Points are the Catchpoint currency used to measure how much a customer uses testing. The point system offers a high degree of flexibility. Customers can purchase points in bulk and use it however they like on whatever tests they need. As monitoring needs change, testing strategies can easily be modified to match, since all tests can draw from the same pool of points.
What are Points?
Points are credit units you purchase to spend on Catchpoint test usage for the lifetime of the contract. Points are used toward test runs. They provide flexibility on how your monitoring budget is spent.
What is a "Run"?
A "Run" or "Test Run" refers to the execution of a test by the Catchpoint agent. For example, a single test run is considered one test step (e.g., one URL) executed once from one node. If a test is executed from one node every five minutes, it would run 12 times/hour, or 288 times/day.
What is the difference between a "Run" and a "Measurement?
A "Run" in Catchpoint is similar to a "Measurement" in other web performance monitoring solutions. However, we do not rely on the term "Measurement" for two reasons: It is ambiguous, as it can refer to a single value of measurement; and different vendors use the same term for different things.
What is a Monitor Factor?
Rather than specifying different currency prices for different test types, Catchpoint assigns a point value for each test corresponding to the relative cost of that test. The Monitor Factor thus refers to the cost of a test run in Points.
Where can I see how many points a test will use?
The number of points used by a given test depends on the Monitor Factor, the number and network type of nodes it’s run on (e.g. Backbone, Last Mile or Wireless), the frequency, and other factors. When configuring a test, you can see an estimate of point usage from the Point Estimation table on the test configuration page in the Test module. You can also see how many points a test is consuming from the Account Activity page in the Settings module.
Why does Catchpoint use points and not a fixed price per test?
Points provide more flexibility for how monitoring budgets are spent. Pricing on a fixed price per test type will lock you into system usage as defined in the contract. The Point system also provides a built-in volume discount, with no penalties on overages.
Is there a built-in volume discount when purchasing points?
Yes. Catchpoint's pricing system utilizes pricing tiers to provide automatic discounts based on point volume. Pricing tiers are blocks of points with unit prices that drop as you move up to a higher tier of usage. The more points you purchase, the less you pay per point or run.
How are the purchased Points distributed through the contract lifetime?
Points are purchased for the lifetime of the contract and are not limited on a per-month basis.
How are Points calculated for Transaction tests?
The Points for a transaction test are calculated as (Runs * Average Number of Steps) * Monitor Factor.
What happens to test runs that fail due to agent problems?
At Catchpoint, we take data integrity seriously. Any data affected by issues involving Catchpoint agents, and not the result of Internet or Client issues, are rigorously "cleaned" from the system and do not count toward system usage.
How can I control how my points are allocated and consumed?
If your account is set up to use Divisions, all Divisions share a common contract at the client level. Using the Point Allocation feature, a portion of the contract’s points may be allocated to any Division to manage how points are consumed over the contract lifetime.
Within a Division, or the Account if Divisions are not enabled, tests are organized by a file system, with Products as parent item. Using Point Allocations, contract points may be allocated by Product to control how the point consumption is spread across all tests.
See Point Allocations for more information.