This is a safe operation that you can perform under all circumstances.
The most significant reason to view information about a partition is to view its synchronization information. (You can gather most of the information about a partition without leaving the main view you're working from.)
You can view information about a partition from the Tree View, the list of Partitions and Servers, or the Partition Continuity view.
Select the partition you want information about.
Right-click and click Information.
Click Repair > Information > Partition.