SAP Sybase IQ 16.0: Performance and Tuning Guide

Performance and Tuning Guide
SAP Sybase IQ 16.0

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LAST REVISED: February 2013
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Contents
Audience .................................................................................1
Performance Considerations ................................................3
Hardware Configuration ........................................................5
Setting the Number of CPUs Available ...........................5
The Process Threading Model ........................................5
Network Performance .....................................................6
Server Configuration .............................................................9
Understanding Memory ..................................................9
Server Memory ......................................................9
Required Memory ..................................................9
Cache Memory ....................................................11
Large Memory .....................................................11
IQ Page Size ........................................................12
Wired Memory .....................................................13
Tuning Options ..............................................................14
Optimizing for Typical Usage ...............................14
Optimizing for Large Numbers of Users ..............15
Restricting Concurrent Queries ...........................16
Limiting Query Temp Space ................................17
Limiting Queries by Rows Returned ....................18
Forcing Cursors to be Non-Scrolling ....................18
Limiting the Number of Cursors ..........................19
Limiting the Number of Statements .....................20
Prefetching Cache Pages ....................................20
Controlling the Number of Prefetched Rows ........21
Controlling File System Buffering ........................22
Optimizing the Cache Partitions ..........................23
Balancing Input/Output .................................................24
Raw Devices ........................................................24
Disk Striping ........................................................24
Internal Striping ...................................................25
Performance and Tuning Guide iii

Contents
Random and Sequential File Access ...................26

Transaction and Message Logs ...........................27
Monitoring Performance ...............................................28
Database Profiling Procedures ............................28
Event Profiling Procedures ..................................30
Key Performance Indicators .................................30
Buffer Cache Performance ..................................32
Multiplex Performance ........................................................39
Managing Multiplex Disk Space ....................................39
Managing Logical Server Resources ............................39
Balancing Query Loads ................................................40
Schema Design ....................................................................41
Indexing ........................................................................41
Indexing Tips .......................................................41
When and Where to use Indexes .........................42
Simple Index Selection Criteria ............................43
HG Index Loads ...................................................44
Multi-Column Indexes ..........................................45
Join Column ..................................................................46
Primary Keys ................................................................47
Foreign Keys .................................................................47
Proper Data Type Sizing ...............................................48
Null Values ....................................................................49
Unsigned Data Types ....................................................49
LONG VARCHAR and LONG VARBINARY ..................50
Large Object Storage ....................................................51
Temporary Tables .........................................................52
Denormalizing for Performance ....................................53
UNION ALL Views for Faster Loads .............................54
Queries Referencing UNION ALL Views .............55
UNION ALL View Performance ............................55
Hash Partitioning ..........................................................56
Troubleshooting ...................................................................59
Isolating Performance Problems ...................................59
Diagnostic Tools ............................................................59
iv SAP Sybase IQ
Contents
Common Performance Issues ......................................60

Paging and Disk Swapping ..................................60
Index and Row Fragmentation .............................61
Catalog File Growth .............................................62
Thrashing and Query Execution ..........................62
Queries and Deletions .........................................................65
Structuring Queries .......................................................65
Enhancing ORDER BY Query Performance ........65
Improved Subquery Performance ........................66
Using Caching Methods .......................................66
Generating Query Plans ...............................................66
Query Evaluation Options ....................................67
Using Query Plans ...............................................69
Controlling Query Processing .......................................69
Setting Query Time Limits ...................................70
Setting Query Priority .......................................... 70
Setting Query Optimization Options ....................71
Setting User-Supplied Condition Hints ................ 71
Monitoring Workloads ..........................................72
Optimizing Delete Operations .......................................73
HG Delete Operations ......................................... 73
WD Delete Operations .........................................74
TEXT Delete Operations ......................................75
Index ..................................................................................77
Performance and Tuning Guide v

Contents
vi SAP Sybase IQ
Audience
Audience
This document is intended for database administrators, database designers, and developers
who want to configure SAP® Sybase® IQ for improved performance.
Performance and Tuning Guide 1

Audience
2 SAP Sybase IQ
Performance Considerations
Performance is usually measured in response time and throughput. A good design and
indexing strategy leads to the largest performance gains.
Response time is the time it takes for a single task to complete. Several factors affect response
time:
• Reducing contention and wait times, particularly disk I/O wait times
• Using faster components
• Reducing the amount of time the resources are needed (increasing concurrency)
Throughput refers to the volume of work completed in a fixed time period. Throughput is
commonly measured in transactions per second (tps), but can be measured per minute, per
hour, per day, and so on.
To realize the largest performance gains run SAP Sybase IQ on a correctly configured system,
establish a good design,and choose the correct indexing strategy.
Other considerations, such as hardware and network analysis, can locate bottlenecks in your
installation.

4 SAP Sybase IQ
Hardware Configuration
Hardware issues that impact SAP Sybase IQ performance.
Setting the Number of CPUs Available

Set the -iqnumbercpus startup switch to specify the number of CPUs available. This
parameter overrides the physical number of CPUs for resource planning purposes.
Using the -iqnumbercpus switch is recommended only:
®
• On machines with Intel CPUs and hyperthreading enabled, set -iqnumbercpus to the
actual number of cores
• On machines where an operating system utility has been used to restrict SAP Sybase IQ to
a subset of the CPUs within the machine
Additional Information
Administration: Database > Run Database Servers > Command Line Switches > Command
Line Options for Performance > Memory Options > Number of CPUs Switch.
The Process Threading Model

SAP Sybase IQ uses operating system kernel threads for best performance. By default, SAP
Sybase IQ allocates the number of threads based on the number of CPUs on the system.
Lightweight processes are underlying threads of control that are supported by the kernel. The
operating system decides which lightweight processes (LWPs) should run on which processor
and when. It has no knowledge about what the user threads are, but does know if they are
waiting or able to run.
The operating system kernel schedules LWPs onto CPU resources. It uses their scheduling
classes and priorities. Each LWP is independently dispatched by the kernel, performs
independent system calls, incurs independent page faults, and runs in parallel on a
multiprocessor system.
A single, highly threaded process serves all SAP Sybase IQ users. The database server assigns
varying numbers of kernel threads to each user connection, based on the type of processing
being done by that connection, the total number of threads available, and the various option
settings.
Insufficient Threads Error

