A delay release instruction postpones a business session for a specified duration after a stress test is scheduled. The business session begins running requests only after the configured delay elapses. Use this instruction when you need to wait for a data export to complete before sending requests, or to stagger session start times within a single stress test.
Delay vs. think time
Performance Testing Service (PTS) provides two timing instructions that serve different purposes:
| Attribute | Delay | Think time |
|---|---|---|
| When timing starts | When the stress test is scheduled | When the previous instruction returns results |
| Placement | First instruction in the business session (after any data-related instructions) | Anywhere except the first position |
| Quantity per session | One | Multiple |
| Use case | Wait for a data export to finish, or stagger session start times | Simulate user read time between page actions |
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure that you have:
A PTS stress testing scenario with at least one HTTP node configured. For more information, see Basic request parameters
Add the instruction
Log on to the PTS console. Choose Performance Test > Create Scenario, and then click PTS.
Configure basic request parameters for the HTTP node.
In the Business Session section, click the Add Instruction drop-down list and select Delay.
Expand Delayed Release and set the Latency parameter to a value between 0 and 600 seconds.
Usage notes
The delay release instruction must be the first instruction in the business session. The only exception is data-related instructions, which can precede it.
Each business session supports only one delay release instruction.
Timing starts when the stress test is scheduled, not when it begins running. If a data export instruction is also present, account for the data export duration when you set the latency value.