it functions fine on a normal day. 

But during a sale event, the traffic increases 10 times reaching 40k-50k users visiting every day. One section of this user is buying a long list of items, another section is only browsing through, and then there is a third section who are returning or canceling their orders. All of these actions are happening simultaneously on the e-commerce platform. 

If the platform is not optimized for volume testing, there lies a huge possibility of the system crashing. But if the website is volume test approved, then it will be able to handle the traffic while working efficiently without any data loss, or deterioration in performance. 

What Are The Attributes of Volume Testing?

So, there are various attributes of a software or an application that is tested during volume testing:

1. Response Time:

One of the main attributes of volume testing is response time. When a huge load of data is exposed to software, the first thing that is tested is how long it takes to respond.

2. Data Loss (If any):

The second most important attribute (or rather a risk factor) that is scrutinized is Data Loss. Data loss can be a massive problem for both the end-users and the software company. Volume testing in the developmental stage of these applications helps determine if there is any chance of data loss in the software when it is required to process huge data requests.

3. Data Storage:

The third aspect that is tested in volume testing is Data storage. It is observed and analyzed if the software can store data properly in it, or not. 

4. Data Overwriting:

Lastly, whether or not the system is overwriting data (when exposed to a large file) is tested. In case of any overwriting, the software developer is notified to fix the issue. 

Volume Testing Tools

To perform volume testing, there are several volume testing tools in the market. Some open-source, some premium, but which one should you choose for your software? Let us have a look into them:

1. HammerDB

The reason HammerDB makes it our first recommendation is because it is fully transparent enterprise rating software that comes with no virtual user restrictions at all! Additionally, it is supported by various databases like Oracle, SQL, PostgreSQL, MYSQL, and more. It comes with a full-fledged documentation feature so you don’t miss out on taking notes during the progress of the test. Both Linux and Windows are supported by this volume testing tool.

2. DbFit

DbFit is one of the most popular volume testing tools as it is an open-source application. Plus, it comes with an advanced feature of allowing different agile practices on the platform like Refactoring, Test-Driven Development, and more. Similar to HammerDB, it also supports a variety of databases like MYSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, etc. It helps you gather valuable insight to improve the quality, design, and maintainability of the system. It is an easy-to-use platform even for people from non-technical backgrounds as it provides readable and understandable syntaxes. 

3. JdbcSlim

It is a unique platform that allows database statements and/or queries to be easily integrated into Slim FitNess testing. It also mainly focuses on maintaining the test data, SQL commands, and configuration distinct. It is another user-friendly volume testing tool that can be operated by anyone who knows SQL Language. 

4. NoSQLMap

Another open-source volume testing tool on the list would be NoSQLMap. It is a Python-based tool that comes with an automatic feature of inserting outbreaks and disrupting database configurations to assess the possibility of threats. Unlike its competitors, it is solely compatible with MongoDB Database. However, the feature that outstands for this platform is how it prepares the software system for real-life scenarios, and detects bottlenecks at a very early stage of development. 

How to do Volume Testing?

Volume testing is a nonfunctional form of testing, so it does not take much manual labor. There are two to three major steps that one is required to fulfill before the tests are done. These steps are:

Step 1. Data Collection:

It is the job of the business analyst to provide all the data that is needed to be tested on the software.

Step 2. Test Planning:

In this step, the testing team takes up all the data at hand and chalks out a suitable plan to approach the software.

Step 3. Test Execution:

In this step, the test plan and the data are put into the automated tool and the test plan is executed. 

During test execution, these are the other steps that are followed by the testing team:

• Affirming the various load logs in the software application
• Verifying the time of response of the application under various kinds of loads like low, medium, and high
• Checking the persistence of the current database when a high volume of data is uploaded into the system 
• Ensure there is no data loss during the volume testing process
• Ensure or identify if there are any crashes in the system or not due to overload
• Check if there is any memory issue caused in the system that alters the volume of the actual database
• Receive and verify if there is any warning message during the test

Step 4. Reporting

As a final step in the process, the findings of the volume testing are reported to the stakeholders.

Best Practices For High-Volume Testing

There are a few best practices for High Volume Testing, such as:

• All servers must be stopped
• All logs must be checked
• Always manually execute the load test scenario before the actual test
• Make sure to stagger the number of users
• Keep a balance in the think time, to overcome license constraints
• Analyze and improve the use case according to the established baseline
• Repeat a few parts of the test to ensure there are no bottlenecks

Advantages and Disadvantages of Volume Testing

Volume testing is a crucial step in the process of website development. However, there are some pros and cons that it offers. Let us have a look into that-

Volume Testing Vs Load Testing

Volume testing seems very similar to Load Testing sometimes. However, they are very different from each other. Let’s have a look at their differences:

Volume Testing Vs Stress Testing

Similarly, Volume Testing is also very different from Stress Testing in the following ways:

Conclusion

In conclusion, Volume Testing is a non-functional testing where the performance of software is measured under a high volume of data. It is done to identify bottlenecks and the optimum level of performance delivered by a particular software database. Having a volume test done during the early stages of the development of software can save a lot of money for the stakeholders.