Determining whether change in workload of database system has occurred, and/or whether executing current workload will likely result in problem developing with database system

• US 20110022586A1
• Filed: 07/27/2009
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilkinson, William K., Graefe, Goetz, Kuno, Harumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,099,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/720
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/217 Database tuning G06F16/2282 takes precedence; database performance monitoring G06F11/3409

Abstract

Whether a change in workload of a database system has occurred can be determined. Investigative queries are formulated. Each investigative query is adapted to test a different resource or a different combination of resources of the database system. The investigative queries are run when the database system is in an unloaded state to acquire unloaded performance metrics. The investigative queries are run when the database system is in a loaded state to acquire loaded performance metrics. Whether executing a current workload of the database system, using a current configuration of the database system, will likely result in a problem developing at a later point in time can also be determined. Simultaneously with actual execution of the current workload on the database system using the current configuration, a simulation of execution of the current workload using the current configuration is performed. The simulation is performed more quickly than the actual execution.

Claims

1. A method comprising one or more of:

determining whether a change in workload of a database system having a plurality of resources has occurred, comprising;

formulating one or more investigative queries, each investigative query adapted to test one of a different resource of the database system and a different combination of resources of the database system, and is not explicitly adapted to return desired data from the database system;

running the investigative queries on the database system when the database system is in an unloaded state to acquire one or more unloaded performance metrics of the database system corresponding to the resources tested by the investigative queries;

running the investigative queries on the database system when the database system is in a loaded state to acquire one or more loaded performance metrics of the database system corresponding to the resources tested by the investigative queries; and

,

determining whether executing a current workload of the database system, using a current configuration of the database system, will likely result in a problem developing with the database system at a later point in time, comprising;

simultaneously with actual execution of the current workload on the database system using the current configuration, performing a simulation of execution of the current workload on the database system using the current configuration, where the simulation of execution is performed more quickly than the actual execution.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the unloaded performance metrics comprise unloaded resource usage rates, and the loaded performance metrics comprise loaded resource usage rates.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the change in the workload of the database system has occurred further comprises:

using the unloaded performance metrics and the loaded performance metrics to determine whether the change in the workload of the database system has occurred.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein using the unloaded performance metrics and the loaded performance metrics to determine whether the change in the workload has occurred comprises, for the resource tested by each investigative query:

determining a current ratio of the loaded performance metric to the unload performance metric;

determining a difference between the current ratio and a prior ratio; and

,

using the difference to determine whether the change in the workload of the database system has occurred or appears to be occurring.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein using the difference to determine whether the change in the workload of the database system has occurred or appears to be occurring comprises:

where the difference is greater than a first threshold but not greater than a second threshold greater than the first threshold, alerting a user that the change in the workload of the database system appears to be occurring; and

,

where the difference is greater than the second threshold, alerting the user that the change in the workload of the database system has occurred.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the prior ratio is equal to one of:

a value of one;

a ratio of the loaded performance metric to the unloaded performance metric that was previously determined.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein using the unloaded performance metrics and the loaded performance metrics to determine whether the change in the workload has occurred comprises:

comparing the unloaded performance metrics to the loaded performance metrics within a database robustness map to determine whether the change in the workload of the database system has occurred.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein using the unloaded performance metrics and the loaded performance metrics to determine whether the change in the workload has occurred comprises:

training a machine learning system using a plurality of training queries and a plurality of performance metrics of the database system corresponding to the training queries;

after training the machine learning system,

inputting the unloaded performance metrics and the loaded performance metrics into the machine learning system; and

,

receiving as output from the machine learning system whether the change in the workload of the database system has occurred.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the change in the workload of the database system has occurred further comprises:

periodically rerunning the investigative queries on the database system to acquire one or more updated loaded performance metrics corresponding to the resources tested by the investigative queries,

wherein the investigative queries are run on the database system when the database system is in the unloaded state just a single time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether executing the current workload of the database system, using the current configuration, will likely result in a problem developing with the database system at a later point in time further comprises:

using a result of the simulation to determine whether executing the current workload of the database system, using the current configuration, will likely result in a problem developing with the database system at a later point in time.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining whether executing the current workload of the database system, using the current configuration, will likely result in a problem developing with the database system at a later point in time further comprises:

where a result of the simulation indicates that the actual execution of the current workload on the database system using the current configuration will likely result in a problem developing with the database system at a later point in time,

selecting a different configuration of the database system;

updating the current configuration to the different configuration selected; and

,

changing the actual execution of the current workload on the database system to begin using the current configuration as has been updated.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein using the result of the simulation to determine whether executing the current workload of the database system, using the current configuration, will likely result in a problem developing with the database system at a later point in time comprises:

acquiring one or more simulated performance metrics from the simulation of the execution as fully completed;

acquiring one or more actual partial performance metrics of the actual execution, from the actual execution as partially completed;

comparing the simulated performance metrics to the actual partial performance metrics to assess an accuracy of the simulation;

using a result of the simulation and the accuracy of the simulation to determine whether executing the current workload of the database system, using the current configuration, will likely result in a problem developing with the database system at a later point in time.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether executing the current workload of the database system, using the current configuration, will likely result in a problem developing with the database system at a later point in time further comprises:

periodically performing a new simulation of execution of the current workload on the database system, simultaneously with the actual execution of the current workload on the database system, where the new simulation of execution is performed more quickly than the actual execution.

14. A database system comprising:

a plurality of hardware resources, including a processor;

a database having a workload and a current configuration, the workload executed against the database in the current configuration of the database, using the hardware resources; and

,

a computer-readable medium to store a first computer program and a second computer program for execution by the processor,

wherein the first computer program is to determine whether a change in the workload of the database has occurred, by running one or more investigative queries on the database in an unloaded state and running the investigative queries on the database in a loaded state,

where each investigative query is to test one of a different hardware resource and a different combination of hardware resources, and is not explicitly adapted to return desired data from the database,

where running the investigative queries on the database in the unloaded state results in acquisition of one or more unloaded performance metrics of the database corresponding to the hardware resources tested by the investigative queries,

where running the investigative queries on the database in the loaded state results in acquisition of one or more loaded performance metrics of the database corresponding to the hardware resources tested by the investigative queries,

and wherein the second computer program is to determine whether executing the current workload of the database, using the current configuration of the database, will likely result in a problem developing with the database system at a later point in time,

by simultaneously with actual execution of the current workload on the database using the current configuration, performing a simulation of execution of the current workload on the database using the current configuration, where the simulation of execution is performed more quickly than the actual execution.

15. A computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon for execution by a processor to perform a method comprising:

determining whether a change in the workload of a database system having a plurality of resources has occurred, comprising;

formulating one or more investigative queries, each investigative query adapted to test one of a different resource and a different combination of resources of the database system, and is not explicitly adapted to return desired data from the database system;

running the investigative queries on the database system when the database system is in an unloaded state to acquire one or more unloaded performance metrics of the database system corresponding to the resources tested by the investigative queries;

running the investigative queries on the database system when the database system is in a loaded state to acquire one or more loaded performance metrics of the database system corresponding to the resources tested by the investigative queries; and

,

determining whether executing a current workload of the database system, using a current configuration of the database system, will likely result in a problem developing with the database system at a later point in time, comprising;

simultaneously with actual execution of the current workload on the database system using the current configuration, performing a simulation of execution of the current workload on the database system using the current configuration, where the simulation of execution is performed more quickly than the actual execution.