The Performance Metrics module is used to view collected performance data from monitored servers over time and to build custom charts for troubleshooting, baselining, or comparison. Charts can be saved as templates for reuse, and any arrangement of charts on the page can be saved as a dashboard.
WISdom uses Windows Performance Monitor (PerfMon) objects and counters, along with SQL Server dynamic management views, to collect the metrics available in this module. The Category selected determines which metrics, metric instances, and aggregations are available for charting.
Navigate to Health › Performance Metrics.
Page Controls
| Control | Description |
|---|---|
| Dashboards | Opens the dashboard selector. Used to apply a saved dashboard, edit a saved dashboard, or save the charts currently on the page as a new dashboard. |
| + Add Chart | Opens the Add Chart window. This is the only way to add a chart to the page, including a chart built from a saved template. |
| Reset | Clears all charts from the page and returns the module to its default state. |
| Auto Refresh | Slide toggle. When enabled, all charts display the last 60 minutes of data and update every one (1) minute. |
| Layout toggle | Switches the chart layout. The four-square icon displays two charts per row. The three-line icon stacks the charts one per row at full width. |
Auto Refresh overrides the date range: Enabling Auto Refresh moves every chart to a rolling 60-minute window. Any date range selected on an individual chart is replaced while Auto Refresh is on. This behavior is the same on every WISdom screen that offers the toggle. See Auto Refresh.
Chart Controls
Each chart has its own header row containing the following controls.
| Control | Description |
|---|---|
| Pan left and pan right arrows | Shift the chart backward or forward by the length of the selected time range. |
| Range label | Displays the length of the time range currently charted, for example 7d. |
| Reset arrow | Returns the chart to its original time range. |
| Date range | Opens the calendar widget to change the date range charted. The default is the last seven (7) days. |
| Controls | Opens slide toggles for Auto-Scale, Host Pressure, and Database Pressure. |
| Chart Interval | Sets the time interval used to group data points. Auto-adjusts the interval to the selected date range and displays averages. |
| Action icon | Opens the chart action menu. |
Controls
| Toggle | Description |
|---|---|
| Auto-Scale | Scales the Y axis to the range of the plotted values rather than to a fixed scale. |
| Host Pressure | Shades the chart in gray during periods of host-level resource pressure. |
| Database Pressure | Shades the chart in red during periods of database-level resource pressure. |
Host Pressure and Database Pressure are determined by the same advanced analytics and algorithms that produce Health Scores in the Resource Health module.
- To examine the pressure itself, including Health Scores and Workload Impact by resource, see Resource Health.
- To find what caused the pressure, use the workload, blocking, and query analysis screens in the Performance module.
Chart Actions
Click the action icon in the chart header to open the following options.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Edit | Opens the Edit Chart window, where series can be added, changed, or removed and the chart regenerated. |
| Remove | Deletes the chart from the page. |
| Sync Time | Pushes the date range and chart interval of this chart to every other chart on the page, so all charts display the same period for comparison. |
| Export | Downloads an image of the chart. This is an image, not a spreadsheet of the underlying data. |
| Full Screen | Expands the chart to fill the browser window. |
Add a Chart
Multiple charts using different resources, metrics, and date ranges can be added to the page for comparison.
Step 1 — Open the Add Chart window
Click + Add Chart.
Step 2 — Apply a template or build the series
To use a saved configuration, select a template from the Templates drop-down menu and click Apply.
To build the series manually, click + Add Series and complete the drop-down menus described in Build a Series.
Click Reset to clear the series and start over.
Step 3 — Generate the chart
Click Generate Chart. The chart is added to the page using the series configured.
To save the configuration for reuse before generating the chart, click Save as Template.
Charts are not saved with the page: Charts exist only for the current session. Navigating away from Performance Metrics clears all charts. To keep a configuration, save it as a template or save the page as a dashboard.
