1. A method for visualization-centric performance-based volume allocation in a data storage system using a processor in communication with a memory device, comprising: generating, on a display, a unified resource graph representative of a global hierarchy of storage components, including each of a plurality of storage controllers, in the data storage system; wherein the unified resource graph includes a common root node and a plurality of subtree nodes corresponding to each of a plurality of nodes internal to the plurality of storage controllers, the common root node and the plurality of subtree nodes ordered in a top-down orientation; wherein generating the unified resource graph includes generating a visual representation of an aggregate summary measure for the common root node and each of the plurality of subtree nodes; the aggregate summary measure including an indication of an amount of a resourse in use and an amount of the resource that remains available; generating as estimate of a maximum permissible size of a new workload based on a current performance utilization of a node and a nominal cost at the node, the nominal cost representing a percentage of performance utilization incurred upon allocating a unit of the new workload on the node; and performing scalable volume provisioning of an existing or new workload amount by graphical manipulation of at least one of the storage components represented by the unified resource graph based on an input, said graphical manipulation comprising: dynamically expanding and reducing a number of displayed subtree nodes in the unified resource graph based on one of an estimated screen size and an estimated window size of the display, and if reducing the number of displayed subtree nodes: determining a position of a cursor on the display, and collapsing a subtree node furthest from the position of the cursor into the common root node.