What is acceptable database server performance testing

A new storage vendor with a new faster way of storing and retrieving data pitches their product. Your company is interested in testing out the new platform. The new platform promises consolidation, more flexible provisioning of disk and disk tiers.

They come to you as the DBA looking for a comprehensive test from the SQL Server perspective. From a workload perspective database servers tend to be high on the list of heavyweight IO consumers. It’s important at this point to understand the scope of the testing.

1) What exactly are you testing? Is the storage tier the intended purchase - or is the best of breed within the vendors catalogue but your company will actually purchase the mid tier disk

2) What is the success criteria?

3) Should you include real world testing?

4) Where is the testing going to occur? In your environment or a vendor laboratory? There are so many levels of abstractions from host to storage , that testing on a vendor side can skew the results.

5) What benchmarks will use to compare?

6) Do you have a set of tests which you can apply consistently?

These are some considerations. All within the context of cost .

Here are some articles on creating test data and tools to assist you in creating an acceptance test .

SQL Server test data generation testing tools - SQL Server DBA

Performance Monitor Counters for SQL Server performance testing ...

Performance Metrics used in acceptance tests - SQL Server DBA

TPC-H generate test data , test queries and sql database benchmark ...