If there are insufficient threads for a query, SAP Sybase IQ generates this error:

Not enough server threads available for this query
This condition may well be temporary. When some other query finishes, threads are made
available and the query may succeed the next time. If the condition persists, you may need to
restart the server and specify more SAP Sybase IQ threads. It is also possible that -iqmt is set
too low for the number of connections.
SAP Sybase IQ Options for Managing Thread Usage

• Use the server start-up option -iqmt to set the maximum number of threads. The default
value is calculated from the number of connections and the number of CPUs and is usually
adequate.
• Use the server start-up option -iqtss to set the stack size of the internal execution threads.
The default value is generally sufficient, but may be increased if complex queries return an
error indicating that the depth of the stack exceeded this limit.
• Use the SET OPTION MAX_IQ_THREADS_PER_CONNECTION command to set the
maximum number of threads for a single user. The SET OPTION
MAX_IQ_THREADS_PER_TEAM command sets the number of threads available to a
team of threads, enabling you to constrain the number of threads (and thereby the amount
of system resources) allocated to a single operation.
• Use these options to control the amount of resources a particular operation consumes. For
example, you can set this option before issuing an INSERT, LOAD, BACKUP, or
RESTORE command.
• Setting this option requires the SET ANY PUBLIC OPTION system privilege.
Network Performance
Minor changes in your environment can solve some network performance issues.
To improve network throughput, provide multiple network adaptors. Classes of users can be
assigned to different networks depending on service level agreements.
In case A (see the figure below) clients accessing two different database servers use one
network card. That means that clients accessing Servers A and B have to compete over the
network and past the network card. In the case B, clients accessing Server A use a different
network card than clients accessing Server B.
It would be even better to put your database servers on different machines. You may also want
to put heavy users of different databases on different machines.
6 SAP Sybase IQ
Figure 1: Isolating heavy network users
Put Small Amounts of Data in Small Packets

If you send small amounts of data over the network, keep the default network packet size small
(default is 512 bytes). The -p server start-up option lets you specify a maximum packet size.
Your client application may also let you set the packet size.
Put Large Amounts of Data in Large Packets

If most of your applications send and receive large amounts of data, increase default network
packet size. This will result in fewer (but larger) transfers.
Process at the Server Level

Filter as much data as possible at the server level.

8 SAP Sybase IQ
Server Configuration
Understanding Memory
Understanding how SAP Sybase IQ allocates memory can help you get the best performance
from your system.
Server Memory
SAP Sybase IQ allocates heap memory for buffers, transactions, databases, and servers.
Shared memory may also be used, but in much smaller quantities.
At the operating system level, SAP Sybase IQ server memory consists of heap memory. For
the most part, you do not need to be concerned with whether memory used by SAP Sybase IQ
is heap memory or shared memory. All memory allocation is handled automatically. Make
sure that your operating system kernel is correctly configured to use shared memory before
you run SAP Sybase IQ
Most operating systems use a large percent of available memory for file system buffering.
Understand the buffering policies for your operating system to avoid over-allocating memory.
The total memory used for SAP Sybase IQ main and temporary buffer caches, plus SAP
Sybase IQ memory overhead, and memory used for the operating system and other
applications, must not exceed the physical memory on your system.
See also
• Required Memory on page 9
• Cache Memory on page 11
• Large Memory on page 11
• IQ Page Size on page 12
• Wired Memory on page 13
Required Memory
After you determine how much physical memory the operating system and other applications
require, calculate how much of the remaining memory is required by SAP Sybase IQ.
Raw Partitions Versus File Systems

For UNIX-like operating systems, databases using file systems rather than raw partitions may
require another 30% of the remaining memory to handle file buffering by the operating
system. On Windows, file system caching should be disabled by setting
OS_FILE_CACHE_BUFFERING = ‘OFF’ (the default for new databases).

Multiuser Database Access

For multiuser queries of a database, SAP Sybase IQ needs about 10MB per “active” user.
Active users are defined as users who simultaneously access or query the database. For
example, 30 users may be connected to SAP Sybase IQ, but only 10 or so may be actively
using a database at any one time.
Memory for Thread Stacks

Processing threads require a small amount of memory. The more processing threads you use,
the more memory needed. The -iqmt server switch controls the number of threads. The -iqtss
and -gss server switches control the amount of stack memory allocated for each thread. The
total memory allocated for IQ stacks is roughly equal to: (-gn * (-gss + -iqtss)) + (-iqmt * -
iqtss ).
If you have a large number of users, the memory needed for processing threads increases. The
-gn switch controls the number of tasks (both user and system requests) that the database
server can execute concurrently. The -gss switch controls—in part—the stack size for server
execution threads that execute these tasks. SAP Sybase IQ calculates the stack size of these
worker threads using the following formula: (-gss + -iqtss).
The total number of threads (-iqmt plus -gn) must not exceed the number allowed for your
platform.
Other Memory Use

All commands and transactions use some memory. The following operations are the most
significant memory users in addition to those discussed previously:
• Backup. The amount of virtual memory used for backup is a function of the IQ PAGE SIZE
specified when the database was created. It is approximately 2 * number of CPUs * 20 *
(IQ PAGE SIZE/16). On some platforms you may be able to improve backup performance
by adjusting BLOCK FACTOR in the BACKUP command, but increasing BLOCK
FACTOR also increases the amount of memory used.
• Database validation and repair. When you check an entire database, the sp_iqcheckdb
procedure opens all tables, their respective fields, and indexes before initiating any
processing. Depending on the number of tables and the cumulative number of columns and
indexes in those tables, sp_iqcheckdb may require very little or a large amount of virtual
memory. To limit the amount of memory needed, use the sp_iqcheckdb options to check
or repair a single index or table.
• Dropping leaked blocks. The drop leaks operation also needs to open all tables, files, and
indexes, so it uses as much virtual memory as sp_iqcheckdb uses when checking an entire
database. It uses the temp buffer cache to keep track of blocks used.
See also
• Server Memory on page 9
10 SAP Sybase IQ

