Search code examples
jmeterperformance-testingload-testing

How to understand the Server performance by using standard deviation in the Jmeter Summary report?


How does JMeter calculate Std Dev. total value? What is it based on?

Please see the image below:

enter image description here


Solution

  • Even though the summary row is named TOTAL the values in the row aren't the sum of the values above it. Rather it is a calculated value for the entire data set.

    If there are 100 samples in row1 and 100 samples in row2, the total number of samples is 200. "Total" average is the average of all 200 samples and "Total" Std Dev. is the standard deviation of all 200 samples.

    OVERALL would probably be a better word to use in place of TOTAL for the summary row.

    As for what standard deviation means, this isn't a JMeter measure per se, but a statistical measure of the data set. It represents how much variation or spread is present in the data set.