SQL Optimizer for DB2 LUW 4.3.1 - User Guide

Option

Description

Original SQL

Retrieves the run time of alternatives that run faster than the original SQL statement. It terminates all alternatives that run longer than the run time from the original SQL. If you choose this option, the original SQL statement is automatically selected on the Selected SQL/Index Set tab. During the Batch Run, you cannot terminate the original SQL because its run time is needed to determine when to terminate the alternatives.

Best run time SQL/Index Set

Retrieves the run time of alternatives that run faster than the current best run time. With this option, the first alternative is run and the time from that statement is used as the termination time. When an alternative runs faster than this time, the faster time is used as the new termination time. So you are always using the current fastest run time as the termination time for the next alternative.

Note: The first alternative is either the original SQL or the alternative with the lowest DB2 LUW Cost. This depends on whether the Always run Original SQL first option is checked on the Selected SQL/Index Set tab.

User-defined time

Retrieves the run time of alternatives that are less than the defined time. If your original SQL statement takes a long time to execute and there are many alternatives, executing all alternatives can take considerable time. In that event, consider setting an aggressive user-defined termination time. If the original SQL takes 1 hour, try a 5-minute termination time. If no alternative executes under that period, raise the termination time to 10 minutes, etc.

Combining Criteria

You can also combine User-defined time with Original SQL or Best run time SQL/Index Set by clicking the Or user-defined time checkbox next to each one.

Option

Description

Percentage delay (%)

The value entered into this box is used as a percentage to calculate the additional time that is added to the termination time. For example, if the termination time is 10 minutes and the percentage delay is 5%, then all alternatives executed are terminated if the run time exceeds 10.5 minutes. (10+ (10 * 5%))

Minimum delay time (secs)

(Default = 5, Range 1 – 99)

This is minimum number of seconds that is added to the termination time. It is necessary to factor into the overall termination time the time needed for the alternative be sent to the database server from the local computer before it starts to run. This number is only used if the percentage-delay calculation is lower than this value.

Maximum delay time (mins)

(Default = 60, Range 1 – 9999)

This is the maximum number of minutes that can be added to the termination time. This number is only used if the percentage-delay calculation is higher than this value.

Option

Description

Run without termination

Executes all the alternatives until they are completed.

Option

Description

No termination

Specify to run the Batch Run to completion.

Terminate Batch Run if the specified number of SQL/Index Sets falls in the criteria

Specify to terminate the Batch Run when a specified number of alternatives are found that meet the following requirements for terminating the Batch Run.

Number of SQL/Index Sets (excluding the Original)

Specify how many alternatives must be found that show performance improvement over the original SQL before the Batch Run will be terminated. 

Count the SQL/Index Sets if its elapsed time is faster than

Specify one of the following criteria to determine how the performance improvement is determined.

Original SQL

Count all alternatives that run faster than the elapsed run time from the original SQL.

Original SQL with a percentage of improvement

Count all alternatives where the elapsed run time for the alternative is the specified percentage faster than time for the original SQL statement.

User-defined time (mins/secs)

Count alternatives that run faster than a specified number of minutes and/or seconds.

Run Time Mode

Description

All Records

Specify to retrieve the run time for processing all records.

First n Record(s)

Specify to retrieve the run time for processing n records where you specify the number of records retrieved.

Repeat the test run by executing

Description

First one twice using the second run time and others once

This option is suitable for SQL and index-set alternatives with normal run times. The first time you access data from table, the data is cached into memory. This process takes few moments. The next time you access that data, it is already in memory so the following alternatives will run faster. So to have a comparable test, the first SQL is run twice and the time from the second run is compared to the time from the other alternatives.

All twice using the second run time

This option is suitable for SQL and index-set alternatives that are often executed and have short running time. A significant portion of the running time of this kind of SQL is affected by the caching of index and the parsing time. To eliminate these factors, you can run all alternatives twice to use only the second run for a more comparable result.

All once

This option is suitable for long-running SQL and index-set alternatives, as it is unlikely that all the entire SQL statement is still kept in memory. There is no need to run any alternative twice since the caching of the table and the parsing time are not significant to the overall running time.

Start

Description

Now

Specify to start the Batch Run immediately.

Date and Time

Specify to start the Batch Run at a specific date and time. If you click the month, day, year, you can use the up or down arrows to change the value.

After

Specify to start the Batch Run after it has been running for a specified number of hours and minutes.

Until

Description

Finished

Specify to run the entire Batch Run until all alternatives are executed.

Date and Time

Specify to terminate the Batch Run on the specified date and time. If you click the month, day, year, you can use the up or down arrows to change the value.

Duration

Specify to terminate the Batch Run after it has executed a specified number of hours and minutes.