Retiring inspected count limits: technical explainer

New Relic has significantly improved its database system, NRDB, by removing inspected count (IC) limits, a measure previously used to manage query costs based on data point inspections. The removal of these limits allows for uninterrupted queries and eliminates the 15-minute wait time for reset, thereby doubling query capacity and enhancing user experience. This change follows a transition from a traditional data center architecture to a cloud-based cellular architecture, which enables isolated query compute clusters to dynamically redistribute workloads. This advancement, along with near-real-time feedback mechanisms, prevents any single tenant from monopolizing resources, thus ensuring fair resource utilization and improved service level objectives by two orders of magnitude. While some limits still exist, they are more focused and responsive, resulting in a better experience for most users who are unlikely to notice them.