Planning storage capacity

Monitor and manage disk utilization across the WarehousePG (WHPG) cluster to prevent database write failures and ensure consistent performance. Use the Storage panel on the left sidebar to audit current capacity, isolate hardware imbalances, and forecast future storage requirements.

Managing cluster-wide capacity

Perform high-level audits of your total storage footprint and ensure data is spread evenly across the infrastructure.

• Evaluate total headroom: by looking at the the metrics for total Used vs. Free space in the Overview tab. If the average usage percentage across the cluster exceeds 70%, begin identifying data archival candidates.
• Identify storage imbalances with the Free Space Distribution visualization. If certain nodes have significantly less free space than others, it usually indicates data skew at the database level that requires re-distribution. Consider using ALTER TABLE ... SET DISTRIBUTED BY to choose a column with more unique values.
• Differentiate database and system growth by inspecting the different mount points displayed in the the Storage Details table. This table helps you determine if storage pressure is caused by database tables (typically in /data) or by expanding system logs and temporary files in other partitions.

Isolating host and hardware constraints

Differentiate between database growth and underlying operating system constraints.

• Detect hardware-specific bottlenecks with the By Host view to isolate individual nodes. If a single host is nearing capacity while others are empty, investigate the physical health of that node's drives or specific local file ingestion.
• Compare identical storage paths with the By Mount view to compare usage across all /data directories in the cluster. This view allows you to verify if the database is consuming space symmetrically across your storage tier.

Forecasting and growth analysis

Perform proactive capacity planning on your cluster using the Historical tab.

• Analyze consumption trends by reviewing the Historical Storage Trends graphs to determine your daily or weekly ingest rate. Use this trend to predict exactly when your current storage volume will reach a critical state.
• Identify seasonal growth patterns by looking for analytical spikes in the Growth Patterns view. Correlating these spikes with specific batch jobs or ETL cycles helps you schedule maintenance or expansion before peak load periods.

Responding to storage pressure

When storage indicators reach the Warning (> 70%) or Critical (> 90%) thresholds to prevent database write failures:

• Analyze table and index volume if storage is running low. Navigate to the Data Analysis panel to identify the largest tables and indexes. Focus on high-growth objects that are the primary drivers of disk consumption. See Analyzing data distribution for details.
• Monitor for database bloat and check for high levels of dead tuples. Reclaiming space from bloated tables through vacuuming can often postpone the need for physical hardware expansion.
• Initiate data archiving by moving historical or low-access data to cold storage or external archives. This practice reduces the primary disk footprint while keeping the data available for long-term compliance or infrequent queries.
• If growth is consistent with expected usage and can't be mitigated by archiving or vacuuming, consult your administrator. Use the Historical Growth Trends to justify adding additional disk space or scaling out with more cluster nodes.