PeopleTools 8.51 PeopleBook: Performance Monitor

Performance Monitor Meta-Data

This section discusses:

Performance Monitor meta-data definitions.
Metric definitions.
Event definitions.
Context definitions.
PMU definitions.

Performance Monitor Meta-Data Definitions

The Performance Monitor uses the following meta-data definitions:

Metrics.
Events.
Contexts.
PMUs.

Metrics

Performance Monitor agents send PMUs and events to the monitor. Each PMU and event contains one or more metrics. Each metric has a unique identifier. Metric definitions are the building blocks for creating PMUs and events. PMUs and events comprise up to six numeric values and one string metric value. One metric definition can appear in multiple event and PMU definitions.

Events

Events are notifications containing performance metrics that are different from PMUs in that they are not hierarchical, and they do not have durations. PeopleTools has defined a set of event types, and each type of event is reported at a specific location in the instrumented code.

Each event has:

Type.
Instance identifier (a unique identifier for a specific event instance).
Timestamp.
Severity.
Metrics (such as CPU usage and memory allocation).

Event definitions group as many as seven metrics to measure the intended performance data. Some events do not have metrics.

Contexts

A context definition applies only to PMU definitions. Contexts provide additional information so that PMU performance data can be displayed and searched more effectively. For example, a context definition enables you to group and sort numeric values, such as an execute count, by page name. Contexts enable the system to assign the data to various elements such as pages, components, service calls, and so on. Without contexts, you have only numeric data in no understandable grouping.

PMU metrics contain data that is specific to that PMU. Context values, on the other hand, are common to the entire user request or a specific tier. The system uses contexts to "flatten" a PMU tree. For example, you do not have to navigate up from a SQL PMU to an ICPanel PMU to see what component generated that SQL statement.

PMUs

A PMU is a unit of measure that reflects the execution of a section of code. The system starts and stops a PMU at specific code locations, and the system may update a PMU anytime between the start and stop times. PeopleTools has defined a set of PMU types, and each type of PMU corresponds to the instrumentation at a specific code location, such as a SQL Execute in PSAPPSRV or a Jolt Request in the web server.

Each PMU includes:

PMU Type.
Instance identifier (a unique identifier for a specific PMU instance).
Start time.
Stop time.
Status.
Metrics (such as number of SQL fetches or buffer size that is used in a Jolt response).

A PMU represents a section of code that is bracketed by calls to an internal instrumentation API that signal the start and stop of that logical unit of code.

PMU definitions group as many as seven metrics to measure the intended performance data. Some PMUs do not have metrics.

Metric Definitions

This section discusses the attributes of a metric definition.

Note. Only PeopleSoft should modify metric definitions. Modifying metric definitions at your site could cause unexpected results.

Metric Identifier	A numeric value acting as the unique identifier, or key, for a metric definition.
Metric Type	Displays the type of the metric definition. Metric types are: Counter: A counter metric is designed to enable sums of values from a specific time range to be calculated. Examples are bytes printed and records written. The values can also be averaged, maximums and minimums can be calculated, and other kinds of statistical calculations can be performed Gauge: A gauge metric is designed to be used instead of a counter when it is not meaningful to calculate sum values that are recorded within a time range. Calculations that are performed on gauge metrics include: average, standard deviation, median, maximum value, and minimum value. For example, the amount of memory that is used on a server is a gauge metric type. If you measure the amount of memory that is used over 20 transactions in a time range, the sum of the memory that is used is not necessarily useful. However, the average, median, and standard deviation provide insight into usage per transaction. Numeric Identifier: A numeric identifier is a numeric value that is used as an identifier, not as a measurement value. Creating sums and averages, or manipulating these values in any arithmetic way is not meaningful. For example, message numbers and error codes are numeric identifier metric types. String: Used with metric definition attributes that need to be represented as text, not a numeric value. Arithmetic operations are not performed on string metric types. For example, descriptive attributes, such as site path, file name, and so on, are string metric types.
Metric Label	This metric label appears on any page that displays a metric to describe the metric value.
Description	Displays a more detailed description of the purpose of the metric.
Metric Multiplier	Enables you to manipulate metric values using a multiplier. The multiplier determines how the metrics appears on a PeopleSoft page. For example, if a metric is in milliseconds and you want to change it to display in seconds, you would specify a multiplier of 1000. If the value does not need to be manipulated (increased or decreased), the multiplier is 1.0.
Display Metric As an Integer	Metrics can appear as a real number (with decimals) or integers (without decimals). For example, an average duration appears as a real number, while a sum of SQL Statement executions must appear as an integer. To display the metric as an integer, select this check box. To display the metric as a real number, clear this check box.

