Policy Evaluation Usage

Policy Evaluations (PE) Usage helps you understand how often governance policies run in your environment. Each time a policy rule runs successfully on your data, it generates Policy Evaluations (PEs).

PE Usage:

  • Shows how frequently policies are executed
  • Helps you monitor governance activity
  • Forms the basis for usage-based billing

The PE Usage page provides a clear view of how PEs are consumed across time and policy types.

What Is a Policy Evaluation (PE)?

A Policy Evaluation (PE) is recorded when: One rule runs successfully on one data entity.

What is a data entity?

A data entity is the smallest unit a policy evaluates. It can be:

  • A row in a database table or file
  • A record in a stream or queue
  • An element in a pipeline

How PE Counting Works

PEs are calculated using simple rules:

RulesExamples
One rule × one data entity = one PEIf one rule runs on 10 million rows → 10 million PEs
Multiple rules are counted separately

If 3 rules run on 1 row → 3 PEs

If 3 rules run on 1,000 rows → 3,000 PEs

Each execution is countedIf a policy runs multiple times (for example, in scheduled pipelines), each successful run generates PEs.
Only successful executions are counted

PEs are recorded only when a policy executes successfully — regardless of whether the result is pass or fail.

If a policy fails to execute, no PEs are counted.

PE Calculation by Policy Type

Policy TypeHow PEs are Calculated
Data QualityRows scanned × Number of rules
Reconciliation - Row Count1 PE per execution
Reconciliation - EqualityRows scanned × Number of rules
Data Cadence (Freshness)Number of rules
Data DriftRows profiled × Number of rules
Data AnomalyRows profiled × Number of selected columns
Schema Drift1 PE per execution
CompositeCounted within Data Quality rules
Auto AnomalyRows scanned
Pipeline Policy1 PE per execution

Why PE Usage Matters?

PE Usage helps you:

  • Understand Your Usage: See exactly how often policies run and how many PEs are generated.
  • Monitor Governance Activity: Track enforcement across datasets, pipelines, and systems.
  • Forecast and Manage Costs: Since billing is based on PEs, usage visibility helps you plan and optimize.
  • Reconcile Billing with Activity: Match PE consumption with actual policy execution patterns.

Accessing PE Usage Page

To access the PE Usage page:

  1. Navigate to the Settings page from the main navigation menu.
  2. Select PE Usage under the Usage category.

Understanding the PE Usage Page

The PE Usage page includes the following sections:

Usage By Time

The Usage By Time chart shows PE consumption for the selected time range.

You can select:

  • Weekly
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Custom

To compare periods (for example, this week vs. last week), enable the Day Over Day option. This allows you to compare the current period with the previous period.

Total PE Consumed

The Total PE Consumed section displays:

  • The total number of PEs used
  • The percentage increase or decrease compared to the previous period

This gives a quick summary of overall usage trends.

Breakdown by Type

The Breakdown by Type table shows PE consumption by policy type for the selected time period.

Each row includes:

  • Policy Type
  • PE Usage
  • Percentage of Total Usage
  • Trend (last 7 days)

This helps identify which policy types contribute most to PE consumption.

Download Audit Report

You can download a summary of PE usage as a PDF.

The Audit Report includes:

  • Total PEs consumed during the selected date range
  • A summary of policy activity

To download:

  1. Click Audit Report.
  2. Select a From date and a To date.
  3. Click Download PDF. The PDF is download to your system.

FAQs

Q: Does each rule within a policy count as a separate PE?

A: Yes. PEs are calculated based on:

  • The number of rules
  • The number of data entities processed

Example: If a policy has 3 rules and scans 1,000 rows → 3,000 PEs

Q: Are PEs counted if a policy fails to execute?

A: No. Only successful policy executions generate PEs.

Q: Can I export PE usage data?

A: Yes. You can download a PDF report using the Audit Report button.

Optimizing PE Usage

To manage and optimize PE consumption:

  • Review the number of rules in your policies
  • Limit large-scale scans when not necessary
  • Avoid redundant or overlapping policies
  • Review scheduled policy frequency

Monitoring the Breakdown by Type table can help identify high-usage policy categories.

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