Traffic-Flow Simulation
Animate simplified workflow traffic through the Explorer
Traffic-flow simulation is an exploratory visualization in Analysis → Explorer. It animates instances through selected workflows so you can inspect ordering, concurrency, decision paths, and topology.
Not a performance model
Traffic-flow simulation does not model real service capacity, network latency, retries, queue depth, autoscaling, or production throughput. Do not use its timing as a capacity forecast or SLA prediction.
Configure A Run
Add workflows to the playlist and configure:
- A preset or custom run configuration
- Number of instances
- Spawn duration
- Global step duration
- Load-curve factor
- Decision strategy for branching workflows
The simulator applies these values to a simplified topological model. They make scenarios easier to compare visually; they are not measured system characteristics.
Build And Save A Playlist
Add the workflows you want to run to the playlist. The available-workflow list and the current playlist are separate: a workflow in the catalog does not automatically participate in the run. Category selection can help add a related set.
Use global run settings for shared assumptions, then review the participating workflows before starting. A simulation needs complete supported graph inputs; resolve missing evidence rather than interpreting a partial run as the full journey.
Choose Save playlist to name a setup. Saved playlists are personal to your account and scoped to the project version. Load a playlist to reuse it; Save changes updates the selected playlist, and Save as new playlist preserves a separate setup. If a saved workflow is unavailable, review the remaining playlist before saving again.
Run And Inspect
Start the simulation and watch workflow instances move through participating elements. Use the controls to pause, resume, change playback speed, or stop the run.
The resulting report summarizes the simulated path and timing under the selected assumptions. Use it to ask questions such as:
- Which elements participate in the workflow?
- Where do many instances overlap?
- How do decision strategies change the path?
- Is the workflow or architecture evidence incomplete?
When To Use Architecture Simulations Instead
Use History → Simulations when you want a durable what-if proposal with a baseline version, revision history, change set, review state, and optional materialization into an architecture version.