Flow Time Histogram (ART Flow)

Owned by Couthaïer Farfra
Dec 20, 2024
2 min read

 

The Flow Time Histogram (named Flow Time Histogram) represents the distribution of the durations (or flow times) of the tickets processed over an interval, represented by a start step and an end step of the Flow to be analyzed.

The histogram visualizes these times in aggregate to help understand overall processing time performance, and to spot periods where processes took longer than expected.

The Flow Time Histogram is used to:

  1. Evaluate latency: It shows how processing times are distributed in a system. A histogram with values ​​concentrated around low times suggests that most transactions or events are processed quickly, while a histogram spread out toward high times may indicate latency issues.

  2. Spot anomalies: By studying the histogram, it is possible to detect inconsistencies, such as unusual spikes in processing time, which could signal periods of overload, configuration errors or resource problems.

  3. Optimize performance: The Flow Time Histogram helps identify cases where response times are too long and adjust resources or processes to improve the speed of transactions.

How to read a Flow Time Histogram?

Like any histogram, the Flow Time Histogram is presented in the form of vertical bars, where each bar corresponds to the number of times a certain flow time interval has been observed.

  1. Horizontal axis (x): This axis represents the flow time intervals.

  2. Vertical axis (y): This axis represents the frequency of occurrence of different flow times. The higher the bar, the more frequent the corresponding flow time was.

  3. Histogram shape:

    • Focused to the left (short flow times): If the majority of bars are to the left of the histogram, this means that most events or transactions are processed quickly, which is generally a sign of a high-performance system.

    • Stretched to the right (long flow times): If the histogram shows large bars to the right, this may indicate that some processes are taking much longer than expected, and could signal performance or overhead issues.

  1. Bimodal or multimodal distribution: If the histogram shows multiple peaks, this could indicate that the system has varying performance depending on the type of transactions or execution period. For example, some quick transactions may go smoothly, while other, more complex transactions take longer.

Usefulness in Wiveez

The Flow Time Histogram in Wiveez allows users to:

  • Visualize the distribution of response times in a system or application, to identify the proportion of processes processed quickly versus those that take longer.

  • Diagnose performance issues by detecting periods where flow times are high, allowing you to isolate potential causes such as resource overload, latency issues, or configuration errors.

  • Improve efficiency by adjusting processes or resources based on histogram observations. For example, if a spike in high flow times is detected at certain times, the user can decide to increase capacity or review processes to avoid significant delays.