Definition

Testing conducted to evaluate a system or component up to the limits of its load capability. This is the testing of a product under known load and extreme load; in particular, in terms of numbers of users, volumes of data and the measurement of the speed in which data is processed (known as testing performance).

[Source: <>BCS]

Comment

There are always limits beyond which stress testing can make a system unusable. The key is ensuring that either they are beyond the point which might ever be realistically reached in live use or that a trap is put in place to prevent the system reaching the limits (by archiving data, or preventing additional users connecting to the system).