Cache Memory
Allocate as much memory as possible to the IQ main and temporary buffer caches for optimal
performance. Change the defaults to accommodate loads, queries, and applications.
Default cache size for the main and temporary buffer caches is 64MB each. Cache size is
controlled with the –iqmc (main cache) and –iqtc (temporary cache) server startup options.
These startup options only remain in effect while the server is running, so you need to include
them every time you restart the server.
Large memory requirements are one third of the total available physical memory allocated to
SAP Sybase IQ. To ensure adequate memory for the main and temporary IQ stores, set the –
iqlm, –iqmc, and –iqtc startup parameters so that each parameter receives one third of all
available physical memory.
See also
Large Memory
The –iqlm startup parameter specifies the maximum amount of large memory that SAP
Sybase IQ can dynamically request from the operating system.
Some load operations may require more large memory than the 2GB default provides. If
memory requirements exceed the default, use the - iqlm startup option to increase the memory
that SAP Sybase IQ can dynamically request from the OS. Set –iqlm as a switch as part of the
command or configuration file that starts the server.
Large Memory Allocation

As a general rule, large memory requirements represent one third of the total available
physical memory allocated to SAP Sybase IQ. To ensure adequate memory for the main and
temporary IQ stores, set the –iqlm, –iqtc, and –iqmc startup parameters so that each parameter
receives one third of all available physical memory allocated to SAP Sybase IQ.
In most cases, you should allocate 80% of total physical memory to SAP Sybase IQ to prevent
SAP Sybase IQ processes from being swapped out. Adjust actual memory allocation to
accommodate other processes running on the same system. For example, on a machine with
32 cores and 128GB of total available physical memory, you would allocate 100GB

(approximately 80% of the 128GB total) to SAP Sybase IQ processes. Following the general
rule, you would set the –iqlm, –iqtc, and –iqmc parameters to 33GB each.
See also
IQ Page Size
IQ page and buffer cache size affect memory use and disk I/O throughput for the database.
SAP Sybase IQ performs I/O in units of page size. When you create a database, you specify a
separate page size for the catalog store and the IQ store. The temporary store has the same page
size as the IQ store.
Page size for the catalog store has no real impact on performance. The default value of 4096
bytes should be adequate. The IQ page size determines two other performance factors, the
default I/O transfer block size, and the maximum data compression for your database. SAP
Sybase IQ compresses all data. The amount of compression is determined by the IQ page
size.
Saving Memory
If your machine does not have enough memory, increase the memory and decrease the buffer
cache sizes. Decreasing the buffer caches too much, however, can make your data loads or
queries inefficient or incomplete due to insufficient buffers.
Note: The page size cannot be changed and determines the upper size limit on some database
objects and whether LOB features can be used.
See also
12 SAP Sybase IQ
Wired Memory
On HP and Solaris platforms, you can designate a specified amount of memory as wired
memory. Wired memory is shared memory that is locked into physical memory. The kernel
cannot page this memory out of physical memory.
Wired Memory Pool

On HP and Solaris platforms, you can designate a specified amount of memory as wired
memory. Wired memory is shared memory that is locked into physical memory. The kernel
cannot page this memory out of physical memory.
Wired memory may improve SAP Sybase IQ performance when other applications are
running on the same machine at the same time. Dedicating wired memory to SAP Sybase IQ,
however, makes it unavailable to other applications on the machine.
To create a pool of wired memory on these UNIX platforms only, specify the -iqwmem
command-line switch, indicating the number of MB of wired memory. (You must be user root
to set -iqwmem, except on Solaris.) On 64-bit platforms, the only upper limit on -iqwmem is
the physical memory on the machine.
For example, on a machine with 14GB of memory, you may be able to set aside 10GB of wired
memory. To do so, you specify:
-iqwmem 10000
Note: Use -iqwmem only if you have enough memory to dedicate the amount you specify for
this purpose. Otherwise, you can cause serious performance degradation.
• On Solaris, -iqwmem always provides wired memory.
• On HP, -iqwmem provides wired memory if you start the server as root. It provides
unwired memory if you are not root when you start the server. This behavior may change in
a future version.
Impact of Other Applications and Databases

Server memory comes out of a pool of memory used by all applications and databases. If you
try to run multiple servers or multiple databases on the same machine at the same time, or if
you have other applications running, you may need to reduce the amount of memory your
server requests.
You can also issue the UNIX command ipcs -mb to see the actual number of segments.
Troubleshooting HP Memory Issues

On HP-UX, check the value of the maxdsiz_64bit kernel parameter. This parameter restricts
the amount of virtual memory available to SAP Sybase IQ on 64-bit HP processors. See the
Installation and Configuration Guide for the recommended value.

See also
Tuning Options
Tuning options that provide faster query execution.
Optimizing for Typical Usage

Set the USER_RESOURCE_RESERVATION option to adjust memory use for the number of
current users.
SAP Sybase IQ tracks the number of open cursors and allocates memory accordingly. In
certain circumstances, USER_RESOURCE_RESERVATION option can be set to adjust the
minimum number of current cursors that SAP Sybase IQ thinks is currently using the product
and hence allocate memory from the temporary cache more sparingly.
Set this option only if required. Contact Technical Support with details if you need to set this
option.
See also
• Optimizing for Large Numbers of Users on page 15
• Restricting Concurrent Queries on page 16
• Limiting Query Temp Space on page 17
• Limiting Queries by Rows Returned on page 18
• Forcing Cursors to be Non-Scrolling on page 18
• Limiting the Number of Cursors on page 19
• Limiting the Number of Statements on page 20
• Prefetching Cache Pages on page 20
• Controlling the Number of Prefetched Rows on page 21
• Controlling File System Buffering on page 22
• Optimizing the Cache Partitions on page 23
14 SAP Sybase IQ
Optimizing for Large Numbers of Users

Adjust the startup parameters for large numbers of users.
Table 1. Sever Startup Options

