A methodology for database system performance evaluation

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology for evaluating the performance of database management systems and database machines in a multiuser environment. Three main factors that affect transaction throughput in a multiuser environment are identified: multiprogramming level, degree of data sharing among simultaneously executing transactions, and transaction mix. We demonstrate that only four basic query types are needed to construct a benchmark that will evaluate the performance of a system under a wide variety of workloads. Finally, we present the results of applying our techniques to the Britton-Lee IDM 500 database machine