Re: Evaluating overall performance

> ..sort of the opposite of "tuning" for a specific tasks, and more like
> assessing the actual performance of the server...

Geee, I am trying to fight this myth for years and it still persists. There is nothing even resembling "the actual performance". You can either be in one of 2 states: users are satisfied with the application performance or users are dissatisfied with the application performance. You can only measure the application performance, not the "actual performance of the server", "overall performance of the server" or "pink elephants of the server". My favorite method of estimating the overall performance of the server involves the gentleman named Sam Adams, in pint sized dozes. Please, remember, no database has ever been problematic without some help from users and data. No users and no data equals no problems. You cannot measure the performance of a system, database or instance. About the only thing you can and do measure is the application performance. So called "big picture" becomes apparent only after sufficient socializing with Mr. Adams. It usually causes rather nasty hangover. I prefer concentrating on the applications. That's my job: to ensure the availability of the database and the optimal performance of the applications accessing my database.

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