Inspecting HTTP test logs in the Protocol Data view

To verify that a test is performing as you intend, use the Protocol Data view, which displays the HTML details that were generated during a schedule run. If problems occur in a test run, you can also compare the data retrieved during the run with the recorded data.

Before you begin

Set the detail level. The amount of detail that you can see in the Protocol Data view depends on the Test Log settings in the schedule; see Setting the data that the test log collects. If you plan to use the Protocol Data view and your schedule run is not large, select the setting All for all types of events. For large schedule runs, do not use the All setting, because of the time and space required to transfer large amounts of log detail to your computer after a run is completed. You might create a special schedule for Protocol Data view runs with the log levels set to All. Limit this schedule to a single test (or a small number of tests) and to a small number of user groups or loop iterations. After you are satisfied that a test is performing correctly, you can move it to a schedule that emulates a realistic workload.

Procedure

  1. In the Test Navigator, right-click the results that you want to inspect, and click Display Test Log. The results have the same name as the test or schedule with a time stamp appended.
  2. In the editing area, click the Protocol Data tab to open the view.
    Tip: If you cannot locate the Protocol Data tab, click Window > Show View > Protocol Data.
  3. In the Protocol Data view, click the tab for the type of contents or view that you want to display: Request, Response Headers, Response Contents, or Browser, or Event Log.
    Substituted data is highlighted on the Request, Response Headers and Response Content pages when you view test log or test editor elements that use data correlation.
  4. In the Events hierarchy area of the test log, click the line that contains the detail that you want to view.
    The detail is displayed in the Protocol Data view.
    Note: User groups, virtual users, and some HTTP requests are processed in parallel. The test log reflects the order of execution, rather than the recording order or the order of user groups in schedules. Therefore, the order of page requests in the test might be different from the order in the test log, and the order of user groups in the test log might be different from the order in the schedule. However, the order of pages in a test and the order of tests inside a user group are the same in the test log as in the corresponding test and schedule.

What to do next

If you have problems during playback, you can compare the data that you recorded with the data retrieved during the run. For information on displaying the recorded data, see Viewing a test in the Protocol Data view.