Parameter Description
-gm Sets the default number of connections. Usage:
-gm #_connections_to_support
Although this represents the total number of connections the server

will support, not all connections will be active at any one time.
-iqgovern Places a ceiling on the maximum number of queries to execute at
once. If more users than the -iqgovern limit have submitted queries,
new queries will be queued until one of the active queries is finished.
Usage:
-iqgovern #_ ACTIVE_ queries_to_support
The optimal value for -iqgovern depends on the nature of your quer-
ies, number of CPUs, and size of the buffer cache. The default value
is 2*numCPU + 10. With a large number of connected users, you may
find that setting this option to 2*numCPU + 4 provides better
throughput.
-gn Sets the number of execution threads for the catalog store and con-
nectivity while running with multiple users. Usage:
-gn number of tasks (both user
and system requests) that the database server
can execute concurrently
The correct value for -gn depends on the value of -gm. The start_iq
utility calculates -gn and sets it appropriately. Setting -gn too low can
prevent the server from operating correctly. Setting -gn above 480 is
not recommended.
-c Sets the catalog store cache size. Usage:
-c catalog_store_cache_size
The catalog cache size is highly dependent on schema size and the
number of objects. The catalog store buffer cache is also the general
memory pool for the catalog store. To specify in MB, use the form -c
nM, for example, -c 64M.
For up to 1000 users, set -c to 16MB or higher. For up to 200 users, set
-c to 48MB (default).

Parameter Description
-cl and -ch Set upper (-ch) and lower (-cl) limits for the catalog store cache size.
-cl minimum cache size -ch maximum cache size. If the standard
catalog cache size is too small, set -cl and -ch parameters.
Do not use -c in the same configuration file or command line with -ch
or -cl. For related information, see the -ch cache-size option.
-iqmt Sets the number of processing threads. If -iqmt is set too low for the
-gm setting, then thread starvation can occur.
Note: To control catalog store cache size explicitly, you must do either of the following, but
not both, in your configuration file (.cfg) or on the command line for server startup:
• Set the -c parameter
• Set specific upper and lower limits for the catalog store cache size using the -ch and -cl
parameters
See also
• Optimizing for Typical Usage on page 14
Restricting Concurrent Queries

Set the -iqgovern switch to specify the number of concurrent queries on a particular server.
This is not the same as the number of connections, which is controlled by your license.
There is an optimal value for -iqgovern that will provide the correct number of concurrent
query access to provide optimal throughput. If -iqgovern is set over this threshold, contention
or resourse starvation occurs, slowing down all requests.
By specifying the -iqgovern switch, you can help SAP Sybase IQ optimize paging of buffer
data out to disk, and avoid over committing memory. The default value of -iqgovern is (2 x the
number of CPUs) + 10. You may need to experiment to find an ideal value. For sites with large
numbers of active connections, try setting -iqgovernslightly lower.
16 SAP Sybase IQ
See also
Limiting Query Temp Space

Set the QUERY_TEMP_SPACE_LIMIT to specify the maximum estimated amount of temp
space before a query is rejected.
The QUERY_TEMP_SPACE_LIMIT option causes queries to be rejected if their estimated
temp space usage exceeds the specified size. By default, there is no limit on temporary store
usage by queries.
SAP Sybase IQ estimates the temporary space needed to resolve the query. If the estimate
exceeds the current QUERY_TEMP_SPACE_LIMIT setting, SAP Sybase IQ returns an error:
Query rejected because it exceeds total space resource limit
If this option is set to 0 (the default), there is no limit, and no queries are rejected based on their
temporary space requirements.
To limit the actual temporary store usage per connection, set the
MAX_TEMP_SPACE_PER_CONNECTION option for all DML statements, including
queries. MAX_TEMP_SPACE_PER_CONNECTION monitors and limits the actual run time
temporary store usage by the statement. If the connection exceeds the quota set by the
MAX_TEMP_SPACE_PER_CONNECTION option, an error is returned and the current
statement rolls back.
See also


Limiting Queries by Rows Returned

Set the value of the QUERY_ROWS_RETURNED_LIMIT option to prevent the optimizer
from rejecting queries with large result sets.
The QUERY_ROWS_RETURNED_LIMIT option tells the query optimizer to reject queries
that might otherwise consume too many resources. If the query optimizer estimates that the
result set from a query will exceed the value of this option, it rejects the query with the
message:
Query rejected because it exceed resource: Query_Rows_Returned_Limit
Set this option only to reject queries that consume vast resources.
See also
Forcing Cursors to be Non-Scrolling

Eliminate the temporary store node in queries that return a very large result set to improve
performance.
When you use scrolling cursors with no host variable declared, SAP Sybase IQ creates a
temporary store node where query results are buffered. This storage is separate from the
temporary store buffer cache. The temporary store node enables efficient forward and
backward scrolling when your application searches through a result set.
However, if the query returns very large numbers (such as millions) of rows of output, and if
your application performs mostly forward-scrolling operations, the memory requirements of
18 SAP Sybase IQ
the temporary store node may degrade query performance. To improve performance,
eliminate the temporary store node by issuing the following command:
SET TEMPORARY OPTION FORCE_NO_SCROLL_CURSORS = ‘ON’
Note: If your application performs frequent backward-scrolling, setting the
FORCE_NO_SCROLL_CURSORS option to ON may actually degrade query performance, as
the absence of the temporary cache forces SAP Sybase IQ to re-execute the query for each
backward scroll.
If your application rarely performs backward-scrolling, make
FORCE_NO_SCROLL_CURSORS = ‘ON’ a permanent PUBLIC option. It will use less
memory and improve query performance.
See also
Limiting the Number of Cursors

Set the MAX_CURSOR_COUNT option to prevent a single connection from taking too much
available memory or CPU resources.
The MAX_CURSOR_COUNT option limits the maximum number of cursors that a connection
can use at once. The default is 50. Setting this option to 0 allows an unlimited number of
cursors.
See also


