Web Performance Matters

Today the Apdex specification is entirely focused on application response time. Its first paragraph defines Apdex as “a method for calculating and reporting a metric of transactional application response time in the form of an index with a value of 0 to 1.” But in reality, the Apdex method has much wider applicability. A more appropriate description might be the general statement that Apdex is a metric that reflects the degree to which a set of performance measurements achieves designated targets.

The idea of generalizing the Apdex standard has been discussed periodically within the Apdex community. To turn those discussions from an abstract idea into a concrete proposal, I’m writing a series of posts on the Apdex Exchange blog. Posts to date are:

• Generalizing Apdex
• Core Apdex Qualities
• Metrics and Performance Indicators: A Bibliography
• Apdex as a (Key) Performance Indicator
• An Extensible Apdex Glossary
• Which Apdex Features Can Be Generalized?
• Generalizing the Apdex Language
• Separately Configurable Thresholds in Apdex-G
• Apdex Specification Templates

Planned posts will address the issues of:

• Configurable Zone Alignment
• Configurable Scoring
• Configurable Reporting
• Configurable Rating Bands

Contribute Your Input

If you’ve ever used Apdex, or thought about how it could be used, consider contributing your own thoughts in the comments on the Apdex Exchange blog. I will definitely reply, and also take your input into account as I draft a new generalized Apdex specification. The result will be much more authoritative if it reflects the consensus view of people who want to apply the Apdex method for reporting in their own organizations.