Dialog Box: Project Properties - Analysis Target

Analysis Type drop-down list

In the left part of the Analysis Target window, choose whether the specified values apply to either the:

• Survey Analysis Types:

  • Survey Hotspots/Suitability Analysis

  • Survey Trip Count Analysis

• Refinement Analysis Types:

  • Dependencies Analysis

  • Memory Access Patterns Analysis

For best results:

• Survey Analysis types should run the target program built with Release build settings: debug information and moderate optimization.

• Refinement Analysis types should use a target program built using Debug build settings: debug information and no optimization.

Because the compiler optimization differs for Debug and Release builds, you may need to specify different build settings.

Target type drop-down list

Choose whether the specified analysis should:

• Launch Application

• Attach to Process, which is available for the Survey Analysis Types only.

In case you use the Attach to Process functionality, you can either Inherit settings from the Survey Hotspots/Suitability Analysis Type, or specify the needed settings.

Inherit settings from Visual Studio project: check box and field (Windows* OS Visual Studio only)

This setting does not apply to Linux* operating systems.

Application button

Select the target program to be analyzed. You can specify a target executable or a script file. If you specify a script file in the Application field, consider specifying the target executable to be analyzed in the Advanced > Child application field (required for the Dependencies tool).

Application parameters button

Specify target run-time arguments. When using the command line, these would be the command line arguments.

Use application directory as working directory check box

Allows you to automatically use the value in the Application directory to prefill the Working directory value.

Working directory button

Select the working directory.

Managed code profiling mode drop-down list (Windows OS only)

This setting does not apply to Linux* operating systems.

Child application text box

Type the name of a Child application that is not the Application target. With large applications, you can specify the child application to limit the Intel Advisor tool analysis. When specifying values for Dependencies tool analysis, if you specify a script file in the Application field, you must specify the target executable to be analyzed in the Child application field.

Analyze loops that reside in non-executed code paths check box

Check this option to enable Intel® Advisor to analyze non-executed code paths in the binaries that target multiple ISAs (contain multiple code paths). After checking this mark, you need to re-collect the Survey data so that the non-executed loops appear in the Survey Report. For more information, refer to section Analyzing Multi-ISA Binaries in this guide (link is available in the See Also section below).

Use MPI launcher checkbox

When selected, generates command line according to the following parameters:

• Select MPI Launcher: Intel or other vendor

• Number of ranks: amount of MPI ranks - instances of the application

• Profile ranks: all or a range of ranks to profile

Intel Advisor generates command line in the Get command line group box.

Advanced or buttons

Show or hide the Advanced options.

For the Survey Hotspots/Suitability Analysis, consider using these Advanced options:

• You can either provide a Sampling interval, which is the time to wait between each sample, or specify the Duration time estimate. If you reduce the sampling interval so sampling occurs too often, this can cause the sampling activity itself to also be measured (noise), reducing the accuracy of the measurements. So for targets that take only seconds to execute, specify a Duration time estimate of less than one minute.

  For targets that take hours to execute, consider specifying the appropriate Duration time estimate so sampling occurs less often. The number of samples that occur during target execution determine the result size.

• Provide a Duration time estimate, especially if your target executes in less than one minute or it is executes for multiple hours. If you specify a very long duration estimate, this can increase the Sampling interval used during data collection to minimize result size. Similarly, specifying a Duration time estimate of Less than one minute can slightly decrease the Sampling interval used. Duration time estimate values are:

  • Less than one minute.

  • From 1 to 15 minutes.

  • From 15 minutes to 3 hours.

  • More than 3 hours.

• Specify a Collection data limit, in MB. Typically, the default maximum amount of raw data for the result file provides useful information for the Intel Advisor tools. If the Collection data limit is reached, you may need to click the button to complete the analysis.

• Specify the number of seconds after which data collection will start after starting the target executable, by using Resume collection after, ms. This is equivalent to the GUI button Start Paused. Both methods allow you to delay the start of data collection without modifying your source code. See the help topic Minimizing Data Collection, Result Size, and Execution Time for the tool to be used.

• For Memory Access Patterns Analysis you can enable/disable collecting names for stack and heap-allocated variables. Collecting names for stack variables is checked (enabled) by default, while heap-allocated variable names are not collected by default.

For the Dependencies and\or Memory Access Patterns Analysis you can specify the Suppression mode to choose either to show problems in system modules or suppress problems in system modules.