Limiting the Number of Statements

Set the MAX_STATEMENT_COUNT option to limit the number of prepared statements for a
connection can make.
The MAX_STATEMENT_COUNT option limits the maximum number of prepared statements
that a connection can use at once. If a server needs to support more than the default number
(50) of prepared statements at any one time for any one connection, then you can set the
MAX_STATEMENT_COUNT option to a higher value.
See also
Prefetching Cache Pages

Set the BT_PREFETCH_MAX_MISS option to control prefetch memory behavior.
The BT_PREFETCH_MAX_MISS option determines whether to continue prefetching pages
for a given query. If queries using HG indexes run more slowly than expected, try gradually
increasing the value of this option.
See also
20 SAP Sybase IQ

Controlling the Number of Prefetched Rows

Set the PrefetchRows and PrefetchBuffer parameters to improve performance on
cursors under certain conditions. This is a client option that you can set on the ODBC
connection dialog, or in the .odbc.ini file.
Prefetching improves performance on cursors that only fetch relative 1 or relative 0. Two
connection parameters let you change cursor prefetch defaults. PrefetchRows (PROWS)
sets the number of rows prefetched; PrefetchBuffer (PBUF) sets the memory available
to this connection for storing prefetched rows. Increasing the number of rows you prefetch
may improve performance under certain conditions:
• The application fetches many rows (several hundred or more) with very few absolute
fetches.
• The application fetches rows at a high rate, and the client and server are on the same
machine or connected by a fast network.
• Client/server communication is over a slow network, such as a dial-up link or wide area
network.
See also

Controlling File System Buffering

On some file systems, you can turn file system buffering on or off. Turning file system
buffering off usually reduces paging and improves performance.
To disable file system buffering for IQ Main dbspaces of existing databases, issue the
following statement:
SET OPTION "PUBLIC".OS_FILE_CACHE_BUFFERING = OFF
To disable file system buffering for IQ Temporary dbspaces of existing databases, issue the
following statement:
SET OPTION "PUBLIC".OS_FILE_CACHE_BUFFERING_TEMPDB = OFF
You can only set this option for the PUBLIC role. Shut down the database and restart it for the
change to take effect.
This direct I/O performance option is available on Solaris UFS, Linux, Linux IBM, AIX, and
Windows file systems only. This option has no effect on HP-UX and HP-UXi and does not
affect databases on raw disk. In Linux, direct I/O is supported in kernel versions 2.6.x
To enable direct I/O on Linux kernel version 2.6 and AIX, also set the environment variable
IQ_USE_DIRECTIO to 1. Direct I/O is disabled by default in Linux kernel version 2.6 and
AIX. IQ_USE_DIRECTIO has no effect on Solaris and Windows.
Note:
• SAP Sybase IQ does not support direct I/O on Linux kernel version 2.4. If you set the
IQ_USE_DIRECTIO environment variable on Linux kernel version 2.4, the SAP Sybase
IQ server does not start. The error “Error: Invalid Block I/O argument,
maybe <pathname> is a directory, or it exceeds maximum file
size limit for the platform, or trying to use Direct IO on
unsupported OS” is reported.
• Solaris does not have a kernel parameter to constrain the size of its file system buffer cache.
Over time, the file system buffer cache grows and displaces the buffer cache pages, leading
to excess operating system paging activity and reduced performance. Use raw devices for
databases on Solaris whenever possible.
• Windows can bias the paging algorithms to favor applications at the expense of the file
system. This bias is recommended for SAP Sybase IQ performance.
See also
22 SAP Sybase IQ

Optimizing the Cache Partitions

Changing the CACHE_PARTITIONS value may improve load or query performance in a
multi-CPU configuration.
SAP Sybase IQ automatically calculates the number of cache partitions for the buffer cache
according to the number of CPUs on your system. If load or query performance in a multi-
CPU configuration is slower than expected, you may be able to improve it by changing the
value of the CACHE_PARTITIONS database option.
As buffers approach the Least Recently Used (LRU) end of the cache, they pass a wash marker.
SAP Sybase IQ writes the oldest pages—those past the wash marker—out to disk so that the
cache space they occupy can be reused. A team of SAP Sybase IQ processing threads, called
sweeper threads, sweeps (writes) out the oldest buffers.
When SAP Sybase IQ needs to read a page of data into the cache, it grabs the LRU buffer. If the
buffer is still “dirty” (modified) it must first be written to disk. The Gdirty column in the
monitor -cache report shows the number of times the LRU buffer was grabbed dirty and SAP
Sybase IQ had to write it out before using it.
Usually SAP Sybase IQ is able to keep the Gdirty value at 0. If this value is greater than 0 for
more than brief periods, you may need to adjust one of the database options that control the
number of sweeper threads and the wash marker.
• Reference: Statements and Options > Database Options > Alphabetical List of Options >
CACHE_PARTITIONS Option
SWEEPER_THREADS_PERCENT Option
WASH_AREA_BUFFERS_PERCENT Option
See also


