How datasets affect performance and capacity in Project Server 2013

Summary: As you plan performance and capacity of a Project Server 2013 deployment, consider the set of variables that affect your plans.
Applies to: Project Server 2013

Typical datasets in Project Server 2013

The datasets described in this article are characterized by the variables listed and explained in the table below. These variables may not capture all of the factors that affect the performance of Project Server. (That is, they do not capture the mix of features you tend to use in your deployment.) However, they do capture much of the information that is significant in determining appropriate capacity.

Factors that affect performance in Project Server 2013

Entity Description/Notes Small Medium Large
Projects
20
100
5000
Project Sites
20
100
5000
% Projects in Managed Mode
0%
10%
80%
Tasks
1250
25000
1250000
Average Tasks Per Project
62.5
250
250
Task Transaction History
The number of times status tends to be submitted and approved for any given task
10
10
100
Assignments
1625
32500
1625000
Average Assignments Per Task
1.3
1.3
1.3
Average Tasks per My Site User
50
250
5000
Approvals
Pending updates per manager
5
50
600
Resources
50
1000
10000
Average Resources Per Project
2.5
10
20
Average Assignments Per Resource
32.5
32.5
162.5
Users
50
1000
10000
Calendars
3
26
100
Issues
20
400
20000
Risks
20
400
20000
Deliverables
20
800
40000
Enterprise Project Types
5
50
Workflows
2
30
Average Projects Per Workflow
50
167
Phases
5
50
Phases Per Enterprise Project Type
20
20
Stages
15
150
Stages Per Workflow
20
40
PDPs
10
100
Custom Fields Per PDP
10
10
Number of Departments
100
Average Projects Per Department
50
Average Resources Per Department
100
Timesheets Per Year
The more you utilize timesheets, the more resource demands will be placed on SQL Server.
2600
52000
780000
Status Reports Per Year
26000
260000

Note

In our dataset size descriptions, the number of custom fields includes only the enterprise custom fields, not department custom fields. Department custom fields have essentially the same effect on the performance of Project Server 2013 as enterprise custom fields do. Therefore, if you have a large number of departmental custom fields (especially at the task level) you will require additional resources to support this. The prescriptions that are made regarding custom fields throughout this document apply to both enterprise custom fields and department custom fields.

Other performance and capacity variables to consider in Project Server 2013

Concurrency of users:

  • Concurrent user load is often a significant factor in setting capacity requirements. You may have fewer users in the system, but they may all transact with the server simultaneously during your "peak" traffic periods. For example, an organization that has its users all submit status/timesheet updates at the same time of the week will likely notice a substantial decrease in performance during those periods. If you have heavy peak usage periods, you should add more resources to the topology recommended for your dataset.

Split of user roles:

  • The distribution of your users between Administrators, Portfolio Administrators, Project Managers, and Team Members will affect the performance of your deployment insofar as each type of user has access to a varying amount of data. Users in different security categories may vary with regard to how many projects and resources they may be able to see. Administrators, for example, will be able to see all projects on the server when loading Project Center, and all resources when they load Resource Center. In comparison, a Project Manager may be able to see only his or her own projects. The result is that these users may be subject to a diminished perceived performance. Where possible, we suggest you limit the number of projects, tasks, or resources shown in a given view by defining appropriate filters in the views that you define in the >Manage Views section of Server Settings.

Issues, risks, and deliverables:

  • Having larger numbers of these entities may place additional load on SQL Server. In particular, it is the act of viewing and interacting with these entities in the project site that is likely to create the additional load. If you use these features heavily, you may want to allocate additional resources to SQL Server to maintain a high level of performance. These artifacts and the project site functionality are SharePoint sites and lists, so for scaling these aspects of Project Server 2013, consult documentation around scaling SharePoint sites and lists.

Custom Calendars:

  • Custom calendars can be defined for projects, tasks and resources. These largely impact the scheduling engine, causing higher processor usage on the Application and Database servers.

See also

Overview of performance and capacity planning in Project Server 2013

Capacity planning strategy for Project Server 2013

Performance and capacity hardware recommendations for Project Server 2013

Scaled-up and scaled-out topologies in Project Server 2013

Optimize performance in Project Server 2013

Performance counters in Project Server 2013

Performance troubleshooting in Project Server 2013

Typical Datasets (Project Server 2013)