Working with the Performance Trace

This chapter provides an overview of the Performance Trace and discusses how to:

• Enable a performance trace.

• Run a performance trace.

• View performance trace information.

Understanding the Performance Trace

The Performance Monitor enables you to monitor and record performance information for all activity on PeopleSoft systems. However, times occur when you need to monitor the performance of a specific business process or the performance issues that are reported by a specific user. In these cases, you can use a performance trace.

The Performance Trace enables you to:

• Group PMUs across server requests.

• Display PMUs from multiple systems.

• Override default agent filter levels.

A user starts and stops a performance trace from the Performance Trace console. While a performance trace is in effect, the system associates the trace name with each PMU that is created during that user's session. The trace name may then be used in the Performance Monitor pages to search for performance data that is created during the performance trace.

The trace can override the current agent filter level for PMUs that are created during the trace. The override applies to that user session only.

Performance traces are effective across multiple systems that report to the same monitor. For example, if a portal displays content from another monitored system, traces that are started from the portal also apply to the displayed content.

Note. The Performance Trace Console needs to be launched from an end user's browser.

Note. A performance trace is not affected by the PMU sample rate.

Enabling a Performance Trace

Systems that are configured to allow performance traces have a Performance Trace link appearing in the Universal Navigation Header on each PeopleSoft page.

Note. In the following procedure, be sure to notice where each step needs to be completed: on the monitoring system or the monitored system.

To enable a performance trace:

1. On the monitoring system, select PeopleTools, Performance Monitor, Administration, System Definitions, and then select the appropriate system definition.

2. On the monitoring system, make sure Allow Performance Trace is selected on the System Definitions page.

   Note. If a business process includes multiple systems, each system in the business process needs to have the system configured to allow performance traces.

3. On the monitoring system, click Save and Notify Agents.

4. On the monitored system, make sure the users who will run the performance trace have the WEBLIB_PPM web library specified in at least one of their permission lists.

   Note. If you don't want a user to see the Performance Trace link, you need to remove the web library WEBLIB_PPM from that user's permission lists. Without access to WEBLIB_PPM, the Performance Console link does not appear in the Universal Navigation Header.

Running a Performance Trace

The Performance Trace Console launches in a small, separate window.

To run a performance trace:

1. If the Performance Trace link does not appear in the Universal Navigation Header, click Sign out to sign off the system, and then clear the browser's cache (remove temporary Internet files).

   Note. Clearing browser cache varies depending on which supported browser you use. Refer to your browser's documentation for details.

2. Sign on to the PeopleSoft system.

3. Navigate to the page where you want to begin the performance trace.

4. Click the Performance Trace link, which is located in the Universal Navigation Header.

   This launches the Performance Trace Console.

5. In the Performance Trace Name edit box, enter a name to identify the trace results.

   Remember the name that you enter because you need to enter this name in the search criteria when you intend to view the trace results. You can accept the default name, if one appears.

6. In the Filter Level group box, set the filter level options.

   You have the following options:

   Keep Current Settings	The system continues to record performance information according to the current agent filter settings.
   Override With Standard	Changes the current filter level to Standard for the current user's session.
   Override With Verbose	Changes the current filter level to Verbose for the current user's session.
   Override With Debug	Changes the current filter level to Debug for the current user's session.

7. When the appropriate filter levels have been set, click Start Trace.

8. Complete the business process that you need to monitor.

9. Click Stop Trace.

Viewing Performance Trace Information

To view performance trace information:

1. Make note of the performance trace name that was entered by the user.

2. Navigate to the Performance Monitor page that displays the desired performance information.

   You can use the performance trace name to view.

   • Open PMUs.

   • Completed PMUs.

   • All of the performance charts.

3. In the search criteria for the page that you are on, enter the name of the performance that is trace in the Performance Trace Name edit box.

4. Enter any additional search criteria required.

5. Click Search.