Balancing Input/Output
Use disk striping, random and sequential file disk access to balance Input/Output (I/O).
Raw Devices
On UNIX-like operating systems, you can create a database or dbspace on a raw device or a
file system file.
Disk partitions are typically accessed in two modes: file system mode (for example through
the UFS file system) or raw mode. Raw mode does unbuffered I/O, generally making a data
transfer to or from the device with every read or write system call. UFS is the default UNIX file
system, and is a buffered I/O system which collects data in a buffer until it can transfer an
entire buffer at a time.
You create a database or dbspace on a raw device or a file system file. SAP Sybase IQ
determines automatically from the path name you specify whether it is a raw partition or a file
system file. Raw partitions can be any size.
See also
• Disk Striping on page 24
• Internal Striping on page 25
• Random and Sequential File Access on page 26
• Transaction and Message Logs on page 27
Disk Striping
Striping data across multiple disks is an essential technique for good performance.
Disk striping can be performed at different places in a system, often as part of RAID hardware
or software, for example:
• At the device layer, such as on a disk array or controller.
• In the operating system or dedicated device management software, such as Veritas.
• In the application.
By default, SAP Sybase IQ internally stripes pages across all files within a dbspace , so
additional striping at the software or hardware level are not needed for performance. Of
24 SAP Sybase IQ
course, additional striping may be necessary as part of implementing storage redundancy for
the database, for example if RAID-5 is used.
Best performance in SAP Sybase IQ with storage redundancy is achieved with simple
mirroring or “RAID-1”. As stated above, SAP Sybase IQ will distribute the data across all of
the 2-disk mirror sets within a dbspace.
Due to cost, most SAP Sybase IQ databases will not use mirroring, and will be implemented
with RAID-5 or a similar RAID level to achieve redundancy. With RAID-5, choosing an
appropriate chunk size (how much data is written to one disk before moving on to the next
disk) will have a significant performance impact on the system, since RAID-5 has a significant
write overhead. If your application does frequent or time-sensitive loads, updates, or deletes,
or if queries often do temp dbspace I/O, a smaller chunk size in the range of 25-50% of the size
of a SAP Sybase IQ database page will likely give best performance. If your application is
mostly reads, with little write activity, a larger chunk size 75-100% of an SAP Sybase IQ page
size will likely provide best performance
Since SAP Sybase IQ normally attempts to prefetch multiple reads or flush multiple writes in
parallel, even with only a single active query, using a very small chunk size to spread each page
read or write across many disks will have little benefit, and will usually hurt performance.
When using RAID, best performance is usually achieved using hardware (such as controller or
array) based RAID. Software based RAID tools will work well, but may add a modest
additional performance load on the server’s CPUs.
See also
• Raw Devices on page 24
Internal Striping
Disk striping takes advantage of multiple disk spindles and provides the speed of parallel disk
writes.
SAP Sybase IQ provides disk striping, options without using third-party software. If you
already have a disk striping solution through third-party software and hardware, use that
method instead. Disk striping can be enabled by specifying the STRIPING ON option to the
CREATE DBSPACE command.
To change the default striping when creating a dbspace:
SET OPTION "PUBLIC".DEFAULT_DISK_STRIPING = { ON | OFF }
The default for the DEFAULT_DISK_STRIPING option is ON for all platforms. When disk
striping is ON, incoming data is spread across all dbspaces with space available. When disk
striping is OFF, dbspaces (disk segments) are filled up from the front on the logical file, filling
one disk segment at a time.

Changing the value of DEFAULT_DISK_STRIPING affects all subsequent CREATE

DBSPACE operations that do not specify a striping preference.
You can remove a file from a dbspace using the ALTER DBSPACE DROP command when
disk striping is on. Before dropping the dbspace, however, you must relocate all of the data in
the dbspace using the sp_iqemptyfile stored procedure. Because disk striping spreads
data across multiple files, the sp_iqemptyfile process may require the relocation of
many tables and indexes. Use the sp_iqdbspaceinfo and sp_iqdbspace stored
procedures to determine which tables and indexes reside on a dbspace.
See also
Random and Sequential File Access

Performance related to randomly accessed files can be improved by increasing the number of
disk drives devoted to those files, and therefore, the number of operations per second
performed against those files.
Random files include those for the IQ store, the temporary store, the catalog store, programs
(including the SAP Sybase IQ executables, user and stored procedures, and applications), and
operating system files.
Conversely, performance related to sequentially accessed files can be improved by locating
these files on dedicated disk drives, thereby eliminating contention from other processes.
Sequential files include the transaction log and message log files.
To avoid disk bottlenecks:
• Keep random disk I/O away from sequential disk I/O. Also for best performance, use only
one partition from a physical device (disk or HW RAID set) per dbspace.
• Isolate SAP Sybase IQ database I/O from I/O in other databases or other I/O intensive
application.
• Place the database file, temporary dbspace, and transaction log file on the same physical
machine as the database server.
See also
26 SAP Sybase IQ
Transaction and Message Logs

Manage the size of the transaction and message logs to conserve disk space.
The transaction log file contains recovery and auditing information. Place the transaction log
on a separate device or partition from the database itself to avoid database file fragmentation
and to protect against media failure.
The transaction log can consume a large amount of disk space over time. Truncate the
transaction log periodically to conserve disk space.
To truncate the log:
1. Shut down the server.
2. Start the server with the –m parameter as part of the start_iq command or .cfg file.
3. Shut down and restart the server without the –m parameter.
Do not leave the –m switch permanently set. When –m is set, there is no protection against
media failure on the device that contains the database files. Remove the –m from the .cfg
after you restart the server. To move or rename the transaction log file, use the transaction log
utility (dblog).
Warning! The SAP Sybase IQ transaction log file is different from most relational database
transaction log files. If for some reason you lose your database files, then you lose your
database (unless it is the log file that is lost). However, if you have an appropriate backup, then
you can reload the database.
Message Log
SAP Sybase IQ logs all messages in the message log file, including error, status, and insert
notification messages. Limit the size of this file to conserve disk space.
At some sites the message log file tends to grow rapidly. To limit the size of this file:
• Set a maximum file size and archive the log files when the active message log is full
• Increase NOTIFY_MODULUS database option setting
• Use the NOTIFY parameter to turn off notification messages in LOAD TABLE. INSERT,
and CREATE INDEX statements
• Use -iqmsgsz switch to limit the size of the message log
• Utility Guide > start_iq Database Server Startup Utility > start_iq Server Options > -
iqmsgsz iqsrv16 Server Option
• Utility Guide > start_iq Database Server Startup Utility > start_iq Server Options > -m
iqsrv16 Server Option

NOTIFY_MODULUS Option
• Reference: Statements and Options > SQL Statements > CREATE INDEX Statement
• Reference: Statements and Options > SQL Statements > INSERT Statement
• Reference: Statements and Options > SQL Statements > LOAD Statement
.
See also
Monitoring Performance
Tools you can use to determine whether your system is making optimal use of available
resources.
Database Profiling Procedures

Stored procedures that return database usage statistics.
Table 2. Database Profiling Procedures

