Service Virtualization for add user

Question

I have a application which consumes web services. There is a add user functionality in the application. When we point to live web services then add user functionality works perfectly and inserts into database when we add the user. Suppose now, if we virtualize the add user functionality using any industry standard tools like(itko lisa, hp sv, ibm sv) and point our application to listen to virtualized port and host, will the add user functionality work same as accessing live services. Whenever we hit the request from the UI for add user. It should access virtualized services and it should also insert into database. Is it possible?. Please help me, I am little confused.

Answer 1

Simulations as I see it simulate services, but do not do the actual job. I do not understand requirement of simulation inserting users, it is a job of actual service not a simulation. If the overhead of creating simulation is the same as creating service, something somewhere is not right.

Answer 2

In my experience, with the virtual service concept between API and backend, only service responses can be virtualized. Database updates are not feasible due to cost involved.

One possible way to implement is by creating another DB instance and point it to virtual response and perform DB changes as it would do in production. This requires another infrastructure set-up which will be costly.

Answer 3

The answer depends on what you want to achieve. Service Virtualization can stand in there for different reasons.

If you add the virtual service in order to be able to test without the availability of the live service, then you don't actually need the database insertion. It defeat the purpose of the virtual service standing on behalf of the live service.

If what you want to achieve is validating changes: some industry standard product that I know is also capable to stand as virtual service will still forwarding the request to the live service, which means it still behave exactly the same without virtual service. You will do this usually when you want to record actual live service interaction for a prolonged period, for example for regression of the last 90 days worth of transaction.

Also there are virtual services which requires stateful capabilities (inserting to database is one of them), might be used, for example to simulate real live system that is too expensive to be available in your test or training environment, I know there are some solutions around it with the products that I know. This is probably what you wanted to explore.

DISCLAIMER: I work for one of the industry standard tool company. My opinion here solely reflects my personal opinion, and not opinion of the company I work for.