COST09-BP01 Perform an analysis on the workload demand
Analyze the demand of the workload over time. Verify that the analysis covers seasonal trends and accurately represents operating conditions over the full workload lifetime. Analysis effort should reflect the potential benefit, for example, time spent is proportional to the workload cost.
Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established: High
Implementation guidance
Know the requirements of the workload. The organization requirements should indicate the workload response times for requests. The response time can be used to determine if the demand is managed, or if the supply of resources will change to meet the demand.
The analysis should include the predictability and repeatability of the demand, the rate of change in demand, and the amount of change in demand. Ensure that the analysis is performed over a long enough period to incorporate any seasonal variance, such as end-of- month processing or holiday peaks.
Ensure that the analysis effort reflects the potential benefits of implementing scaling. Look at the expected total cost of the component, and any increases or decreases in usage and cost over the workload lifetime.
You can use AWS Cost Explorer
Implementation steps
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Analyze existing workload data: Analyze data from the existing workload, previous versions of the workload, or predicted usage patterns. Use log files and monitoring data to gain insight on how customers use the workload. Typical metrics are the actual demand in requests per second, the times when the rate of demand changes or when it is at different levels, and the rate of change of demand. Ensure you analyze a full cycle of the workload, ensuring you collect data for any seasonal changes such as end of month or end of year events. The effort reflected in the analysis should reflect the workload characteristics. The largest effort should be placed on high-value workloads that have the largest changes in demand. The least effort should be placed on low-value workloads that have minimal changes in demand. Common metrics for value are risk, brand awareness, revenue or workload cost.
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Forecast outside influence: Meet with team members from across the organization that can influence or change the demand in the workload. Common teams would be sales, marketing, or business development. Work with them to know the cycles they operate within, and if there are any events that would change the demand of the workload. Forecast the workload demand with this data.
Resources
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