Name Description
sp_iqconnection Shows information about connections and versions, including which users are
using temporary dbspace, which users are keeping versions alive, what the
connections are doing inside SAP Sybase IQ, connection status, database ver-
sion status, and so on. Usage:
sp_iqconnection [ connhandle ]
See Reference: Building Blocks, Tables, and Procedures > System Procedures >
System stored procedures > sp_iqconnection procedure
sp_iqcontext Tracks and displays, by connection, information about statements that are cur-
rently executing. Usage:
sp_iqcontext [ connhandle ]
See Building Blocks, Tables, and Procedures > System Procedures > System
stored procedures > sp_iqcontext procedure
28 SAP Sybase IQ
Name Description
sp_iqcheckdb Checks validity of the current database. Optionally corrects allocation problems
for dbspaces or databases. Usage:
sp_iqcheckdb 'mode target [ … ] [ resources resource-
percent ]'
stored procedures > sp_iqcheckdb procedure
sp_iqdbstatistics Reports results of the most recent sp_iqcheckdb. Usage:
sp_iqdbstatistics
stored procedures > sp_iqdbstatistics procedure
sp_iqdbsize Displays the size of the current database. Usage:
sp_iqdbsize([ main ] )
stored procedures > sp_iqdbsize procedure
sp_iqspaceinfo Displays space usage by each object in the database. Usage:
sp_iqspaceinfo [‘main
| [table table-name | index index-name] [...] ‘]
stored procedures > sp_iqspaceinfo procedure
sp_iqstatus Displays miscellaneous status information about the database. Usage:
sp_iqstatus
stored procedures > sp_iqstatus procedure
sp_iqtablesize Displays the number of blocks used by each object in the current database and
the name of the dbspace in which the object is located. Usage:
sp_iqtablesize ( table_owner.table_name )
stored procedures > sp_iqtablesize procedure
See also
• Event Profiling Procedures on page 30
• Key Performance Indicators on page 30
• Buffer Cache Performance on page 32

Event Profiling Procedures

Event profiling procedures return performance statistics for stored procedures, functions,
events, and triggers.
Table 3. Event Profiling Procedures

Name Description
sa_server_option Sets database profiling options in Interactive SQL. Usage:
CALL sa_server_option ( 'procedureprofiling', 'ON')
sa_proce- Returns execution times for each line in database procedures, functions, events,
dure_profile or triggers. Usage:
sa_procedure_profile
[ filename
[, save_to_file ] ] )
sa_proce- Summarizes execution times for all procedures, functions, events, or triggers.
dure_profile_sum- Usage:
mary sa_procedure_profile_summary
[ filename
[, save_to_file ] ] )
• SQL Anywhere Server - SQL Reference > System procedures > Alphabetical list of
system procedures > sa_server_option system procedure.
system procedures > sa_procedure_profile system procedure.
system procedures > sa_procedure_profile_summary system procedure.
See also
• Database Profiling Procedures on page 28
Key Performance Indicators

Set up a Statistics Collection in Sybase Control Center to monitor key performance indicators
(KPI) on the server. KPI values are grouped into collections and appear in SCC monitors.
Key performance areas include SAP Sybase IQ servers, multiplex servers, and logical servers
SAP Sybase IQ Servers Statisitics

Various server status and usage statistics.
30 SAP Sybase IQ
Table 4. SAP Sybase IQ Server Statisitics

Key Performance Area Usage Statistics
SAP Sybase IQ Availability Statistics Resource state, CPU usage, memory allocation,
cache use, and active connections.
Overview Statistics Server status, CPU usage, memory allocation,

and current active connections.
Connection Statistics Active, available, resumed, rolled back, and sus-

pended user and internode connections. Also dis-
plays average number of connections and discon-
nections per minute.
DBSpace and DBSpace File Statistics Dbspace and dbspace file size and available per-
centage.
Store Input and Output Statistics Store Input and Output Statistics identify store
reads and writes per second.
Cache Statistics Main, catalog, and temporary cache statistics.
Operations and Request Statistics Average, minimum, maximum, and total waiting,
active, and total operations.
Network Statistics Network statistics display network activity.
Transaction Statistics Transaction details currently on the server.
Multiplex and Node-Related Statisitics

Multiplex and node-related statistics for multiplex servers.
Table 5. Multiplex and Node-Related Statisitics

Key Performance Area
Multiplex Availability Availability statistics for each multiplex node.
Multiplex Status Status of the multiplex.
Multiplex Node Properties Role, status, and failover state of each multiplex
node.
Multiplex Link Availability Internode communication status between a sec-

ondary node and the coordinator.
Logical Server Statistics

Logical server and node-related statistics for logical servers.

Table 6. Logical Server Statistics

Key Performance Area Usage Statistics
Logical Server Availability Logical server status.
Logical Server Engine Statistics CPU usage, connection, and connection statis-
tics.
Logical Server Connection Average, minimum, maximum, and total number

of available connections.
Logical Server Transaction Average, minimum, maximum, and total trans-

actions. Also displays average and minimum
number of load transactions.
Logical Server Cache Statistics Average, minimum, and maximum cache use sta-
tistics for the catalog, temporary, and main cache.
Logical Server Operations and Requests Statis- Average, minimum, maximum, and total waiting
tics and active operations.
For additional information, see the Sybase Control Center for SAP Sybase IQ online help in
SCC or at http://sybooks.sybase.com/sybooks/sybooks.xhtml?prodID=10680.
See also
Buffer Cache Performance

Buffer cache performance is a key factor in overall performance. The IQ UTILITIES
Statement starts a cache monitor that collects buffer caches statistics. Use output from the
cache monitor to fine-tune main and temp buffer cache memory allocation.
Review this checklist to isolate cache behavior that falls outside the normal range.
32 SAP Sybase IQ
Table 7. Buffer Cache Monitor Checklist

