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Database load testing simulates multiple users interacting with a database simultaneously, measuring performance, scalability, and reliability under heavy loads. It helps identify bottlenecks, issues, and potential errors that occur with high traffic volumes.

JMeter is a popular open-source tool for load testing databases.

Table of Contents

1. Prerequisite
2. Implementation Steps
   1. Adding JDBC Driver
   2. Create a Test Plan in JMeter
   3. Add Thread Group
   4. Configuring Database Connection
      1. Add JDBC Connection Configuration
      2. Add a JDBC Request Sampler
   5. Adding Listeners to Test Plan
      1. View Result Tree
      2. Aggregate Report
   6. Save the Test Plan
   7. Run the Test Plan
   8. View the Execution Status
   9. Troubleshooting
      1. Connection Issues
      2. SQL Errors
      3. Resource Constraints

Prerequisite:

Install JMeter on your system

Implementation Steps:

1. Adding JDBC Driver

Add the JDBC Driver to JMeter to connect to the database.

I’m using MySQL for database testing. So, I have downloaded MySQL connector from MySQL Community Downloads

The JDBC driver should be placed in the JMeter’s `lib` directory.

2. Create a Test Plan in JMeter

Create a new test plan in JMeter by selecting File > New Test Plan. Name your test plan (e.g., “Database Load Testing”) and click Create. This will create a new test plan with a default thread group.

3. Add Thread Group

• Select Test Plan on the tree
• Add Thread Group                                                                                           
  • To add Thread Group: Right click on the “Test Plan” and add a new thread group: Add -> Threads (Users) -> Thread Group

In the Thread Group control panel, enter Thread Properties as follows:

• Number of Threads: 5 – Number of users connects to the target website
• Loop Count: 5  – Number of time to execute testing
• Ramp-Up Period: 1 – It tells JMeter how long to delay before starting the next user.

4. Configuring Database Connection

The JMeter element used here is HTTP Request Sampler. In HTTP Request Control Panel, the Path field indicates which URL request you want to send.

Add JDBC Connection Configuration

To add: Right-click on Thread Group and select: Add –> Config Element –> JDBC Connection Configuration

Set up the following fields (these assume we will be using a MySQL database called ‘demo’):

• Variable name (here: myDatabase) bound to pool. This needs to uniquely identify the configuration. It is used by the JDBC Sampler to identify the configuration to be used. Here, it is db_variable
• Database URL: jdbc:mysql://ipOfTheServer:3306/demo
• JDBC Driver class: com.mysql.jdbc.Driver
• Username: the username of the database
• Password: password for the username

The other fields on the screen can be left as the defaults.

Add a JDBC Request Sampler

This is used to send SQL queries to the database. You can configure it to perform various operations such as SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE.

Click your right mouse button to get the Add menu, and then select Add –> Sampler –> JDBC Request

JMeter sends requests in the order that you add them to the tree.

Enter the Pool Name: ‘db_variable’ (same as in the configuration element)
Enter the Query Type: Select Statement.
Enter the SQL query (e.g., SELECT * FROM demo.login_attempts)
Handle ResultSet: Store as String

5. Adding Listeners to Test Plan

Listeners – They shows the results of the test execution. They can show results in a different format such as a tree, table, graph or log file

We are adding  View Result Tree listener & Aggregate Report

View Result Tree

View Result Tree show results of the user request in basic HTML format

To add: Right click Test Plan, Add -> Listener -> View Result Tree

Aggregate Report

Displays a comprehensive summary of the request data.

To add: Right click Test Plan, Add -> Listener -> Aggregate Report

The entire Test Plan will look like as shown below

6. Save the Test Plan

To Save: Click File Select -> Save Test Plan as ->Give name of the Test Plan. It will be save as .jmx format.

Sample .jmx File

7. Run the Test Plan

Click on Green Triangle as shown below to run the test.

8. View the Execution Status

Click on View Result Tree to see the status of Run. Successful request will be of Green color in the Text Section. The View Results Tree listener breaks down each request and response in detail, including:

1. Error messages (if any)
2. Response time
3. Bytes sent

The response body as well as response headers can be seen in the listener.

The Aggregate Report listener gives you a quick overview of the test results. It shows key details like:

1. Average
2. Min/Max
3. Std. Dev.
4. Error

Provides an aggregate of multiple sample results.

9. Troubleshooting

Connection Issues:

JMeter is incapable of connecting to the database. Make sure that the JDBC driver is correctly placed in the `lib` directory of JMeter.

SQL Errors:  

Errors occur during the execution of SQL queries.Double-check the SQL syntax used in the JDBC Request Sampler.

Resource Constraints:

JMeter consumes excessive resources, or the database server becomes unresponsive. Monitor the database server’s resource utilization to make sure it is not being maxed out. Use JMeter in Non-GUI mode to reduce resource consumption on the client side.

That’s it! Congratulations on making it through this tutorial and hope you found it useful! Happy Learning!!