Overview of Profiling

The compiler system provides the following types of profiling:

• Program counter (pc) sampling, which measures the amount of execution time spent in various parts of the program. This statistical data is obtained by periodically sampling the program counter. By default, prof generates pc sampling data. For more information, see "pc Sampling."

• Basic block counting, which counts the execution of basic blocks (a basic block is a sequence of instructions that is entered only at the beginning and exits only at the end). It produces an exact count of the number of times each basic block is executed. For more information, see "Basic Block Counting."

• Inclusive basic block counting, which counts basic blocks and generates a call graph. By propagating regular counts to callers of a routine, prof provides inclusive basic block counting. For more information, "Inclusive Basic Block Counting."