Re: onconfig

Hi Sue, >Hi there. I am an Oracle/Sybase dba. I've just been put on a project >which uses Informix Workgroup Server V7.12 on Windows NT. I have no >training or manuals in either Informix or NT, so this question may >appear to come from a simpleton. Stop right there. Go and find some manuals, mostly for Informix, then for NT. You'll find the Informix manuals to be very informative and easily readable. They are the envy of the technological industry, and worth reading even if you don't use our products. All technical manuals should read like the Informix OnLine documentation. While I'm at it, let's not forget the excellent additional references available from Prentice Hall under the Informix Press label. They provide good information that is often more succinct than the manuals, and also some excellent survival tips that will apply to more than just an Informix installation. >I issue a select * from tablename. The table has 8000 rows in it. The >response time is in the region of 5 -10 minutes. Now, I know a table >scan will be done but the response is obviously not acceptable. I've >managed to find a ONCONFIG file which, I believe contains the database >tuning paramters. How can I tell if this is the file being used? Does >anyone have any idea where I can find the startup script to validate the >db config file name? You're right, that response time is not reasonable at all. However, the engine tuning parameters are almost certainly not the problem. One of the features of the OWS is that it is designed to be run in a "plug and play" environment. The GUI install program has an advanced and a default mode, the product by its nature is not intended for serious tuning efforts. The full OnLine engine is exhaustively tunable, and there are several month's worth of manuals and training available just to get a DBA started. >They are having serious response time problems on a development >application using fairly complicated SQL but until I get past this basic >problem (architectural/tuning), I won't look at the complicated stuff. >Let's get the simple things going first. To quote the "Internal Architecture and Advanced Administration Manual"*: "To improve performance, one must either eliminate load, shift load, or both." In the case of a simple query taking much too long, I check for indexes and statistics first. Either of these simple parameters will dramatically influence result time. Before you get into the onconfig parameters, you certainly want to eliminate engine load by updating statistics and providing a good indexing strategy. I hope that helps. Sorry I took so much space to say it, but the usual RTFM just doesn't convey the same message somehow. Good luck, and welcome to Informix. :) ______________________________________________________ Clem Akins (aka clema@informix.com) Informix Software, Inc (Standard disclaimers apply) International Technical Support Last seen: Teaching and beaching in Sydney, Australia.