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As nouns the difference between baseline and benchmarkis that baseline is a line that is a base for measurement or for construction while benchmark is a standard by which something is evaluated or measured. As verbs the difference between baseline and benchmarkis that baseline is (engineering|computing) to provide a baseline for measurement while benchmark is to measure the performance of (an item) relative to another similar item in an impartial scientific manner.
HI Gagneet, I'm on the Windows performance team: here is how we use these terms. A baseline is a measurement of a known configuration that is used as a reference for subsequent measurements. For base line, we characterize the thing being measured: lets take cold boot time for example. Here we have a set of machines that are well characterized - this means we know how they work, that we have good drivers for them, and that the hardware isn't broken or flawed. On this hardware, we have several "base line" measurements such as XP-RTM, XP-SP2, Vista-RTM, Vista-SP1, Vista-SP2, etc. etc. For each of these base lines, we have a set of well characterized and understood measurements including all the phases of boot, the amount of CPU, disk and memory utilization, the number of DLL loads, etc. etc. After a baseline is established, we can then take other measurements and compare them to the base line. For example, we are currently working on Window-7. For each build (daily) we run a set of boot time tests. We compare all the characteristics of each Win-7 build to the base line measurements. This includes all the previous Win-7 builds. This lets us see where the differences lie and helps us drill into the problem areas. Here are some more details. Any software application should pass through functional and non-functional testing to ensure it satisfies business requirements and performance standards. Functional testing covers most of the functionalities, and include testing types such as black box testing, unit testing, integration testing, system testing, regression testing, smoke testing, and others. Non-functional testing, or performance testing, focuses on speed, stability, scalability, reliability, load capacity, and how your applications performance under stress. Performance testing is further divided into two types – baseline testing and benchmark testing. These performance tests are done to ensure that all quality standards and SLA (Service Level Agreements) are met by all the applications of an organization. In this article, we will understand their importance, benefits, and important metrics to cover. What is Baseline Testing? Baseline testing is a process of recording performance metrics of a software application when it undergoes performance testing. When the same application is updated, including software, hardware, network, and code changes, it again goes through performance testing, and new performance metrics results are compared with the previous performance metrics results. Performance metrics from every test are well-documented for future references. The overall goal for baseline testing is to maintain the consistent quality of a software application. Importance & Benefits of Baseline TestingBaseline testing is done for making sure that application performance is not degrading over time with new changes, and if it does, what are the measures to be taken so that it met the baseline performance. This ensures that user experience is intact in all test scenarios, and the scope of improvement is discovered. The following are some benefits that you get from performing baseline testing:
What is Benchmark Testing?Benchmark testing compares performance testing results against performance metrics that are agreed upon in the organization based on different industry standards. It helps determine the quality standards of every software application that belonged to an organization. Benchmark testing covers software, hardware, and network performance. The goal for benchmark testing is to test all the current and future releases of an application to maintain high-quality standards. Importance & Benefits of Benchmark TestingBenchmark testing is essential for implementing quality standards as well as SLAs. It is repeatable and quantifiable to practically establish user experience and business standards for a software application. The following are some benefits of benchmark testing:
Differences between Baseline & Benchmark TestingWhile baseline and benchmark testing seem very much the same, the following are some points that clarify the difference between the two:
Phases of Benchmark TestingWhile many teams follow the agile process for testing, it is best to follow a slightly different process for benchmark testing. The following are the standard testing phases for benchmark testing: Planning PhaseThis phase includes identifying and defining standards and requirements for baseline and benchmark testing. Identifying what components within the system are the most critical to test regarding performance and user experience. A set of metrics is prepared for measuring the performance and outcomes. Analysis PhaseThis phase includes setting the goals and objectives and the error identification process and how to resolve them. Integration PhaseThis phase includes the agreement between functional and non-functional requirements with business process approval and internal stakeholders. Action PhaseThis phase includes developing the test scenarios, executing the performance tests, measuring the performance, and calculating results. Performance Metrics and ComponentsPerformance testing emphasizes measuring various components and metrics. The below list comprises of some of the metrics that performance testers measure and review during, or after the test has completed.
Components of Baseline and Benchmark TestingFor a successful baseline and benchmark testing, there are three major components that need to be specified correctly:
A few other things that you should consider while doing performance testing include the following:
Baseline and Benchmark Testing using LoadViewLoadView is a cloud-based performance testing tool that allows you to create virtually any test scenario with the point and click EveryStep Web Recorder scripting tool. The LoadView platform offers real browser-based testing, simulates popular desktop/mobile devices, and a multitude of geo-locations to simulate the most realistic performance testing environments. For baseline/benchmark testing, you can set up your performance tests on LoadView in no time and utilize its load curve features to adjust the website/application load according to your requirements. Load curves are very useful to fine-tune the baseline and benchmark metrics. LoadView will then execute your tests and generate a detailed report with all the metrics you require to compare your results. LoadView performance reports contain out-of-the-box insights and easy to understand results. These performance reports can be saved for future comparison, and a baseline can be defined for repetitive comparison. Conclusion: Baseline and Benchmark TestingPerformance testing should be started early on and done before every new release to ensure your website/application behaves as expected under load conditions. Baseline and benchmark testing is used to ensure that your websites/applications deliver a consistently great experience. LoadView is a great tool to easily setup your tests and perform baseline and benchmark tests. You can leverage its multiple load curves and reporting features to measure different metrics and actionable insights. Get started with LoadView today. Sign up for the free trial or schedule a demo with one of our performance engineers. They will happily walk you through all the aspects, features, and benefits of our load testing solution, ensuring you have everything you need to begin carrying out your benchmark and baseline performance tests. Once you have thoroughly tested and tweaked your websites and applications to ensure they can handle the number of concurrent users you have planned for, the final step is to make sure your website and web applications are continually performing as you intended in the live production environment. You and your teams have invested loads of time and effort in planning, developing, and testing your applications. Make sure performance and response times are always within your pre-defined thresholds by implementing automated monitoring. Set up alerts and get notified immediately when downtime or errors occur, reducing the risk of additional users being impacted by a poor user experience. What is the difference between benchmarking and baselining in an IT risk management context?Difference between benchmark and baseline is that benchmark is comparing the performance of a company with the best practices in the industry; baseline is setting up a framework before any project starts, that can be used as a basis for implementation.
What is baselining in testing?Definition: Baseline testing refers to the validation of the documents and specifications on which test cases are designed. Baseline, in general, refers to a benchmark that forms the base of any new creation. In software testing, this refers to benchmarking the performance of the application.
What is the difference between benchmark and benchmarking?Benchmarks are reference points or measurements used for comparison, usually with the connotation that the benchmark is a 'good' standard against which comparison can be made. Benchmarking is a process of finding good practice and of learning from others.
What is a bid's baseline or benchmark?A baseline is a measurement or state at a point in time. A benchmark is a measurement of an industry standard, best practice or competitor.
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