Overview of Performance Tuning in SQL-NS Applications


The work of performance tuning can be broken down into three categories:

  • Changes to the application's data flow

  • Optimization of the application's logic and tuning of the SQL-NS engine's execution settings

  • Configuration of specialized deployment hardware for the application

This chapter covers the first two of these categories. Chapter 13, "Deploying a SQL-NS Instance," covers configuring deployment hardware for optimal performance.

The first two categories encompass changes every application should undergo to realize the best possible performance. The last category includes some changes that apply only in specialized deployment scenarios. To draw an analogy to the automotive world, doing the work in the first two categories is like doing the basic tune-up on a car: You adjust the engine's air and fuel intakes, set the timings, and so on. The work in the last category is like outfitting the car for racing: You may install performance tires, a specialized exhaust system, and a turbocharger. Every car should be tuned-up to make it as efficient as possible for everyday use, but not every car needs to be outfitted for racing.

Because SQL-NS is such a flexible platform, different applications built on it may have significantly different performance bottlenecks. For example, in some applications, most of the work is in notification generation, whereas in others, the expensive processing may be in content formatting and notification delivery. Furthermore, some applications may have a high volume of events but relatively few subscriptions, and other applications may have the opposite. Because of these fundamental differences, it's difficult to provide general performance tuning guidance that applies to all SQL-NS applications.

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce to you the various SQL-NS controls that affect performance and to describe general performance tuning principles. The particular characteristics of your application will determine how you should apply the strategies described in this chapter. In some cases, instead of making specific recommendations, this chapter just describes various factors for you to consider when deciding on a performance tuning approach for your applications. Although performance tuning should always be done methodically, results aren't always predictable, so you should expect that some trial and error will be involved.

Note

The music store application developed in this book provides the context for some of the material in this chapter, but be aware that not every performance tuning setting or strategy covered applies to this application.


It's important to note that the benefits of the performance tuning changes described in this chapter may not be directly visible when testing an application with small loads. However, they will make an appreciable difference during large-scale testing and when the application is deployed in production.




Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Notification Services
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Notification Services
ISBN: 0672327791
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 166
Authors: Shyam Pather

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net