User Defined Display Text

This section provides flexibility when you are defining metrics. For example, you can assign labels to particular values that are returned by functions. Based on a particular return value, the system displays various label values. Typically, this would be used in the case of Boolean values, such as the case with metric 23, Is this a Pagelet. If a 0 is returned, the system displays No. If a 1 is returned, the system displays Yes.

Display Value/Label

Enables you to determine what appears on the pages displaying a metric.

These options are mutually exclusive.

Select Display Value to display the actual value. Select Display Label to display the label describing the metric value.

Metric Value

The actual value of a user-defined metric value.

Metric Value Label

The label that is associated with a user-defined metric value.

Event Definitions

This section describes the attributes of an event definition.

Event Definition Set

Event definitions belong to a particular set. This is similar to message definitions in the message catalog belonging to a message set.

Note. Currently, only one set exists, set 1, which is reserved for internal PeopleSoft development.

Description

Explains the purpose of a particular event definition set.

Definitions

Event ID	Identifies an event definition within an event set.
Event Label	The name of the event definition. This value appears with any event metric values on the pages displaying the event information.
Description	Provides additional identification, if needed.
Additional Data Label	If the optional long character field is populated for this event type, it requires a display label.
Filter Level	Sets the level at which the system begins recording data about a particular event definition. The level of the overall monitoring system must equal or exceed the level of the event filter level before the system records the event data. For example, if the overall system filter level is set to Standard, the system records information from event definitions with a filter level set to Standard, Warning, and Error.
Metrics	An event comprisesup to six, predefined numeric metrics and one string metric. Select the metric to include using the lookup button. See Metric Definitions.

Context Definitions

This section discusses the attributes of a context definition.

Context Identifier	A numeric value that uniquely identifies a specific context definition.
Context Label	The label that appears on any page displaying the context definition to identify it.
Description	A more detailed explanation of the context definition, if needed.

PMU Definitions

This section describes the attributes of PMU definition.

PMU Definition Set

PMU definitions belong to a particular set. This is similar to message definitions in the message catalog belonging to a message set.

Note. Currently, only one set exists, set 1, which is reserved for internal PeopleSoft development.

Description

Explains the purpose of a particular PMU definition set.

Definitions

PMU ID	Identifies a PMU definition within an event set.
PMU Label	The name of the PMU definition. This value appears with any metric values on the pages displaying the PMU information.
Description	Provides additional identification, if needed.
Additional Data Label	Every PMU has an optional long data field for additional information or labeling. The system displays this label only of this field is populated.
Filter Level	Sets the level at which the system begins recording data about a particular PMU definition. The level of the overall monitoring system must equal or exceed the level of the PMU filter level before the system records the event data. For example, if the overall system filter level is set to Verbose, the system records information from event definitions with a filter level set to Standard and Verbose, but it does not record information that is related to PMU definitions with a filter level set to Debug. See Setting Agent Filter Options.
Enable Sampling	Some PMUs that are associated with a user connection are always monitored regardless of the sampling rate. The PMUs that are never ignored are those that have the Enable Sampling option cleared. Examples of such PMUs are those that are related to users signing on, signing off, and being redirected to other sites. See Configuring Performance Monitoring Sampling Rate.
Contexts 1, 2, 3	A PMU has up to three context fields. See Context Definitions. Note. If the contents of a context field vary according to the "parent" PMU, then the system uses Context 14 "Generic." For example, Context 1 of a SQL PMU such as PMU 407 (PeopleCode Built-In SQL Execute) is the component name for an ICPanel request or an iScript name for an ICScript request.
Metrics	A PMU comprises up to six, predefined numeric metrics and one string metric. Select the metric to include using the lookup button.
Display	Select this option if you intend to display the metric label, the value, or both on a PeopleSoft page.