D365 Finance and operation

To use JMeter for load testing Dynamics 365 Finance, you’ll want to set up your test plan to simulate the expected user behavior and load on the system. Here’s a general approach to get you started:

1. Install JMeter: Download and install Apache JMeter on your machine if you haven’t already.
2. Set Up Test Plan:
   • Open JMeter and create a new Test Plan.
   • Add Thread Group: Right-click on the Test Plan, select “Add > Threads (Users) > Thread Group.” Configure the number of threads (virtual users) and other settings like ramp-up time and loop count based on your load testing requirements.
   • Add HTTP Request Defaults: Right-click on the Thread Group, select “Add > Config Element > HTTP Request Defaults.” Configure the server name or IP address, port, and protocol (HTTP or HTTPS) for your Dynamics 365 Finance instance.
3. Add HTTP Requests:
   • For each user action or transaction you want to simulate (e.g., login, navigate to a page, submit a form), add an HTTP Request Sampler.
   • Right-click on the Thread Group, select “Add > Sampler > HTTP Request.” Configure the request method (GET, POST, etc.), path, and any necessary parameters.
4. Configure Authentication (if required): If your Dynamics 365 Finance instance requires authentication, you’ll need to configure JMeter to handle this. You can use the HTTP Authorization Manager to add credentials.
5. Add Listeners: Add listeners to view and analyze the test results. Common listeners include View Results Tree, Summary Report, and Aggregate Report.
6. Configure Timers (optional): Use timers to simulate realistic user behavior by adding delays between requests.
7. Run the Test: Once your test plan is set up, save it and run the test. Monitor the results in the listeners to analyze response times, throughput, errors, and other metrics.
8. Analyze Results: After the test run, analyze the results to identify performance bottlenecks, response time trends, and system behavior under load.

Remember to adjust your test plan based on your specific use cases, expected user load, and performance testing goals.

Important information about performance testing in D365

Visual Studio 2019 is the last version of Visual Studio that includes web performance and load testing features and will be deprecated in the future. We suggest using Apache JMeter for performance testing. For more information, see JMeter.

JMeter is owned by Apache, and therefore isn’t supported by Microsoft. However, the following series of blog posts provides some helpful tips for using JMeter with Dynamics 365 finance and operations apps.

Basic difference between Performance SDK and JMeter

Performance SDK	JMeter
Developed and supported by Microsoft but Visual Studio 2019 is the last version of Visual Studio that includes web performance and load testing features and these will be deprecated in the future.	Supported by a large community. It offers cross-platform compatibility and portability.
Single-user and multi-user testing supported, but required Visual Studio Enterprise edition for multi-user testing.	Open Source, single-user and multi-user testing supported.
.Net framework.	Java application.
Steps captured by using Task recorder inside of Dynamics 365 finance and operations apps, and converted to C# script by Dynamics 365 add-in tool in development environment.	Recording of the steps and scripts execution done by natively by JMeter.
Script files can only run on the finance and operations apps development machine.	Script files can be executed on any machine with the necessary Java prerequisites installed.
Test users created in Dynamics 365 finance and operations apps.	Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) user setup is required and with assigned security role in Dynamics 365 finance and operations apps.

Jmeter UI information as followed in below diagram which will help in understand UI better.

Report in D365 after running Jmeter load testing to understand throughput.

To create a report in Dynamics 365 Finance after running a load test with JMeter to understand throughput, you can follow these general steps:

1. Collect Data from JMeter:
   • Run your load test using JMeter to simulate user activity and generate performance metrics such as throughput (transactions per second), response times, and error rates.
   • Save the JMeter test results in a format that can be imported or analyzed in Dynamics 365 Finance. JMeter supports saving results in CSV or XML formats.
2. Prepare Data for Import:
   • If your JMeter results are in CSV format, ensure that the data is structured with relevant columns such as timestamp, transaction name, response time, and throughput.
   • You may need to format or transform the data to match the import requirements of Dynamics 365 Finance.
3. Import Data into Dynamics 365 Finance:
   • In Dynamics 365 Finance, navigate to the area where you want to analyze performance data. For example, you might create a custom report or use a built-in analytics feature.
   • Follow the steps to import data into Dynamics 365 Finance. This typically involves uploading the CSV or XML file containing your JMeter test results.
4. Create a Performance Dashboard or Report:
   • Once the data is imported, create a performance dashboard or report to visualize key metrics such as throughput.
   • Use the imported data to generate charts, graphs, and tables that display throughput trends over time, by user scenario, or by other relevant dimensions.
   • Include filters and drill-down capabilities in your dashboard or report to allow users to explore performance data in detail.
5. Analyze and Interpret Results:
   • Analyze the throughput data in the Dynamics 365 Finance report to understand how the system performs under different user loads.
   • Look for patterns or trends in throughput, such as peak usage times, performance bottlenecks, or areas for optimization.
   • Compare throughput data with other performance metrics (e.g., response times, error rates) to gain a comprehensive view of system performance.
6. Share and Collaborate:
   • Share the performance report with relevant stakeholders, such as IT teams, developers, and business users, to collaborate on performance improvements and optimizations.
   • Use the insights from the report to make data-driven decisions and prioritize efforts to enhance system performance and scalability.