How WXP Collaboration Calculates Endpoint Utilization

Introduction

The Utilization Rate column under the Endpoints tab in HP WXP Collaboration’s Tech Insights Analytics is calculated as the utilization percentage during a user-defined window each week. This rate is based upon the user-set values for number of workdays per week to be considered, and the number of hours per workday. This in turn defines the number of hours that represents 100% utilization per week, and by extrapolation, the number of hours in a month, quarter or year. (When using a 7-day week, of course, you can simply use the hours per day as the basis for 100% utilization.)

When looking at the reports obtained from the WXP Collaboration, one often sees a utilisation expressed as a percentage.

This article attempts to explain how this value is obtained.

Calculation

Firstly, it is important to note that the WXP Collaboration platform makes no assumptions regarding which days are a part of the working week and which are not - any such assumption may be culturally inappropriate.

The WXP Collaboration platform performs its calculations based on the following:-

• The number of hours that the Endpoint was used (t)

• The configured number of days in a working week (default 5) (d)

• The configured number of hours in a working day (default 8) (h)

• The time period over which the data is measured (T)

The calculation is performed as follows:-

The time period is divided by 7, and any remaining days being noted.

Each 7 day period is assumed to constitute a working week - by default 5 days will be assumed working days - and each will be assumed to be 8 hours long.

The remaining days will be considered working days, as above.

This can be expressed as

(((T div 7) * d) + (T mod 7)) * h

For example, when T = 28 days

28 div 7 = 4

28 mod 7 = 0

hours = ((4 * 5) + 0) * 8 = 160 hours (20 calculated working days of 8 hours)

The utilisation will therefore be (as a percentage)

t/160 * 100 == t/1.6

If the endpoint was used for 8 hours,

8/1.6 = 5%

As another example, if the selected period (T) was 31 days, the calculation of the utilisation

(((31 div 7)  * 5) + (31 mod 7)) * 8 

which is

((4 * 5) + 3) * 8 = 184 hours (23 calculated working days of 8 hours)  

It is worth noting that the calculated working days in any period may not match the real working days for your particular circumstances.

The actual percentage utilisation would therefore be calculated as

(t/184) * 100

If the endpoint was used for 8 hours,

(8/184) * 100 = 43.48%