New Features in Brother-Panther® 4.2

• Brother-Hawk™ Integration

  Brother-Hawk's user interface is built into the new DBI Admin Console. The DBI Repository is also updated to store Brother-Hawk's alert configuration and history. Brother-Hawk can issue alerts based on computed performance data collected by Brother-Panther and Brother-Thoroughbred, as well as real-time data directly from a monitored database. In fact, Brother-Hawk is so well integrated with other DBI DB2 LUW tools that there are no separate components to install - all alert functionality is enabled by the mere presence of a valid license key.

• Tighter Brother-Thoroughbred® Integration

  For customers with valid Brother-Thoroughbred licenses, Brother-Panther is now capable of displaying Brother-Thoroughbred transaction time data:

  • The Database Score grid display can now show database average transaction response times, SLA attainments, inside and outside database times, and percentages --- You can see database transaction response times for all of your databases on a single pane of glass!
  • The performance trend charts with correlated change events are now capable of visually graphing database transaction response times, resource times, and SLA attainments over time.
  • WOW! Add an index, alter a bufferpool size, or change a configuration parameter and you can SEE in context the performance consequences on response times and SLA attainments!

• Improved DBI Collector Performance & Flexibility

  For customers running DB2/AIX 5.3 and higher, the native AIX C compiler is exploited - early users have reported substantial reductions in CPU utilization. The autonomic collection method is also enhanced for all OS users such that if automatic statement collection is triggered due to the likely presence of scans or inefficiencies, then statement collection can be set to collect for a number of minutes and then automatically stop for another period of minutes before autonomic collection can potentially be re-engaged. In essence, this enhancement facilitates collecting a relevant sample of statement data without the burden of excessive statement collection - and it is all automatic!

• Find Statements Referencing Tables through Views, Aliases, and Static SQL

  Users can now easily find all statements driving I/O to a particular table - even if the statements include references to VIEW names, ALIAS names, or STATIC SQL. Since the IBM DB2 Design Advisor makes its recommendations based on the Table object level (Indexes, MDC, MQT, Partitioning), this capability is critical to accurately identifying the most costly SQL driving I/O to a given table. With the most costly statements accurately identified (in the aggregate with relative costs), they can easily be passed to the Design Advisor as a Workload. Users will be in awe of the high quality design advice provided by the Design Advisor when this method of analysis is exploited!

• Flag Statements for follow up

  Users now have the ability to mark one or more statements with a follow up flag and notes to remind them about pending tasks. You can specify a free form note, the color of flag to be displayed, and optionally a due date. As the due date gets close or is passed, the flag is altered to indicate its disposition. This feature makes it remarkably easy to find problematic statements and trace them over time. The flags are attributes of a given statement - so all DBA team members can collaboratively work together on flagged statements.

• View Additional Performance Trends

  Performance Trends can now be charted for all performance panel metrics: buffer pools, tablespaces, tables, and even individual statements! In addition, you can plot the trends of statement performance averages. With this capability, you can track the performance of an individual statement over time and easily verify that tuning and physical design changes successfully cured problematic performance.

• Numerous Other Customer Suggested Enhancements
  • While viewing performance trends, just click a button and see the statement activity that corresponds to the same timeframe
  • Launch Brother-Thoroughbred's graphical charts from Brother-Panther's performance trend charts
  • Specification for Statement Analysis Default Schema - Explains are easier!
  • First & Last Execution Timestamp can now be displayed for any statement within a workload timeframe
  • Substantially Enhanced Admin Console User Interface makes it easier to manage multiple databases and databases with multiple partitions
  • Improved Purge Efficiency makes it easier to prune old configuration and performance history without running into log utilization errors
  • Better license key handling makes it easier to view and manage license keys