Word of the Day: synthetic monitoring

Word of the Day Daily updates on the latest technology terms | December 3, 2018 synthetic monitoring Synthetic monitoring is the use of software to simulate user interaction with a given system. Synthetic monitoring is also known as active monitoring. In contrast, passive monitoring uses data from actual transactions. Many application performance monitoring (APM) tools include both passive and active monitoring modules. Synthetic monitoring makes it possible to detect issues so they can be dealt with before they arise with actual users or cause other problems with a system that could hamper performance or availability. The practice is used for many different systems, including websites, databases, applications, services and various network components.   Synthetic monitoring tools enable an end-to-end view of a system's behavior. Such tools run behavioral scripts that follow all paths that a user would be likely to take. These scripts mimic typical user activities and can help make predictions about how a new component of the system will perform. There are benefits and drawbacks to both synthetic and passive monitoring. For example, synthetic monitoring may increase overhead and affect system performance as a result. Passive end-user performance monitoring is useful for troubleshooting issues because the data gathered can inform an administrator about the precise conditions at the time of an event, and those conditions might not be replicated exactly in synthetic monitoring. Quote of the Day "Development teams who want to do synthetic monitoring have to make some decisions regarding staffing and tooling." - Justin Rohrman Trending Terms application performance monitoring smoke testing continuous delivery canary testing end-to-end testing automated test equipment Learning Center Use these shift-right methods to test code in production From synthetic accounts to feature flags and rolling deployments, it's no longer improper to test code in production. But be mindful of the potential security risks and deployment challenges. How to get started with synthetic monitoring Get a better understanding of monitoring tools, specifically why synthetic monitoring can improve an end-user experience. Why testing in production is going to be the next big thing Manual testers used to think their jobs stopped at app release. Not anymore. Expert Gerie Owen explains why testing in production is vital today. Nine end-user experience monitoring tools to know End-user experience monitoring tools can help IT shops pinpoint and resolve problems faster. Find out how to navigate the cluttered market. UX design exerts greater impact on application development Designing for quality user experience and testing results is a complicated process for designers, testers, UX design experts and the business side. Quiz Yourself The purpose of regression testing is to ______ that the software continues to function as expected under specific conditions. a. ensure b. assure Answer Stay in Touch For feedback about any of our definitions or to suggest a new definition, please contact me at: mrouse@techtarget.com Visit the Word of the Day Archives and catch up on what you've missed! FOLLOW US About This E-Newsletter This e-newsletter is published by the TechTarget network. To unsubscribe from Whatis.com, click here. Please note, this will not affect any other subscriptions you have signed up for. TechTarget, Whatis, 275 Grove Street, Newton, MA 02466. Contact: webmaster@techtarget.com Copyright 2018 TechTarget. All rights reserved.