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21.5 Interpreting the results

The most important columns in the Results area are those showing call count (call#) and number of times on the top of the stack (Stack#). Looking solely at the number of times a function is found on the stack (Stack#) can be misleading, because functions which are on the stack are not necessarily using up much processing time. However, functions which are consistently found on the top of the stack are likely to have a significant execution time. Similarly the functions that are called most often are likely to have the most significant effect on the program as a whole.

Always remember that the numbers produced are from random samples, so you should be careful when interpreting their meaning. The rate of sampling is always coarse in comparison to the function call rate, so it is possible for strange effects to occur and significant events to be missed. For example, resonance may occur when an event always occurs between regular sampling times. In practice, however, this is not usually a problem.

21.5.1 Profiling Pitfalls


Common LispWorks User Guide (Windows version) - 5 Aug 2003

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