Whitepaper

Database Performance Issues in Production

For many software-as-a-service (SaaS) and Web-enabled businesses, database performance issues in production can cause a steady, relentless drain in business performance.

Impact on Business Performance

Performance issues in production can cause a range of problems, including delays in customer service, timeouts in critical processes, and damaged business relationships. It is estimated that as much as 70% of application performance problems are caused by database issues.

The Role of Agile and DevOps

Agile development practices and DevOps approaches have helped streamline service delivery and improve time to market for many businesses. However, these progressive approaches often overlook the opportunity to apply the same principles to application performance.

The Need for a Proactive Approach

By applying the principles of Agile and DevOps to application performance, organizations can create a proactive approach that addresses performance issues early in the development cycle. This approach offers benefits such as reduced time to market, lower development costs, and increased user acceptance.

Root Causes of Application Performance Problems

Silos between development and production teams are a major cause of application performance problems. The lack of collaboration and communication leads to finger-pointing and an inability to identify the root cause of issues.

The Missed Opportunity for Improved Performance

The lack of a proactive approach often results in lengthy crisis situations, where multiple teams struggle to find a solution. This leads to significant costs and missed market opportunities.

Building a Proactive Monitoring Practice

To address application performance issues, organizations need to build a proactive application and database performance monitoring practice. This practice should be shared throughout the development and IT organizations.

Five Key Steps to Proactive Database Performance Monitoring

To accelerate early successes in proactive performance management, organizations can follow these five key steps:

Step 1: Provide Developers Direct Monitoring Visibility

Developers should have direct access to monitoring data from test, staging, and production servers, allowing them to understand the performance of their code in different environments.

Step 2: Enhance Collaboration and Self-Sufficiency

Developers should be empowered to become self-sufficient problem-solvers by providing them with tools and data that are easy to understand and analyze.

Step 3: Make Performance a Functional Requirement

Performance considerations should be integrated into the development process as a functional requirement, ensuring that performance is a priority from the beginning.

Step 4: Establish Shared Metrics and Equal Access

All teams involved in development and production should have access to shared metrics and reports, allowing for better collaboration, progress evaluation, and goal alignment.

Step 5: Align with End-User Expectations

Performance data should be presented in the context of the end-user experience, enabling all IT teams to understand and respond to performance issues effectively.

Realizing the Potential of Proactive Performance Management

Organizations seeking to prove the strategic value of IT in delivering services can benefit from a proactive approach to database performance management. By building performance into development and breaking down silos, organizations can improve productivity and deliver world-class products and services.

Database Performance Analyzer: The Right Tool

Devaten provides award-winning database performance analysis tools that help DBAs and developers resolve problems faster, speed up development cycles, and optimize database performance. Their products support various database systems, making DBA and development teams more productive and valuable to the organization.