Service Virtualization is one of the most powerful tools in a testers armoury. It lets QA get ahead of development and can dramatically shorten delivery times.
If you’re running a well-established test function but need to accelerate your time-to-market, Service Virtualization is my #1 recommendation.
Service Virtualization is a complete game-changer, and you can get it for free with LoadRunner Professional and Enterprise!
What is Service Virtualization?
Service Virtualization, otherwise known as mocking, mimics the behaviour of system components – it lets you run end-to-end tests, even if you don’t have access to every part of the system.
For instance, if you are testing a web front end for an online shop, you can easily create services for areas like credit card transactions, interactions with stock control systems or interactions with your finance application.
Service virtualisation provides an industrialised alternative to the stubs and drivers that were used in the past.
Service Virtualization is a robust and cost-effective tool that makes testing easy. It removes the need for bespoke, flaky, and time-consuming stub development. It’s an intuitive tool that supports hundreds of technologies and protocols for virtualisation and simulation.
Why You Need Service Virtualisation!
If I could recommend a single test tool, Service Virtualization would be it. Most people know about Performance, Automation and Test Management tools, but Service Virtualization often slips under the radar.
It is my opinion that every project should use Service Virtualisation! Service Virtualisation lets you maintain momentum on a project, more so than any other tool or approach. Can also be used by developers to accelerate development.
SV lets you surge forward with testing. It prevents idle wait time and gives you redundancy.
Plus, Service Virtualization will typically pay for itself in short order. Less hardware is required for test and training environments and testing can happen sooner this accelerates the test > development > feedback cycle.
You Can Often Beat Project Delays with Service Virtualization
In a world where software delays can have huge consequences, Service Virtualisation offers a way to maintain momentum.
Once you’ve lost project momentum, it can be hard to get it back. You’re always playing catch-up.
Where a delay might normally cause a project to pause, or certain resources to stop working, products like Micro Focus Service Virtualization allow you to continue development and testing.
Rather than sitting around waiting, your team are productive and working towards your go-live date. There is no other tool that maintains project momentum quite like service virtualisation – it’s the best tool you are not using.
How to Get Free Service Virtualization Software
Service Virtualization is free with Micro Focus LoadRunner Professional and LoadRunner Enterprise!
Service Virtualization installation packages for Linux and Windows are included with these versions of LoadRunner.
To access the installation package you just need to sign into the software download portal. From there you should be able to see your entitlement, assuming you are up to date with support or have a term or SaaS licence. You will need to be on a recent release (at least the 2022 version), as only included with these versions.
Do You Need Use Service Virtualization Software With Functional Testing?
Service Virtualization is, of course, incredibly useful for functional testing as well. Once you have seen how useful it is for Performance Testing, you will also want it for Functional Testing.
Fortunately, Service Virtualization is also available as a standalone product that you can use in any test and development phase.
This will allow you to surge ahead with functional testing and save money on test environments.
