Performance issues rarely occur in isolation. Often, a single problem can trigger a cascade of related issues, each compounding the overall impact on the system. This case study explores such a scenario in the T10 database on the g1rush server.
Execution plans choose the way in which SQL queries are executed by the database engine. As such, they are a difference between a smoothly running database and one that stumbles under load. Sometimes, an execution plan changes, for various reasons—often silently and without warning—and the far-reaching fallout can be huge.
The most immediate impact seen as the execution plan changes is a decline in query performance. A query that once ran smoothly in milliseconds might, due to an altered plan, start consuming seconds. This increase in query time can cascade into longer load times for applications, frustrated end-users, and severe financial repercussions in high-stakes environments such as financial trading platforms or real-time data services.
If no one sees the database issues, do they really happen? – Contrary to the popular philosophical dilemma, this question can be answered quite easily – Absolutely yes. Unseen or unmonitored problems in database systems do occur and can indeed cause significant disruptions. It doesn’t matter if they’re not immediately apparent. Without monitoring of the database performance metrics and proactive management, these underlying issues can compound, leading to decreased performance, potential data loss, and even system failures that by their nature demand urgent and often extensive interventions to rectify.
The cost of ignoring database performance metrics is just too great.
Trying to gauge the workload of a database on any given day can pose quite a challenge. A straightforward question supported by basic Database Activity Monitoring might not yield an insightful answer if it’s stripped of context, cluttered with arbitrary numbers, and missing crucial details.
So, what’s the right way to address this query?
In December 2023, we released the next version of Performance Monitor application for Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL and SAP…
On July 5, 2023, we released a new version of Performance Monitor for Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL and SAP…