[1] It can work either in sampling mode, in which the snapshot of the program state is recorded at certain intervals, or in instrumentation mode, where statistic gathering probes are injected at entry and exit point of functions.
While the instrumentation mode allows more accurate statistics to be gathered, it also makes the program run more slowly while being profiled.
From within the profiler, the application is launched and executed normally for a period of time.
When the user decides to exit the program, the profiler gives a summary of the number of times that each function was called, the elapsed time of each function, and the memory consumed by objects.
A standalone version of the VSTS profiler can also be installed from the Visual Studio Team System DVD, and is also available for download on the Microsoft website.