How machine learning improves performance testing and monitoring

Ever since digitalization took center stage, various new-age technologies have come to the fore and benefited sectors in a dramatic manner. Though the emergence has not only enticed humankind to embrace software and applications to manage their day-to-day chores but pushed various organizations to adopt performance-driven solutions. According to a cybersecurity company, there are 8.93 million mobile applications today, with the Google Play Store having 3.553 million apps, the Apple App Store having 1.642 million apps, and Amazon having 483 thousand apps. Traditionally, the focus of IT organizations has been entirely on technology development; however, exposure to apps and software has enabled individuals and businesses to achieve a given goal and execute the function. In this context, performance testing and monitoring came to the rescue, allowing IT solution providers and enterprises working on business-specific solutions to help and resolve issues that could lead to a poor user experience and revenue loss.

The early phase of performance testing and monitoring methods was limited to manual procedures, but the advent of innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) enhanced and transformed the testing and monitoring process for the better. Especially the introduction of ML (a subset of AI) has enabled computer systems to learn, identify patterns, and make predictions without being programmed. Machine learning algorithms can be trained on large datasets of performance data to automatically identify anomalies, predict performance issues, and suggest optimization strategies. According to Market Research, the global machine learning market is poised to reach INR 7632.45 billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 37.12% during the forecast period 2021-2027. 

The utilization of machine learning in testing makes the process more competent and dependable. And provide several benefits, such as improved accuracy, limited test maintenance, aid in test case writing and API testing, test data generation, and reduced UI-based testing. As technology evolves, the way we develop and test also needs to change, and testing in production itself is possible when ML can show future disruptions in advance to mitigate. Testing in production means code coverage of exactly what is needed without additional spending on the test environment. Thus, ML has become a vital player in improving performance testing and monitoring, eradicating the need for creating long-winded test procedures and reducing the time spent maintaining tests. 

Ways to Improve Performance Testing and Monitoring

During testing, an application may display a variety of performance issues, such as an increased latency, systems that hang, freeze, or crash, and a decrease in throughout. As a result, machine learning emerged as a solution and can be used to track the source of a problem in software. Furthermore, ML’s capabilities are useful for current concerns and anticipating future values, and comparing them to those acquired in real-time.

In addition, the critical advantage of ML algorithms is that they learn and improve over time. The model can automatically alter in reaction to data, assisting in defining what “normal” is from week to week or month to month. Not only on time series data but ML correlation algorithms can also be used to find code-level issues causing resource abuse. This means that we can consider new data patterns and generate predictions and projections that are more exact than those based on the original data pattern. So let’s delve into some of the ways in which machine learning can improve performance testing and monitoring.

Predictive Analytics: Machine learning algorithms can be trained to forecast future performance concerns based on the collected data. This can assist the organization in proactively identifying and mitigating potential performance issues before they affect users. 

Automated Anomaly detection: Machine learning algorithms can learn regular application performance patterns by analyzing performance measures like response time, throughput, and resource utilization. Once trained, the algorithm can detect anomalies such as unexpected spikes or decreases in performance and alert developers and operators to the problem.

Root Cause Analysis and Optimization: Performance data can be analyzed by machine learning techniques to pinpoint the underlying causes of performance problems. This can save time and effort for developers and operators who would otherwise need to detect and fix the problem manually. Thus, it can help teams optimize resource usage and improve performance.

Correlation and Causation: ML correlation and causation techniques can identify and quantify the relationship between resources and help build a causal graph to show how they affect performance.

Real-time Monitoring: Real-time performance data analysis by machine learning algorithms can predict performance problems in advance and alert. Firms can respond to concerns more rapidly and with less impact on users.

In addition, to implement machine learning for performance testing and monitoring, businesses must gather and store vast volumes of performance data, filter data for accuracy, train machine learning models, and deploy them as needed. It is critical to highlight that machine learning is not a panacea and should be augmented with traditional performance testing and monitoring approaches to achieve the best outcomes.

Technology: Pathway to Boost Performance

In the modern era, with the growing number of software and applications, businesses are discovering that software performance at par is not just a perk for customers but a necessity. The inability to achieve the desired outcome can result in financial loss and poor customer experience that should not be overlooked. This is where the need for machine learning has become essential, which can significantly improve performance testing and monitoring by automating anomaly detection, providing predictive analytics, enabling root cause analysis, optimizing resource usage, and enabling real-time monitoring. Furthermore, as software systems become more sophisticated, machine learning will become an increasingly important tool for ensuring optimal performance and user experience.