Extreme Transaction Processing Means Extreme Testing Requirements

The extreme transaction processing platform (XTPP) is an emerging form of platform middleware technology meant to provide a comprehensive, cohesive and coherent set of functionality to support extreme transaction processing (XTP)-style applications.

Now, Gartner defines XTP as "an application style aimed at supporting design, development, deployment, management and maintenance of distributed transaction processing (TP) applications, characterized by exceptionally demanding performance, scalability, availability, security, manageability and dependability requirements." These are typical requirements also for cloud-style applications and services (often referred to as "cloud TP").

If you recollect, way back in 2006-07 when 'XTP' was first identified, the entry barriers were many, with the primary being cost. Only the most deep-pocketed and technically astute organizations could afford because of the high cost, complexity and proprietary nature of the required hardware and platform middleware. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. Today with lower barriers to entry into even the most transactionally demanding business models (for example, cloud services, SaaS) enable users to potentially dramatically reduce the costs of establishing high-end transaction processing systems thus significantly improving margins for their companies. This also paves way for the development of new and creative business models (for example, by providing limitlessly scalable transactional back ends to consumer-oriented applications leveraging Web 2.0 technologies, mobile gadgets and other consumer-oriented devices).

While in its previous avatar testing around performance, scalability, availability, security, manageability and dependability requirements were a must for XTP platforms, migration of XTP into cloud / SaaS from proprietary hardware and platform middleware makes testing extremely imperative for transaction intensive industries such as travel, financial services, web commerce (including Retail), telecommunications and online gaming and betting.