Identifying groups of similar data portions

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code stored thereon that, when executed, performs a method of grouping data portions comprising:

• receiving a set of groups, each group of the set including a plurality of data portions that are from a plurality of logical devices and are determined to exhibit similar behavior, during a same time interval, with respect to a change in I/O workload;
• determining, using a processor, whether an affinity measurement with respect to two groups of the set exceeds an affinity threshold, said affinity measurement representing a measure of similarity in behavior between the two groups with respect to a change in I/O workload during a time interval;
• merging, using the processor, the two groups of the set into a single group responsive to the affinity measurement exceeding the affinity threshold;
• modeling, using the processor, movement of at least one data portion of the single group between two storage tiers at a particular time of day, said modeling using predicted workload metrics for data portions of the single group at the particular time of day, said predicted workload metrics being determined by revising first modeled workload metrics using a bias value for the single group, wherein a plurality of bias values are associated with different times of day and the bias value is selected from the plurality of bias values based on the particular time of day that the predicted workload metrics are modeling, wherein said first modeled workload metrics are determined with respect to a time period partitioned into a plurality of time steps, one of a plurality of sets of bias values is determined for each group of the set of groups, and each of the bias values in said one set corresponds to a different one of the plurality of time steps in the time period, wherein a first of the sets of bias values is determined for the single group and includes the plurality of bias values, wherein revised values for said first modeled workload metrics for the single group are determined at the particular time of day being modeled, the particular time of day corresponding to one of the plurality of time steps, said revised values being determined in accordance with the bias value of the first set of bias values for the single group, said bias value corresponding to said one time step;
• and
• performing the data movement of the at least one data portion between the two storage tiers.

A system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory comprising code stored therein that, when executed by the processor, performs a method of grouping data portions comprising:
• receiving a set of groups, each group of the set including a plurality of data portions that are from a plurality of logical devices and are determined to exhibit similar behavior, during a same time interval, with respect to a change in I/O workload;
• determining, using a processor, whether an affinity measurement with respect to two groups of the set exceeds an affinity threshold, said affinity measurement representing a measure of similarity in behavior between the two groups with respect to a change in I/O workload during a time interval;
• merging, using the processor, the two groups of the set into a single group responsive to the affinity measurement exceeding the affinity threshold;
• modeling, using the processor, movement of at least one data portion of the single group between two storage tiers at a particular time of day, said modeling using predicted workload metrics for data portions of the single group at the particular time of day, said predicted workload metrics being determined by revising first modeled workload metrics using a bias value for the single group, wherein a plurality of bias values are associated with different times of day and the bias value is selected from the plurality of bias values based on the particular time of day that the predicted workload metrics are modeling, wherein said first modeled workload metrics are determined with respect to a time period partitioned into a plurality of time steps, one of a plurality of sets of bias values is determined for each group of the set of groups, and each of the bias values in said one set corresponds to a different one of the plurality of time steps in the time period, wherein a first of the sets of bias values is determined for the single group and includes the plurality of bias values, wherein revised values for said first modeled workload metrics for the single group are determined at the particular time of day being modeled, the particular time of day corresponding to one of the plurality of time steps, said revised values being determined in accordance with the bias value of the first set of bias values for the single group, said bias value corresponding to said one time step;
• and
• performing the data movement of the at least one data portion between the two storage tiers.