Build a Series
A series is one plotted line on a chart. Each series is built by working through the drop-down menus from left to right, because each selection determines what is available in the next.
| Drop-down | Description |
|---|---|
| Resources | Select one (1) or more hosts or instances to chart. Selecting a host or an instance first reduces the Category list to only the categories that apply to that resource type. |
| Category | Select one (1) category, then expand it to select the metrics to plot. Only one category can be used per series. |
| Metric Instance | Select the instance of the metric, where the metric has more than one. For example, a logical disk letter or a specific processor. This menu remains unavailable for metrics that have no instances. |
| Aggregation | Select how the collected values are summarized for the chart interval. |
Click Apply in each drop-down menu to confirm the selection, then click the save icon at the right end of the series row.
Save each series: A series must be saved before the chart can be generated. Generate Chart remains unavailable until every series on the chart has been saved. Click the delete icon at the right end of the row to discard a series instead.
Click + Add Series again for each additional series. Each series is plotted as a separate color-coded line on the same chart. To build a chart with more than one category, add a series for each category.
Aggregation Values
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | The value at or below which 90 percent of the collected values fall, excluding the highest outliers. |
| 97th Percentile | The value at or below which 97 percent of the collected values fall, excluding only the most extreme outliers. |
| Average | The mean of the collected values for the interval. |
| Max | The highest collected value for the interval. |
| Min | The lowest collected value for the interval. |
Categories
Categories beginning with _Custom: are defined by WISdom. They are computed values derived from collected data rather than a single PerfMon counter or dynamic management view column. All remaining categories map to PerfMon objects and SQL Server counters.
The Category list is reduced based on the resources selected. The following are all categories available.
| WISdom categories | PerfMon and SQL Server categories |
|---|---|
| _Custom: Database Size | Access Methods |
| _Custom: Database Space | Availability Replica |
| _Custom: Host Collection Health | Batch Resp Statistics |
| _Custom: Host Resource Health | Buffer Manager |
| _Custom: Instance Collection Health | Buffer Node |
| _Custom: Instance Resource Health | Database Replica |
| _Custom: SQL Activity | Databases |
| _Custom: SQL Availability Groups | General Statistics |
| _Custom: SQL Schedulers | Latches |
| Locks | |
| LogicalDisk | |
| Memory | |
| Memory Manager | |
| Network Interface | |
| Paging File | |
| Process | |
| Processor | |
| Processor Information | |
| SQL Instance Processor | |
| SQL Statistics | |
| SQLAgent:Jobs | |
| System | |
| Wait Statistics |
Edit a Chart
Click the action icon in the chart header and select Edit. The Edit Chart window opens with the current series listed.
From this window you can apply a different template, click + Add Series to add a series, click the pencil icon to change the values of an existing series, or click the delete icon to remove a series. Any series that is added or changed must be saved before the chart can be regenerated.
Click Generate Chart to apply the changes to the chart on the page.
Editing a chart on the page does not change the template it was created from. To change a template, see Edit or Delete a Template.
Chart Templates
A template stores a series configuration so the same chart can be rebuilt without reselecting every resource and metric.
Template Groups
The Templates drop-down menu organizes saved templates into three groups. Use the search field to locate a template by name.
| Group | Description |
|---|---|
| My Templates | Templates saved by the current user. Visible only to that user. |
| Global Templates | Templates shared with all users on the account. Created by users with the Administrator or Power User role. |
| WISdom Templates | Templates built into WISdom. Available to all users and cannot be modified or deleted. |
Save a Template
From the Add Chart or Edit Chart window, click Save as Template and complete the following fields.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Required. The name the template appears under in the Templates drop-down menu. Two templates cannot share the same name. |
| Set as Global Template | Makes the template available to all users on the account. Requires the Administrator or Power User role. |
| Template Description | Optional. Describes the purpose of the template. Visible when saving or editing the template. |
| Template Series Metrics | Read-only list of the series the template will save. |
Click Save Template.
Metrics Only templates: A template can be saved either with or without resources associated. Saving a template without resources makes it easy to apply the same set of metrics to different resources later. These templates are flagged as Metrics Only in the Templates drop-down menu.
Edit or Delete a Template
Open the Templates drop-down menu and click the pencil icon next to the template.
The template name and description can be changed. The series metrics stored in the template cannot be changed. To change which metrics a template contains, delete the template and save the new configuration under the same name.
