Perl Performance Validator - Feature List

Perl Performance Validator has many useful features not found in other code performance analysis tools.

Performance

• Six different performance monitoring methods (one call counting method, five direct timing methods)
• Up to twenty different statistics displayed on statistics views, hierarchical display of data on other views. The statistics displayed are customizable by the user. Statistics displayed per performance node in the profiler graph are:
  
  • Class
  • Method
  • Class and Method
  • Code Object
  • Filename
  • Number of Children
  • Call Count
  • Call Count %
  • Function Time
  • Function Time %
  • Average Time
  • Average Time %
  • Children Time
  • Children Time %
  • Total Time
  • Total Time %
  • Longest Time
  • Longest Time %
  • Shortest Time
  • Shortest Time %
    
• Calculate performance hotspot graph based on call count, function time, average function time
• Advanced query facility for analysing performance data
• Performance statistics updated as the application executes
• Ability to sort the data for display
• Colour coded display for at-a-glance detection of functions consuming more processor time
• Source code display with function highlighting for editing source code and/or examining source code in situ with the statistics
• View performance statistics in real time, as they change whilst your application executes

Data Views

• Callstack view. Shows the realtime callstack of the selected thread as the application executes
• Raw Statistics view. Shows performance statistics as they are collected before they are collated per node in the performance graph, as they are collected in the application being monitored
• Statistics view. Shows performance statistics per node in the performance graph, as they are collected in the application being monitored
• Call Tree view. Shows a hierarchical performance tree that can be expanded, collapsed, and filtered by performance threshold
• Call Graph view. Shows a hierarchical performance graph that can be expanded, collapsed, and filtered by performance threshold
• Analysis view. Provide the ability to perform advanced queries on the performance data, with the results displayed in a hierarchical performance graph that can be expanded, collapsed, and filtered by performance threshold
• Line Times view. Shows the time each line takes to execute
• Diagnostic messages. For detecting unforseen errors in the instrumentation
If things are not behaving as you expect, the answer may be here.

Data searches

Data searches are performed using the analysis view. The standard queries are:

• Class
• Method
• Class and Method
• File name
• Method Id
• Number of children
• Average Time
• Average Time %
• Total Time
• Total Time %
• Function Time
• Function Time %
• Child Functions Time
• Child Functions Time %
• Longest Time
• Longest Time %
• Shortest Time
• Shortest Time %
• Visit Count
• Visit Count %
• Most Visited Hotspots
• Most Time Consuming Hotspots
• Number of descendants
• Number of ascendants
• Distance to root
• Distance to leaf

These queries can be combined with a variety of comparisons and range specifications to fine tune the search. The range specifications are user defined. The comparisons are:

• <
• <=
• ==
• >=
• >
• !=
• Inside range
• Outside range

Session Comparison

• Support for executing from the command line, allowing automated performance monitoring for all your regression tests. The command line also provides control over the HTML and XML export functions
• Support for session comparisons, so that multiple sessions can be compared against a baseline session. This is vital for regression test support to detect when performance differs from the expected
• Interactive session comparisons. You can compare sessions using the user interface and view the results immediately

Data export

• Performance Data can be exported in HTML
• Performance Data can be exported in XML

Instrumentation

• Runs at nearly full speed of non-instrumented application, not 2 or 10 times slower

No need to rebuild

• No need to prepare a special build of your application

Future proof

• Configurable choice of runtimes, allowing you to choose which Perl runtime version you want to use. Perl 5 is supported.

Miscellaneous

• Very configurable, almost all options are configurable by the user. Includes an option to reset to the default settings

Operating Systems

• Microsoft Windows Vista
• Microsoft Windows 2003
• Microsoft Windows XP
• Microsoft Windows 2000
• Microsoft Windows NT 4