Collection intervals determine the duration for which statistics are aggregated, calculated, rolled up, and archived. Together, the collection interval and collection level determine how much statistical data is gathered and stored in your vCenter Server database.
| Collection Interval/Archive Length | Collection Frequency | Default Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Day | 5 Minutes | Real-time statistics are rolled up to create one data point every 5 minutes. The result is 12 data points every hour and 288 data points every day. After 30 minutes, the six data points collected are aggregated and rolled up as a data point for the 1-Week time range. You can change the interval duration and archive length of the 1-Day collection interval by configuring the statistics settings. |
| 1 Week | 30 Minutes | 1-Day statistics are rolled up to create one data point every 30 minutes. The result is 48 data points every day and 336 data points every week. Every 2 hours, the 12 data points collected are aggregated and rolled up as a data point for the 1-Month time range. You cannot change the default settings of the 1-Week collection interval. |
| 1 Month | 2 Hours | 1-Week statistics are rolled up to create one data point every 2 hours. The result is 12 data points every day and 360 data points every month (assuming a 30-day month). After 24 hours, the 12 data points collected are aggregated and rolled up as a data point for the 1-Year time range. You cannot change the default settings of the 1-Month collection interval. |
| 1 Year | 1 Day | 1-Month statistics are rolled up to create one data point every day. The result is 365 data points each year. You can change the archive length of the 1-Year collection interval by configuring the statistics settings. |
