Re: What affects performance?

Dave Finley (finleyd@vrinet.com) wrote: : Jack Parker (jparker@hpbs3645.boi.hp.com) wrote: : >Paul Brown (pbrown@triplerock.Berkeley.EDU) wrote: : >>: Bill Miller (turboman@teal.csn.org) wrote: : >>: These are *really* asnine question. : >There is no such thing as an asinine question. Just asinine responses. : >That is, I think you should have let him down a little more gently. :-) : >>: I think I'll invoke --'s Laws; : Jack, and All: : I agree 100%. This sort sort of information can be useful. It should be : pulled together and put into the Informix FAQ. Or, better yet, added to the : overall "comp.databases" FAQ, as it does go across different RDMS systems. If you don't ask, you'll never know. I propbably ought to come up with on of those 'my old pappy tol' me' things, but I've been told there ain't no such thing as a stupid question. It's the truth! However, the types of questions that were asked are the types of questions that should be asked by the analyst ( or consultant ;-) ) about each application that they work on. The performance of any system is dependent upon the decisions made by an implementation team, and their decisions should be made based on the specific answers to these types of questions. It is not enough to say that a specific type of hardware is best, or a specific DBMS is best. They may be, for a specific application. Unless you live in a better world than I, hardware and DBMS are often a constraint under which you must work. That is, the choice of hardware and systems software is more often a strategic choice, rather than a tactical one. The client usually makes a harware or software decision based upon constraints other than whether it is the best specific platform for a specific application, such as support, vendor alliances, level of comfort, etc. It is also not enough to say that a specific development or design methodology is best for a specific application, as this is also chosen to benefit the organization as a whole (if you are lucky). The variables involved in developing mission critical software for any organization are staggering. The concept of database performance is an issue only as it affects the performance of your mission. While the list of questions is a starting point for attempting to assess some of these variables, they are relevant only in the context of the application to which they are being applied. Having said this, forget the hardware, if your design sucks wind, so will 'database performance.' It's possible to make *any* DBMS perform if your design includes the consideration of the constraints imposed by your hardware, DBMS, operating system and other choices. -- @ David Tomlinson @ @ dtomlnsn@netcom.com @ @ "By day fantastic birds flew through the petrified forest, and @ @ jeweled crocodiles glittered like heraldic salamanders on the @ @ banks of the crystalline river. By night the illuminated man @ @ raced among the trees, his arms like golden cartwheels, his @ @ head like a spectral crown...." @