Optimizing performance of database middleware

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9727610-B1
Application number	US-201213680877-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 19, 2012
Priority date	Apr 28, 2005
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention is a wizard (e.g., software) for configuring database access middleware for optimal performance. The wizard asks a set of questions. The questions are presented to the user with a navigable UI, and are designed such that the user does not need database expertise to answer them. Based on the user's answers, the wizard generates a set of connect options and values to be used to optimize performance of the user's middleware. Users can use the wizard to determine whether currently selected options or values of a deployed application are optimal, and to determine if other options/values should be used that may improve the performance of the existing application. Also, a prospective customer that is evaluating middleware can use this wizard to tune the middleware for the intended application, thereby allowing that user to better assess how the middleware will perform.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method using a graphical user interface (GUI) for tuning access middleware that provides an application with one or more connections to a database, the method comprising:
using a computer to perform steps comprising:
receiving a first response from a user specifying a type of a driver/provider for the database to be tuned;
querying the user, based on the first response received from the user, regarding whether the application connected via the access middleware to the database supports a functionality specified in the query;
receiving a second response from the user specifying whether the application connected via the access middleware to the database supports the functionality specified in the query;
querying the user, based on the first and second responses, regarding one or more user preferences associated with application performance;
receiving a third response from the user specifying one or more user preferences associated with performance;
generating, based on the first response received from the user, the second response received from the user specifying whether the application supports the functionality and the third response from the user specifying one or more user preferences associated with performance, a set of connection options and values configured to achieve optimal performance of the driver/provider; and
providing the set of connection options and values to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the set of connection options and values to the user includes at least one of displaying the set of connection options and values, and saving the set of connection options and values into a file.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
querying the user regarding personal knowledge of database systems;
receiving a personal knowledge response regarding the personal knowledge; and
wherein generating the set of connection options and values is further based on the personal knowledge response.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
adjusting an existing set of connection options and values for an already deployed driver/provider based on the generated set of connection options and values.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing details that indicate an applicable connection string attribute or property based on a question being asked, and guidance on how to set that attribute/property.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the set of connection options and values to the user includes providing multiple output formats from which the user chooses.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the functionality of the application includes a functionality to use a prepared statement that is compiled for a connection and available to be executed for the connection, the second response includes data describing that the application uses the prepared statement and the set of connection options and values are generated based on the second response including the data describing that the application uses the prepared statement.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions, that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to carry out a process for tuning access middleware that provides an application with one or more connections to a database, the process comprising:
receiving a first response from a user specifying a type of a driver/provider for the database to be tuned;
querying the user, based on the first response received from the user, regarding whether the application connected via the access middleware to the database supports a functionality specified in the query;
receiving a second response from the user specifying whether the application connected via the access middleware to the database supports the functionality specified in the query;
querying the user, based on the first and second responses, regarding one or more user preferences associated with application performance;
receiving a third response from the user specifying one or more user preferences associated with performance;
generating, based on the first response received from the user, the second response received from the user specifying whether the application supports the functionality and the third response from the user specifying one or more user preferences associated with performance, a set of connection options and values configured to achieve optimal performance of the driver/provider; and
providing the set of connection options and values to the user.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein providing the set of connection options and values to the user includes at least one of displaying the set of connection options and values, and saving the set of connection options and values into a file.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , the process further comprising:
querying the user regarding personal knowledge of database systems;
receiving a personal knowledge response regarding the personal knowledge; and
wherein generating the set of connection options and values is further based on the personal knowledge response.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , the process comprising indicating progress of the tuning process.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , the process comprising providing details that indicate an applicable connection string attribute or property based on a question being asked, and guidance on how to set that attribute/property.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein providing the set of connection options and values to the user includes providing multiple output formats from which the user chooses.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the functionality of the application includes a functionality to use a prepared statement that is compiled for a connection and available to be executed for the connection, the second response includes data describing that the application uses the prepared statement and the set of connection options and values are generated based on the second response including the data describing that the application uses the prepared statement.

15. A graphical user interface (GUI) system for tuning access middleware that provides an application with one or more connections to a database, the GUI system comprising:
a processor;
a module for providing a driver/provider selection screen for receiving a first response from a user specifying a type of a driver/provider for the database to be tuned;
a module for providing a plurality of navigable application question screens for querying the user based on the first response received from the user and receiving a second response from the user specifying whether the application connected via the access middleware to the database supports a functionality specified in a query;
a module for providing one or more preference question screens based on the first and second responses and receiving a third response from the user specifying one or more user preferences, each preference question screen querying the user regarding one or more user preferences associated with application performance;
a module for generating, based on the first response received from the user, the second response received from the user specifying whether the application supports the functionality and the third response from the user specifying one or more user preferences associated with performance, a set of connection options and values configured to achieve optimal performance of the driver/provider; and
a module for providing a resul

Assignees

• Progress Software Corp

Inventors

• Goodson John
• Steward Rob
• Biamonte Mark
• Conrad Cheryl

Classifications

• G06F17/30477 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F16/217 Primary

  Database tuning (G06F16/2282 takes precedence; database performance monitoring G06F11/3409) · CPC title

• G06F16/252

  between a Database Management System and a front-end application · CPC title

• G06F16/2455 Primary

  Query execution · CPC title