Capacity Planning Tool 28th Edition (Fall 2010)

Fall 2010 Capacity Planning Tool 28th Edition Capacity Planning Tool Updates

Enterprise system design requires a comprehensive understanding of customer business,  data, applications, and technical needs. The previous 9 chapters address key system design components that impact Enterprise system  design. This chapter will introduce the ESRI Capacity Planning Tool, which can be used to identify your Enterprise system design requirements  and model performance and scalability of your Enterprise design. The Capacity Planning Tool provides a framework for integrating the  business, data, applications, and technical architecture needs required  to design, deploy, and manage successful enterprise GIS operations.

This Chapter includes a series of videos that demonstrate how the Capacity  Planning Tool can be used to collect business requirements, select the  right software technology, identify the proper  platform solution, and  model Enterprise system performance and scalability.

System Design Process
User needs must be identified before completing the system architecture  design. A simple user requirements template can be used to review and collect peak user workflow requirements. GIS user workflows are best defined during a formal user needs assessment, where existing user  workflows are reviewed to identify technology enhancements that will  improve business operations. Roger Tomlinson provides excellent guidance for GIS planning in his ESRI Press release  Thinking about GIS Third Edition, GIS Planning for Managers. A simple Enterprise System Design case study will be presented in Chapter  11 (City of Rome).

The capacity planning tool provides a framework for collecting user requirements and completing the system  design. The following video provides an introduction to the system design process and an overview of the structure of the Capacity Planning  Tool.

CPT Video: System Design Process

GIS Software Technology
A variety of GIS software technology patterns are available to satisfy  Enterprise business operational needs. Technology patterns include a broad range of ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Server, and ArcGIS Mobile  deployment options. Selecting the right technology is a critical component of the Enterprise System Design process.

The GIS Software Technology video describes how the capacity planning tool  can be used to select the right software technology for each identified  user workflow. This video focuses on understanding and configuring the CPT Workflow tab for an Enterprise GIS design.

CPT Video: GIS Software Technology

Software Performance
There are many key factors that impact GIS software performance and  scalability. The CPT Calculator was designed to integrate capacity planning performance targets with software performance parameters  defined by ESRI performance validation testing.

The Software Performance Video describes the CPT Calculator software  technology selection and performance parameters that define user  workflow performance targets. The result generated on the Calculator tab is transferred to the Workflow tab for use in the Enterprise system  architecture design. The Calculator tab can also be used for system performance and scalability demonstrations and preliminary system  architecture design analysis to evaluation a single workflow technology  selection.

The video also describes the software component service times and network traffic performance factors included  in the CPT Workflow tab. The Workflow tab is the software workflow performance lookup table supporting the Enterprise system design  analysis. Establishing proper user workflow performance targets is a critical step in completing a valid system architecture design.

CPT Video: Software Performance

Performance Fundamentals
The Capacity Planning Tool uses fundamental system throughput and  performance relationships to complete the system design. This video provides an overview of the CPT Design tab user requirements framework,  demonstrates how the adjust functions are used to identify user  productivity, and shows how the CPT test tab can be used to validate  workflow performance compliance.

CPT Video: Performance Fundamentals

Network Communications
The CPT Calculator demonstrates display traffic contribution to user  display performance and the CPT Design completes the network bandwidth  suitability assessment. This video shows how the CPT Calculator shows user workflow performance over limited bandwidth connections and how the  CPT Design can be used to complete an enterprise design network  suitability analysis.

CPT Video: Network Communications

Product Architecture
Selected platform architecture and software install impacts system performance,  availability, and scalability. This video shows how to select workflow platform architecture on the CPT Calculator tab and how to complete an  enterprise level software installation and platform selection on the CPT  Design tab.

CPT Video: Product Architecture

Platform Performance
Platform selection will impact user performance and system capacity. This video provides an overview of the CPT Hardware tab and identifies the  methodology for physical and virtual platform selection on the CPT  Calculator and CPT Design tabs.

CPT Video: Platform Performance

City of Portland Demos
The City of Portland demos share how to use the Capacity Planning tools in  completing a System Architecture Design. These videos provide a complete review of the Capacity Planning Tools in building a model of  the City of Portland user environment.

The first video shows how to use the CPT Calculator, Workflow, Hardware, and Favorites  tabs in selecting the right technology (GIS workflow patterns) and  creating standard and custom workflow performance targets for use in  completing the system architecture design.

CPT Video: Platform Performance

The second video shows how to use the CPT Design tab to establish an  enterprise configuration of the site locations and user workflows in the  Requirements Analysis Module, complete an enterprise network  suitability analysis, identify a custom hardware configuration and  complete the software installation, select appropriate data sources, and  select the final platform solution.

CPT Video: Platform Performance

Concluding Remarks
Understanding peak user workflow requirements and associated supporting technology  needs is fundamental to building and managing successful GIS operations. Building a GIS without understanding business requirements and what is required to satisfy peak system performance needs is high risk, and can  lead to wasteful spending and poor user productivity. Knowing what you want out of the system - your business information needs and the  technology required to satisfy those needs - is the formula for business  success. We live in a very complicated world - and few GIS or IT managers clearly understand how these pieces (business process and  technology) fit together. Technology keeps changing - and we will always be learning. What you know today can change tomorrow. The Capacity Planning Tool provides a framework to identify what you know  about your business operations, and link what you know to the technology  required to support to needs. An adaptive framework - simple and easy to update. A model of your environment that will provide information you need to make the right technology decisions.

Chapter 11 presents a case study (City of Rome) that demonstrates how the  Capacity Planning Tool can be used to complete an integrated business  needs assessment during the GIS planning process. Chapter 12 will identify how you can leverage the Capacity Planning Design to deliver  and manage successful enterprise GIS operations.

Previous Editions
[Spring 2010 Capacity Planning Tool 27th Edition]

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