Torsten Steinbach

Improving DB2 performance expert – a generic analysis framework

The complexity of software has been dramatically increasing over the years. Database management systems have not escaped this complexity. On the contrary, this problem is aggravated in database systems because they try to integrate multiple paradigms (object, relational, XML) in one box and are supposed to perform well in every scenario unlike OLAP or OLTP. As a result, it is very difficult to fine tune the performance of a DBMS. Hence, there is a need for a external tool which can monitor and fine tune the DBMS. In this extended abstract, we describe a few techniques to improve DB2 Performance Expert, which helps in monitoring DB2. Specifically, we describe a component which is capable of doing early performance problem detection by analyzing the sensor values over a long period of time. We also showcase a trends plotter and workload characterizer which allows a DBA to have a better understanding of the resource usages. A prototype of these tools has been demonstrated to a few select customers and based on their feedback this paper outlines the various issues that still need to be addressed in the next versions of the tool.