Performance Sales Test

This button on the Web Listener tab (in Company Preferences) tests the maximum speed for selling and refunding tickets to a performance one ticket at a time. This can be used from multiple workstations to get an idea of how well the database server might respond under load.

The general process that the test goes through is that Theatre Manager

1. Creates an order for the person you are logged in under
2. Randomly generates a number of seats that it wants to buy (1 to 6)
3. Uses the best seat algorithm to find something in the performance. If nothing is found, it tries again with a different number of seats.
4. After a random number of tickets have been booked, The test releases 10% of the tickets in the order, one at a time.
5. Steps 2 to 4 are repeated until there is nothing left to sell or the find best seats algorithm returns no tickets found.
6. The test reports some statistics and asks if you want all the tickets to be released. This is done, one at a time, to create as much contention as possible with the database

   

Some suggestions for setting up a multi-workstaton test are:

• Make a backup of the database before starting.
• Use performances that are not on sale to the public and have no tickets currently sold to it. This will make it easier to refund tickets if there is any issues.
• You can used the same (or different) performances at each workstation which will slightly alter the meaning of the test. Selling for the same performance might imply testing for sellout conditions. Selling to different performances might imply standard box office walkup sales loading. Note that transactions are not created for the performances.
• Log in as:
  • Different users on each workstation to simulate standard box office load -or-
  • The same user, if you wish to test a scenario akin to using the same web listener id on multiple listeners.
• At the completion of the test:
  • Go to the patron record for the users involved and make sure that all tickets are released.
  • Verify the totals in each performance/event used in the test using play and dates (GL tab) to make sure totals are correct.
  • Run the create sales entries to make sure there is no impact on the GL.

You can also watch the sales process from another workstation by opening up the sales window to the performance(s) used and clicking on the map background to see how it is progressing.