Skill No 3 – Monitoring Databases
What is Database Monitoring, and Why is it so Important?
Monitoring databases is essential for a database management professional, as it helps ensure the database systems’ health and performance.
Database monitoring, or database performance monitoring, is the practice of monitoring databases in real time. By tracking specific metrics, database monitoring enables teams to understand the health and behavior of their database systems. This helps with troubleshooting and finding ways to optimize database performance 1.
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What is database Performance?
Database performance refers to optimizing resource use to increase throughput and minimize contention, enabling the most significant possible workload to be processed4. Five key factors influence database performance: workload, throughput, resources, optimization, and contention5.
- Workload: The workload requested by the DBMS defines the demand. It combines online transactions, batch jobs, ad hoc queries, data warehousing analysis, utilities, and system commands directed through the system at any given time. The workload can fluctuate drastically from day to day, hour to hour, and even minute to minute6.
- Throughput: Throughput defines the overall capability of the hardware and software to process data. It is a composite of I/O speed, CPU speed, machine parallel capabilities, the DBMS core, and the efficiency of the operating system and system software6.
- Resources: The hardware and software tools at the system’s disposal are the system’s resources. Examples include database kernel, disk space, memory, cache controllers, and microcode6.
- Optimization: The fourth defining element of database performance is optimisation. All systems can be optimised, but many database systems can perform query optimization primarily accomplished internally to the DBMS. Yet other factors need to be optimised (SQL formulation, database parameters, database organisation, etc.) to enable the database optimiser to create the most efficient access paths to the data6.
- Contention: When a particular resource’s demand (workload) is high, contention can result. Contention is when two or more components of the workload attempt to use a single resource in a conflicting way (for example, dual updates to the same piece of data). As contention increases, throughput decreases6.
Several tools are available for monitoring databases in different engines, such as Oracle, SQL Server, and PostgreSQL. Effective database monitoring helps you identify and quickly resolve performance issues to maintain database server availability and ensure databases continuously provide organisations with the services and applications that drive their daily business 1.
Monitoring databases is an essential skill for a database management professional; In conclusion, it helps ensure the database systems’ health and performance.