BigPicture Sizing Guide

Owned by Anna Ciepłota
Last updated: Apr 19, 2024
3 min read

How powerful server do I need for my company?

Since our plugins work with Jira, the first thing to consider is the Jira Sizing Guide. The additional footprint our plugins add is difficult to estimate due to the various possible configurations of modules and functionalities that can be used. 20 to 30 percent more powerful servers should be safe to assume if you want to ensure comfortable interaction while working with our plugins.

We do not support HSQL and H2 databases. The plugin should work on them, but some bugs may happen and we cannot guarantee a smooth experience. The recommended databases are MSSQL, MySQL, PostgresSQL, and Oracle.

Large number of Jira issues in a single BigPicture box (comfortable use ensured)

BigPicture carried out performance and load tests, confirming that a single BigPicture Box can support 20,000 to 30,000 issues for comfortable use, with the actual capacity depending on the number of users accessing it simultaneously. Below are the estimated times for various actions within the application to guarantee a seamless and enjoyable user experience:

Event

Approximate estimated time up to

Event

Approximate estimated time up to

Initial entrance to the Gantt module

4.5 seconds

Subsequent entrances to the Gantt module

2.5 seconds

Syncing the box after scope definition change or app cache refresh

37 seconds

Adjusting task periods, especially with dependencies

1.7 seconds

The BigPicture app is designed to manage a significant volume of data, allowing for an unlimited number of tasks within a single box. While an increased task count may extend the box synchronization time and potentially impact user interface responsiveness, it's important to note that this should not influence the loading times of the respective modules.

Improve app performance

If the app speed and responsiveness do not meet you expectations, we recommend the following adjustments - How to improve performance.

We are constantly working on performance improvements, so don't hesitate to contact us and let us know if you experience any problems with using BigPicture on a larger scale.

BigPicture users

When it comes to responsiveness, the end-user hardware has an impact. Having an updated Chrome, Safari or Firefox browser on a modern PC (quad-core CPU, preferably at least an Ice Lake series for Intel and at least 8 GB RAM, preferably 16) is advised when you use BigPicture with small amount of data.

BigPicture performance tests conducted by Appfire

Appfire performs load and performance tests before each release to maintain the optimal user experience of BigPicture.
Details of Jira environment used for performance tests:

  • Operating System: Linux

  • Database: PostgreSQL

  • Medium-scale users (every node): 4 CPU / 16 GB RAM

  • Large-scale users (every node): 8 CPU / 32 GB RAM

  • XLarge-scale users (every node): 24 CPU / 96 GB RAM

Example sizing

Metric

 

 

Medium-scale

Large-scale

Issues

150,000 to 400,000

400,000 to 1,000,000

Projects

200 to 500

500 to 1,500

Users

1,000 to 10,000

10,000 to 100,000

Custom Fields

250 to 500

500 to 1,500

Workflows

80 to 150

150 to 500

Comments

250,000 to 800,000

800,000 to 3,000,000

Permission Schemes

25 to 100

100 to 300

XLarge-scale means more than Large-scale range in any metric.

To improve the performance, please consider increasing the JVM memory.

Hard drive space required

Modern servers usually have enough storage space to accommodate Jira and plugins without problems. Plugins themselves are marginal size by modern standards:

  • BigPicture is approximately 141 MB

  • BigGantt is approximately 140 MB

  • BigTemplate is approximately 177 MB (additionally consider custom templates that you wish to upload)

Some aspects that need to be considered here:

  • Backups - we recommend backing up your instance before every update (your Jira data size is the key concern here).

  • Logs - storing logs makes sense only for a limited period of time and usually the default settings are OK.

  • All custom fields can be used in a Box Column Views configuration. The number of columns directly impacts the BigPicture performance and Gantt loading speed.

  • Issue types, workflows, and users existing in Jira instance does not influence the performance of BigPicture.

BigPicture Gantt automatic WBS

Configuring synchronizers in any Box synchronization configuration directly affects the performance of BigPicture when opening a Gantt.

Each synchronizer adds additional work performed for every Jira issue in the scope of a Box. If you configure your Jira based on best practices as described in Jira Sizing Guide and BigPicture described in this document, it will ensure successful implementation into your environment.

Support is always there to help

In case your needs are more complicated, you are always welcome to contact our helpful Support Team. They are always more than happy to answer all inquiries.