SQL

Elapsed Time
Analysis

Craig A. Shallahamer
Founder - OraPub, Inc.
craig@orapub.com

SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

OraPub is about Oracle performance.

OraPub is all about Oracle performance
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founded in 1998 by Craig Shallahamer.

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SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

Short resume...kind of...

Studies economics, mathematics, and computer science at
university in California, US.
Started working with Oracle technology in 1989 as a Forms 2.3
developer on Oracle version 5.
Soon after started performance firefighting...daily!
Co-found both Oracles Core Technology and System
Performance Groups.
Left Oracle to start OraPub, Inc. in 1998.
Authored 24 technical papers and worked in 24 countries.
Authors and teaches his classes Oracle Performance
Firefighting, Adv Oracle Performance Analysis, and Oracle
Forecasting & Predictive Analysis.
Authored the books, Forecasting Oracle Performance and
Oracle Performance Firefighting.
Oracle ACE Director.
Frequent blog contributor: A Wider View
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

My two books...
OraPub discount code: IS11
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

One presentation with two parts.

The average can be misleading.
Modeling E time leads to insights.

SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

Working with limited information.

SQL ordered by Elapsed DB/Inst: LOOK/LOOK
Snaps: 80298-80310!
-> Resources reported for PL/SQL code includes the resources used by all SQL!
statements called by the code.!
-> Total DB CPU (s):
22,800!
-> Captured SQL accounts for 109.8% of Total DB CPU!
-> SQL reported below exceeded 1.0% of Total DB CPU!
!
CPU
CPU per
Elapsd
Old!
Time (s)
Executions Exec (s) %Total
Time (s) Physical Reads Hash Value!
---------- ------------ ---------- ------ ---------- --------------- ----------!
474.59
38,479
0.01
19.9 479909.89
923,822,548 4166296332!
BEGIN pkg_com_unite.st_execute_commune( i_daemon_id => :daemon_id, !
i_reload_subult_true_false => :reload_subult_true_false, !
i_dump_caches => :dump_caches, i_add_seq2_id => :add_seq2_id, !
i_dump_seq2_id => :dump_seq2_id, i_remove_seq2_id => :remove_seq2_id, !
i_multi_seq2_chg_true_false => :multi_seq2!

Total Elapsed Time : 479,909.89 seconds

Total ExecuFons : 38,479 exec
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

So the average E time is...

E = 479909.89 secs / 38,479 exec!
= 12.47 sec/exec!

source: Init Hist Work 2.nb

SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

Its more likely to be like this...

More? log normal

SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

Even more likely...

SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

What can we do?

We dont want to mislead others.
We need to truly understand the
situation if we are making decisions
based on this information.
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

We have a variety of collection options.

SQL Trace. Valid option.

Must have ability to parse the trace files producing E times.
Can trace on sql_id.
Must be the production system.

Instrument SQL. Valid option.

May not be practical or possible.

Stopwatch. Risky.
Limited scope and very few samples.
OK for a specific user situation.

Benchmark or Isolated Testing. Very risky.

If you want real results, you need a real situation (HW, data, arrivals, concurrency).

OraPub E Time Collector. Valid, but grabs a core.

Free tool. OraPub search: sql elapsed time
Gathers at sql_id and plan_hash_value level.
Grabs and holds a CPU core, ouch!

OraPub E Sampler. Valid but not free.

Un-noticeable impact with same results as tracing or instrumentation!

Gathers at sql_id level and samples stored in Oracle table.
Licensed like a box of candy.
Beta version available for Insync attendees....free!

More? SQL sampler

SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

How good is sampled data?

This is smoothed histogram of elapsed Fmes for a
specic sql_id (query) collected using SQL
Trace, instrumentaFon, and OP Elapsed Fme
Sampler (normal). Over a 5 minute period, around
80 samples where gathered from each collecFon
method.

All three collecFons methods

produce the same results!

More? True SQL Elapsed

SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

Lets take a look at some

real data
from

real systems.
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

#1: Showing all samples.

Samples :
230!
Mean
:
57168!
Median
:
60000!
Max
:
793996!
Collector: OP E Time!

source: Aber3129
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

#1: Showing most samples.

Samples :
230!
Mean
:
57168!
Median
:
60000!
Max
:
793996!
Collector: OP E Time!
!

source: Aber3129
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

#2: Showing most samples.