Dashboards
A dashboard saves every chart on the page as a named group, including the order in which the charts are displayed. When the dashboard is applied, the same charts are rebuilt in the same layout and order.
Dashboard Groups
The Dashboards drop-down menu organizes saved dashboards into three groups. Use the search field to locate a dashboard by name.
| Group | Description |
|---|---|
| My Dashboards | Dashboards saved by the current user. Visible only to that user. |
| Global Dashboards | Dashboards shared with all users on the account. Created by users with the Administrator or Power User role. |
| WISdom Dashboards | Dashboards built into WISdom. Available to all users and cannot be modified or deleted. |
Working from a WISdom dashboard or template: WISdom Dashboards and WISdom Templates are read-only. To build on one, apply it, then save it under My Dashboards, My Templates, or as a Global item. The saved copy can then be edited.
Save a Dashboard
- Add and arrange the charts you want the dashboard to contain.
- Click Dashboards and select Save as Dashboard.
- Complete the following fields and click Save Dashboard.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Required. The name the dashboard appears under in the Dashboards drop-down menu. Two dashboards cannot share the same name. |
| Set as Global Dashboard | Makes the dashboard available to all users on the account. Requires the Administrator or Power User role. |
| Set as Default Dashboard | Loads this dashboard automatically each time the user opens or refreshes Performance Metrics. |
| Dashboard Description | Optional. Describes the purpose of the dashboard. |
Every chart on the page is saved, whether or not the individual charts were saved as templates. The charts are saved in the order they are displayed, and that order is preserved each time the dashboard is applied.
Apply a Dashboard
- Click Dashboards.
- Expand My Dashboards, Global Dashboards, or WISdom Dashboards, or use the search field to locate a dashboard by name.
- Select the check box next to the dashboard and click Apply.
Only one dashboard can be applied at a time. The check box indicates which dashboard is currently applied.
Edit or Delete a Dashboard
- Click Dashboards and expand the group containing the dashboard.
- Click the pencil icon next to the dashboard to open the Edit Dashboard window.
The dashboard name, description, Global setting, and Default setting can be changed. The Dashboard Charts section lists the saved charts in display order for reference, but the charts themselves cannot be changed from this window.
Click Save Dashboard to apply the changes, or Delete to remove the dashboard.
To change which charts a dashboard contains, delete the dashboard, arrange the new set of charts on the page, and save it under the same name. Alternatively, save the new arrangement under a new name and keep the original.
Default Dashboard
A default dashboard loads automatically every time the user opens or refreshes Performance Metrics. It does not honor a previously applied dashboard or previously selected filters.
The default dashboard setting is per user, per account, and only one dashboard can be set as the default at a time.
Permissions
| Action | User | Power User | Administrator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create, edit, and delete My templates and dashboards | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apply Global and WISdom templates and dashboards | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Create Global templates and dashboards | No | Yes | Yes |
| Edit and delete Global templates and dashboards | No | Yes | Yes |
| Modify WISdom templates and dashboards | No | No | No |
A user without the Administrator or Power User role can apply any Global template or dashboard, and can save a copy of it under My Templates or My Dashboards, where it can be edited.
Reading a Chart
Each chart plots the collected performance data for the selected date range.
- Each series is plotted as a color-coded line. The resource, metric, and average value are listed in the chart legend below the plot area.
- If no host or instance is selected, the top three (3) resources by average within the selected date range are plotted.
- Use the legend slide toggles to show or hide individual series.
- Hover the cursor over the plotted lines to display a marker pop-up with the value of each series at that date and time.
- To narrow the display to a specific period, hold the left mouse button and drag across the plot area. The chart redraws to show only the selected period. Click the reset arrow in the chart header to return to the full range.
Session Behavior
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Refreshing the page | The applied dashboard is retained. If a default dashboard is set, the default loads instead. |
| Navigating to another module and returning | All charts and the applied dashboard are cleared. If a default dashboard is set, the default loads. |
| Clicking Reset | All charts are cleared from the page. |
Comparing across modules: Because charts are cleared when you navigate away, open Performance Metrics in a duplicate browser tab when you need to move between modules without losing your charts.