Step-by-Step Load Testing in Dynamics 365 Finance with PerfSDK Made Easy

 

When managing large enterprise applications like Dynamics 365 Finance, ensuring robust performance is crucial. A key tool to achieve this is the Performance SDK (PerfSDK), specifically designed to conduct both single-user and multi-user load testing. By using PerfSDK, you can simulate real-world environments, where numerous users interact simultaneously, enabling the detection and mitigation of performance issues before they become critical.

 

What is PerfSDK?

 The Performance SDK (PerfSDK) is a toolkit provided by Microsoft for performance and load testing within Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations. It enables you to test business processes under different conditions, ensuring that your system can handle various levels of load, whether it’s a single user or multiple users simultaneously.

 Single-User Load Testing with PerfSDK

 Before diving into multi-user testing, it’s essential to start with single-user testing. Single-user testing helps ensure the accuracy of individual processes and sets a baseline for how the system will perform under higher loads.

 Steps for Single-User Testing:

1. Task Recording: Start by creating a task recording of a typical business process. This captures the steps involved and can later be converted into a performance test.

2. Environment Setup: Download and configure the necessary files and libraries in PerfSDK. You'll need to configure XML files and set up the required libraries.

3. Generate C# Test Case: Using Visual Studio, generate a C# performance test from your task recording. This ensures that the performance test is automated and reusable.

4. Execution in Test Explorer: Run the test using Test Explorer in Visual Studio. This will provide performance metrics for a single user, helping identify any potential bottlenecks.

 

For more information on single-user testing, refer to Microsoft’s official page:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/fin-ops-core/dev-itpro/perf-test/single-user-test-perf-sdk

 

Multi-User Load Testing with PerfSDK 

After validating single-user tests, the next step is Multi-user load testing. This tests your system’s resilience under the strain of multiple users performing tasks simultaneously. For example, when many users are processing sales orders at once, multi-user load testing helps ensure the system remains performant without crashing or slowing down. 

Steps for Multi-User Testing:

1. Prerequisites: Ensure you have Visual Studio Enterprise Edition installed and a Tier-2 or higher sandbox environment that mirrors your development environment.

2. Configure the Environment: Prepare the environment by installing necessary certificates and setting up PerfSDK on both the development and sandbox environments. Certificates are necessary to simulate multi-user environments properly.

3. Run the Multi-User Test: Use Azure DevOps to set up and execute multi-user scenarios. Once tests are completed, review results through Visual Studio and analyze performance under multi-user load.

This setup allows you to validate the system's performance across a wide array of business processes, ensuring smooth operations during peak user activities.

 

For a detailed walkthrough of multi-user testing, check out Microsoft’s official page:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/fin-ops-core/dev-itpro/perf-test/perfsdk-multi-user-testing