Samples :
368!
Mean
:
158!
Median
:
23!
Max
:
2840!
Collector: OP E Time!

source: Garret1jqj
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

#3: Showing all samples.

Samples :
506!
Mean
:
48!
Median
:
26!
Max
:
476!
Collector: OP E Time!

source: Garret8qt
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

#4: Showing all samples.

Samples :
179!
Mean
:
38.72 ms!
Median
:
38.04 ms!
Max
:
58.40 ms!
Collector: OP E Sampler!

source: Garret 0u2t

SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

Experimental Examples.

source: E Analysis 1a (nal).nb

SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

Conclusions about average E.

Average elapsed time for a specific SQL
statement can be very misleading.
Elapsed times are not normally distributed.
The average elapsed time is not the typical
elapsed time.
The modes are the typical elapsed times.
If the mode is not available, then the median
can be used, in some cases.
If you need to communicate typical elapsed
times, you need to gather real data.
More? SQL elapsed
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

Modeling elapsed time

E = units of work x time per unit
E (time/exec) = WL(work/exec) x RT(time/work)

SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

Example of elapsed time.

Supposed a query must access 100,000 logical IOs
and each LIO takes 0.020ms. Therefore, the
elapsed Fme will be 2,000ms or 2.0 seconds.
E (ms/exec) = units of work (LIO/exec) X time per work (ms/LIO)!
!
2000 ms/exec = 100,000 LIO/exec X 0.020 ms/LIO !

SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

When we tune, WL is reduced.

SQL tuning fundamentally reduces the
work required to execute a statement.
Since less work is required then generally,
the elapsed time will decrease!
If your tuning prowess reduces the work
from 100,000 PIOs to 50,000 PIOs then
you can expect the elapsed time to
decrease by 50%.
But does this really occur in reality? hum...
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

Experimental results!
Stmt
Median
Tuned
Stmt LIO
Logical
Elapsed
SQL
Change
IO
Time (s)

No

355289

Yes

161495 -54.55%

Median
Elapsed
Samples
Time (s)
Change

14.22

243

5.88

-58.67%

339

CollecFon interval was 2 hours.

OraPubs Elapsed Time Sampler was used to collect elapsed Fmes.
LIO numbers gathered from v$sysstat.
Time based on Fmestamp data type.
source: E Analysis 1a.xlsx, 256 latches
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

Ways to reduce UOW process time.

There are many ways to reduce the time it
takes to process a single unit of work.
There are direct methods and indirect
methods.
Indirect: Because processes share and
compete for resources, when the big issue is
resolved, many other issues become less
intense.
Direct: Tuning Oracle directly reduces the
time required to process a piece of work.
Hum...
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

Experimental results!
SQL Stmt
Instance
Instance
Median
CBC
RT
WL
Change
Change Samples
Latches
Elapsed
(ms/lio)
(lio/ms)
Time (s)
256

0.03623

32768 0.00856 -76.36%

120

14.224

243

227

2.968

-79.13%

399

CollecFon interval was 2 hours.

OraPubs Elapsed Time Sampler was used to collect elapsed Fmes.
RT components gathered from v$sysstat, v$sys_Fme_model, and v$system_event.
Time based on Fmestamp data type.
source: E Analysis 1a.xlsx, not tuned
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

This graph shows the work process time.

+96% WL Change
-76% RT Change

source: More Latches RT Compare...xlsx

SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

All situations elapsed times.

SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

The point? #1 Average is misleading.

It is easy to calculate the average elapsed
time...even from Statspack.
But saying, The average elapsed time is X.
will most likely mislead everyone.
The median or mode(s) is a much better
representation of the typical elapsed times.
If you need to communicate typical elapsed
times, you need to gather real data.
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

The point? #2 Modeling SQL E.

Two basic ways to reduce elapsed times:
Reduce work to be done.
Reduce time to process each piece of work.

SQL statement elapsed time can be

simply modeled.
SQL statement elapsed time can be
anticipated.
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

Want to dig deeper?

Craigs Blog A W i d e r V i e w
Training from OraPub
Oracle Performance Firefighting (I)
Adv Oracle Performance Analysis (II)

Melbourne
& Perth in
Q2 2012

Books
Oracle Performance Firefighting (C. Shallahamer)
Chapter 9 is FREE to download

SQL Elapsed Time Analysis

Thank
You!
SQL Elapsed Time Analysis