Category Archives: performance

My Latest Book: Mainframe Specialty Processors

Posted on November 30, 2023 by craig@craigsmullins.com

Today’s post will be brief… just to announce my latest book. It does have relevance to data, but only for IBM System Z mainframe shops. The book is titled: Mainframe Specialty Processors: Understanding zIIPs, Licensing, and Cost Savings on the … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, books, capacity planning, DB2, IBM, mainframe, optimization, performance, software cost, zIIP | Leave a comment

Optimizing Database Performance

Posted on August 29, 2023 by craig@craigsmullins.com

Last week I was proud to publish my latest database book, this time on the important topic of achieving and maintaining efficient performance for your databases and the applications that access them. Appropriately enough, this book is titled Optimizing Database … Continue reading →

Posted in analytics, availability, data availability, DBA, indexing, operational, optimization, performance | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Database Performance versus Scalability

Posted on August 9, 2023 by craig@craigsmullins.com

Database performance and scalability are both important aspects of managing and optimizing databases, but they refer to different characteristics and considerations. Database performance refers to how efficiently a database system can respond to and process queries, transactions, and other operations. … Continue reading →

Posted in performance, scalability | 1 Comment

The Impact of Row Size on Query Performance

Posted on July 3, 2023 by craig@craigsmullins.com

As part of my job as a database consultant, I regularly keep my eyes open for interesting topics in relevant blogs and forums. Recently, one interaction caught my eye, where somebody asked what kind of a performance impact could be … Continue reading →

Posted in database design, performance, SQL | Leave a comment

Strategies for Managing Database Growth and Scalability

Posted on May 27, 2023 by craig@craigsmullins.com

Managing database growth and scalability is crucial to ensure optimal performance and accommodate increasing data volumes. Here are some strategies to consider: Remember that the best strategies for managing database growth and scalability may vary depending on your specific database … Continue reading →

Posted in capacity planning, data availability, Data Growth, database design, maintenance, performance, scalability | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Few Good SQL Book Recommendations

Posted on May 2, 2022 by craig@craigsmullins.com

Every professional programmer that accesses data in a relational/SQL database should have a good book (or four) on SQL… Actually, the same goes for DBAs because they also regularly use SQL in their day-to-day work. There are many SQL books … Continue reading →

Posted in books, performance, SQL | Leave a comment

Let’s Talk About Database Performance Analyzer

Posted on March 11, 2022 by craig@craigsmullins.com

Recently, I published a tweet thread on database performance and SolarWinds’ Database Performance Analyzer. Today’s blog post captures those tweets for posterity! Let’s talk about #DatabasePerformance and SolarWinds (Tweet #1) Applications that access relational databases are only as good as … Continue reading →

Posted in automation, DBA, optimization, performance, SQL | Tagged | 1 Comment

IBM POWER and SAP HANA: A Powerful and Effective Combination

Posted on September 18, 2020 by craig@craigsmullins.com

As organizations looks for differentiators to improve efficiency and improve cost effectiveness, the combination of IBM Power Systems and SAP HANA can provide a potent platform with a significant return on investment. Why IBM Power Systems? IBM Power Systems is … Continue reading →

Posted in analytics, Big Data, business planning, data, DBMS, ERP, IBM, In-Memory, optimization, performance, SAP HANA | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

What causes SQL Server to have performance issues or run slow?

Posted on June 29, 2020 by craig@craigsmullins.com

Today’s post is a guest article written by a friend of the blog, Kevin Kline, an expert on SQL and Microsoft SQL Server. Image Source: Pixabay SQL Server can suffer from all sorts of problems if it is not properly … Continue reading →

Posted in DBA, Microsoft SQL Server, optimization, performance, SQL | Leave a comment

Embracing In-Memory Processing for Optimizing Performance

Posted on May 12, 2020 by craig@craigsmullins.com

In-memory processing is experiencing a resurgence as organizations embrace it to optimize performance of their mainframe applications Continue reading →

Posted in data, data availability, In-Memory, performance | 1 Comment