Monitor results analysis in Postman - Test Execution Trace

Test Overview

This test runs a Postman monitor to check an API endpoint's response status and content. It verifies that the API returns a 200 status code and the expected JSON key.

Test Code - Postman Tests

Postman

pm.test("Status code is 200", function () {
    pm.response.to.have.status(200);
});

pm.test("Response has userId key", function () {
    var jsonData = pm.response.json();
    pm.expect(jsonData).to.have.property('userId');
});

Execution Trace - 4 Steps

Step	Action	System State	Assertion	Result
1	Monitor starts and sends HTTP GET request to the API endpoint	Postman Monitor dashboard shows the request is running	—	PASS
2	Monitor receives HTTP response with status code 200	Response body contains JSON data with userId and other keys	Check if response status code is 200	PASS
3	Monitor runs test to verify response JSON has 'userId' key	Response JSON parsed successfully	Verify presence of 'userId' property in JSON	PASS
4	Monitor completes execution and reports test results	Postman Monitor dashboard shows tests passed	All tests passed	PASS

Failure Scenario

Failing Condition: API returns status code other than 200 or response JSON lacks 'userId' key

Execution Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the first test in the Postman monitor verify?

A That the API response status code is 200

B That the response body contains the word 'userId'

C That the API request method is POST

D That the response time is less than 1 second

Key Result

Always verify both the HTTP status code and the expected data in the response body to ensure the API behaves correctly.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of analyzing Postman monitor results?

easy

A. To create user interface designs

B. To write new API requests

C. To track API health and detect failures over time

D. To deploy applications to servers

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand monitor results role

   Monitor results show how API tests perform over time, highlighting issues.

2. Step 2: Identify main goal of analysis

   Analyzing results helps track API health and find failures quickly.

3. Final Answer:

   To track API health and detect failures over time -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Monitor results = API health tracking [OK]

Hint: Monitor results show API health trends over time [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing monitor results with request creation
• Thinking monitor results are for UI design
• Assuming monitor results deploy apps

2. Which filter option in Postman Monitor results helps you quickly find failed test runs?

easy

A. Sort by request name

B. Sort by creation date

C. Filter by response time

D. Filter by status: Failed

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify filter purpose

   Filtering by status narrows results to specific outcomes like failures.

2. Step 2: Choose filter to find failures

   Filtering by status: Failed shows only failed test runs quickly.

3. Final Answer:

   Filter by status: Failed -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Status filter = find failures fast [OK]

Hint: Use status filter to isolate failures fast [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Sorting by request name does not isolate failures
• Filtering by response time shows speed, not failures
• Sorting by creation date orders runs but doesn't filter failures

3. Given this Postman monitor result snippet:

{"runId":123, "status":"failed", "tests": {"responseCodeCheck": false, "bodyCheck": true}}

Which test failed in this run?

medium

A. bodyCheck

B. responseCodeCheck

C. Both tests passed

D. No tests were run

Solution

1. Step 1: Read test results in JSON

   The tests object shows responseCodeCheck: false and bodyCheck: true.

2. Step 2: Interpret boolean test results

   false means test failed, true means test passed.

3. Final Answer:

   responseCodeCheck -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   False test = failure [OK]

Hint: False test result means failure [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming true means failure
• Ignoring test result booleans
• Confusing test names

4. You notice your Postman monitor shows all runs as "passed" but your API is down. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. Test scripts do not check API response status codes

B. Monitor is not scheduled to run

C. API is running but returning errors

D. Monitor results are delayed by 24 hours

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze monitor showing all passes

   If monitor shows all passes but API is down, tests likely miss failure detection.

2. Step 2: Identify missing test checks

   Not checking response status codes means failures go unnoticed.

3. Final Answer:

   Test scripts do not check API response status codes -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Missing status checks = false passes [OK]

Hint: Check if tests verify response status codes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming monitor is not running without checking
• Thinking API is up despite errors
• Believing monitor results delay causes issue

5. You want to create a Postman monitor report that highlights only failed tests with response times over 2 seconds. Which approach best achieves this?

hard

A. Filter monitor results by status: Failed and response time > 2000ms

B. Sort monitor results by response time ascending

C. Filter monitor results by status: Passed only

D. Export results and manually check response times

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand filtering needs

   You want to see only failed tests with slow response times.

2. Step 2: Apply combined filters

   Filtering by status: Failed and response time > 2000ms shows exactly those runs.

3. Final Answer:

   Filter monitor results by status: Failed and response time > 2000ms -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Combined filters = precise failure + slow tests [OK]

Hint: Use combined filters for precise monitor analysis [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Sorting alone does not filter failures
• Filtering by passed misses failures
• Manual checks waste time and risk errors