How to: Specify the sample rate for a load test run setting
Applies to: 
Visual Studio 
Visual Studio for Mac
Note
This article applies to Visual Studio 2017. If you're looking for the latest Visual Studio documentation, see Visual Studio documentation. We recommend upgrading to the latest version of Visual Studio. Download it here
After you create your load test with the New Load Test Wizard, you can use the Load Test Editor to change the properties to meet your testing needs and goals.
Note
Web performance and load test functionality is deprecated. Visual Studio 2019 is the last version where web performance and load testing will be fully available. For more information, see the Cloud-based load testing service end of life blog post. To reduce the impact on users some minimum support is still available in Visual Studio 2022 Preview 3 or later. Users should also note web performance and load test functionality only supports Internet Explorer which is not available on Windows 11 and some versions of Windows 10. Read more on Internet Explorer Lifecycle policy.
Using the Load Test Editor, you can edit a run setting's Sample Rate property's value in the Properties window. For a complete list of the run settings properties and their descriptions, see Load test run settings properties.
Choose an appropriate value for the Sample Rate property for the load test run setting based on the length of your load test. A smaller sample rate, such as the default value of five seconds, requires more space in the load test results database. For longer load tests, increasing the sample rate reduces the amount of data that you collect. For more information, see How to: Specify the sample rate for a load test run setting.
Here are some guidelines for sample rates:
| Load Test Duration | Recommended Sample Rate |
|---|---|
| < 1 Hour | 5 seconds |
| 1 - 8 Hours | 15 seconds |
| 8 - 24 Hours | 30 seconds |
| > 24 Hours | 60 seconds |
To specify performance counter sampling rate in a run setting
Open a load test.
The Load Test Editor appears. The load test tree is displayed.
In the load test tree, in the Run Settings folder, choose the run setting that you want to specify the sample rate for.
On the View menu, select Properties Window.
The load run setting's categories and properties are displayed in the Properties window.
In the Sample Rate property, enter a time value that indicates the frequency at which the load test will collect performance counter data.
After you have finished changing the property, choose Save on the File menu. You can then run your load test using the new Sample Rate value.