Auto correlation enhancements
January 25, 2024

Commitment to Innovation: BlazeMeter’s Auto Correlation in Performance Testing

Performance Testing

When it comes to continuous testing, BlazeMeter has always prided itself on being the leader of the pack in terms of continuous testing solutions. For years, we have pioneered software testing capabilities that have made the lives of testers easier. Our dedication to customer-driven innovation is one of our primary motivations in everything we do. 

In 2023, among many product functionality upgrades, we focused on Auto Correlation in performance testing. For instance, BlazeMeter users can now streamline correlation rule creation as well as embraced collaboration like never before with the use of templates. 

But that is not all we did to bolster our Auto Correlation offerings! 

In this blog, we will take a more detailed look at what we accomplished with BlazeMeter Auto Correlation in performance testing over the course of 2023 — including open source contributions for a JMeter plugin, upgrades to the repository, pre-defined templates for BlazeMeter Unleashed users, and advancements in the Auto Correlation recorder.

Table of Contents

  1. Community Contributions With the Auto Correlation Plugin for JMeter
  2. Collaborative Enhancement with BlazeMeter Repository
  3. Exclusive Benefits Within BlazeMeter Unleashed
  4. Advancements in Auto Correlation Recorder
  5. Bottom Line

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Community Contributions With the Auto Correlation Plugin for JMeter

One of the things that sets BlazeMeter apart from other continuous testing solutions is our commitment to open source compatibility and the open source community. 

A highly popular open source tool among developers is JMeter. Over the years, we have contributed numerous plugins, fixes, and documentation to maximize the flexibility when working with BlazeMeter and JMeter together. 

When we developed the Auto Correlation plugin for JMeter, we knew how effective and useful it would be for the open source community. The plugin dramatically reduces time spent on manual script preparation (think what you can do with all those hours back!) by automating the detection and replacement of dynamic values. 

Imagine you are recording a test script that continues to fail because of dynamic session IDs. Without the JMeter Auto Correlation plugin, you would have to meticulously and painstakingly replace those session IDs until your test was successful. With the plugin, however, you can automatically identify and correlate these values for a successful test execution. 

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Collaborative Enhancement with BlazeMeter Repository

The BlazeMeter repository also got a lot better in 2023. 

It has become a central hub for sharing auto correlation templates. The newly collaborative nature of the repository allows users to share, refine, and optimize correlation templates. The open communication between teams using these templates is also a major time-saving feature. 

Its accessibility for all users fosters a community-driven approach to performance testing. This focus on open source and open source community is indicative of the importance of collaboration and flexibility. It allows, for example,  for QA teams collaborating using the repository to share and improve a set of correlation rules — thereby streamlining their testing process. 

Experience the BlazeMeter’s innovative Auto Correlation enhancements for yourself. Start testing with BlazeMeter for FREE today! 

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Exclusive Benefits Within BlazeMeter Unleashed

For those who are enjoying the use of BlazeMeter’s most robust and powerful testing capabilities under the Unleashed plan, there are exclusive enhancements specifically within our Auto Correlation offerings. 

BlazeMeter Unleashed users have access to pre-defined templates for Auto Correlation in performance testing. Saving time and creating efficiencies with pre-defined templates is self-evident; users get a faster start to testing with a ready-to-use, expertly crafted set of rules for complex applications like Salesforce and SAP. 

This level of efficiency means that when premium users are starting a new project, they can apply a pre-defined template and bypass entirely the initial setup phase. 

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Advancements in Auto Correlation Recorder

In addition to improvements designed to enhance efficiency within BlazeMeter Auto Correlation, we have also created upgrades aimed at improving accuracy within tests. 

The BlazeMeter Auto Correlation Recorder now offers support for JSON extractions and the auto correlation of Authorization headers within the Recorder. These capabilities improve test accuracy by capturing essential data for Authorization headers — thereby reducing errors. This enhanced functionality accelerates the setup phase for users. 

Testers that leverage the new JSON extraction feature will experience a smoother test setup when dealing with APIs that utilize JSON payloads. This significantly cuts down on time-consuming manual correlation.

JSON Correlation Rules 

In today's web environment, JSON is frequently used in both request and response data.  

Until now, when confronted with JSON scenarios, plugin users had to rely on complex regular expressions that sometimes weren’t precise for the correlation.  

The Correlation Recorder plugin offers JSON-type correlation rules: JSON extractor and JSON replacement, using JSONPath. 

Users can create JSON-type correlation rules instead of using Regex or manually creating a JSON post processor, save and use templates with JSON rules and have more control over correlation when JSON format is present in the recording.

Leverage Test History

Historically, when a user applied a correlation rule or template to a script and found the correlations were not accurate (or worse, skewed the script entirely), there was no way to roll back the changes and restore the script.

With the Test Plan History Manager, BlazeMeter users are able to restore older versions of their test plans. That means:

  • The plugin will document actions as steps performed in the test plan.
  • Users can view the test plan history — actions, steps, and versions.
  • Users can roll back an action and restore a specific version of a test plan.
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Bottom Line

2023 was a banner year for BlazeMeter innovation — particularly within our capabilities for Auto Correlation in performance testing. We spent a significant amount of time and energy designing strategic enhancements to help our partners succeed in their testing endeavors. 

More than ever before, we focus on a customer’s needs to effectively improve BlazeMeter as a comprehensive continuous testing solution. An important distinction between BlazeMeter and other testing tools is that we place great importance on listening to the feedback of our customers — allowing us to address unique needs and continue to push testing innovation further. 

Experience these enhancements to Auto Correlation in performance testing (among many other enhancements) for yourself. Get started testing withBlazeMeter for FREE today! 

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