Statistic Normal behavior Behavior that needs ad- Recommended
justing action
HR% (Cache Above 90%. Hit rate below 90% after prefetch Try rebalancing the
hit rate) is working. cache sizes of main
For individual internal data
versus temp by adjust-
structures like garray, barray, Note: Some objects do not do
ing -iqmc and -iqtc.
bitmap (bm), hash object, sort prefetching, so their hit rate may
object, variable-length btree be low normally. Also try increasing the
(btreev), fixed-length btree number of prefetch
(btreef), bit vector (bv), dbext, threads by adjusting
dbid, vdo, store, checkpoint PRE-
block (ckpt), the hit rate should FETCH_THREADS
be above 90% while a query _PERCENT option.
runs. It may be below 90% at
first. Once prefetch starts
working (PF or PrefetchReqs
> 0), the hit rate should gradu-
ally grow to above 90%.
Gdirty (Grab- 0 in a system with a modest GDirty > 0 Adjust SWEEP-

bed Dirty) cache size (< 10GB). ER_THREADS_PE
Note: Sweeper threads are acti-
vated only when the number of RCENT option (de-
dirty pages reaches a certain per- fault 10%) or
centage of the wash area. If WASH_AREA_
GDirty/GrabbedDirty is above 0 BUFFERS_PER-
and the I/O rate (Writes) is low, CENT option (default
the system may simply be lightly 20%) to increase the
loaded, and no action is necessa- size of the wash area.
ry.


justing action
BWaits (Buf- 0 Persistently > 0, indicating that If the I/O rate (Writes)
fer Busy multiple jobs are colliding over is high, Busy Waits
Waits) the same buffers. may be caused by
cache thrashing.
Check Hit Rate in the
cache report to see if
you need to rebalance
main versus temp
cache.
If a batch job is starting
a number of nearly
identical queries at the
same time, try stagger-
ing the start times.
LRU Waits 20% or less > 20%, which indicates a serious Check the operating
(LRUNum contention problem. system patch level and
TimeOuts other environment set-
percentage in tings. This problem
debug report) tends to be an O.S. is-
sue.
IOWait (ION- 10% or lower > 10% Check for disk errors
umWaits) or I/O retries
FLWait 20% or lower > 20% Check the dbspace

(FLMutex- configuration:
Waits)
Is the database almost
out of space?
Is DISK_STRIPING
ON?
Does sp_iqcheckdb
report fragmentation
greater than 15%?
34 SAP Sybase IQ

justing action
HTWait 10% or lower > 10% Contact Sybase Tech-
(BmapHT- nical Support.
NumWaits)
MemWts
(MemNti-
mesWaited)
(PFMgrCond
VarWaits)
CPU time CPU Sys Seconds < 20% CPU Sys Seconds > 20% Adjust -iqgovern to re-
(CPU Sys duce allowed total
If CPU Total Seconds also re-
Seconds, number of concurrent
ports LOW utilization, and there
CPU Total queries.
are enough jobs that the system is
Seconds, in
busy, the cache may be thrashing Check Hit Rate and I/
debug report)
or parallelism may be lost. O Rates in the cache
report for cache
thrashing. Also check
if hash object is thrash-
ing by looking at the
hit rate of the has ob-
ject in cache_by_type
(or debug) report: is it
<90% while the I/O
rate (Writes) is high?
Check query plans for
attempted parallelism.
Were enough threads
available?
Does the system have a
very large number of
CPUs? Strategies such
as multiplex configu-
ration may be necessa-
ry.


justing action
InUse% (Buf- At or near 100% except during Less than about 100% The buffer cache may
fers in use) startup be too large.
Try rebalancing the
cache sizes of main
versus temp by adjust-
ing -iqmc and -iqtc.
Pin% (Pinned < 90% > 90 to 95%, indicating system is Try rebalancing the
buffers) dangerously close to an Out of cache sizes of main
Buffers condition, which would versus temp.
cause transactions to roll back
If rebalancing buffer
cache sizes is not pos-
sible, try reducing -iq-
govern to limit the
number of jobs run-
ning concurrently.
Free threads Free > Resrvd If the number of free threads Try one of the follow-
(ThrNum- drops to the reserved count, the ing:
Free) system may be thread starved.
Increase the number of
threads by setting -
iqmt.
Reduce thread-related
options:
MAX_IQ_THREAD
S_ PER_CON-
NECTION,
MAX_IQ_THREAD
S_ PER_TEAM.
Restrict query engine
resource allocations by
setting USER_RE-
SOURCE_ RES-
ERVATION.
Limit the number of
jobs by setting -iqgo-
vern.
36 SAP Sybase IQ

justing action
FlOutOf- 0, indicating that the free list 1, indicating that this store (main Add more dbspace to
Space (debug for this store is not full; unal- or temporary) is fully allocated that store
only) located pages are available
Note: If one cache performs significantly more I/O than the other, reallocate some of the
memory in small amounts, such as 10 percent of the cache allocation on an iterative basis.
After reallocating, rerun the workload and monitor the performance changes.
Reference: Statements and Options > SQL Statements > IQ UTILITIES Statement
See also

38 SAP Sybase IQ
Multiplex Performance
Adjust your system for maximum performance or better use of disk space.
Each server in the multiplex can be on its own host or share a host with other servers. Two or
more servers on the same system consume no more CPU time than a single combined server
handling the same workload, but separate servers might need more physical memory than a
single combined server, because the memory used by each server is not shared by any other
server.
Managing Multiplex Disk Space

Get users to commit their current transactions periodically, and allow the write server to drop
old table versions to free disk blocks. Specifying the auto_commit option helps minimize
space due to minimize version buildup.
SAP Sybase IQ cannot drop old versions of tables while any user on any server might be in a
transaction that might need the old versions. SAP Sybase IQ may therefore consume a very
large amount of disk space when table updates and queries occur simultaneously in a
multiplex database. The amount of space consumed depends on the nature of the data and
indexes and the update rate.
You can free disk blocks by allowing the write server to drop obsolete versions no longer
required by queries. All users on all servers should commit their current transactions
periodically to allow recovery of old table versions. The servers may stay up and are fully
available. The sp_iqversionuse stored procedure can be used to display version usage
for remote servers.
Managing Logical Server Resources

Logical servers let you to manage the use of multiplex resources most effectively. Use logical
servers to assign different sets of multiplex servers to different applications to meet their
individual performance requirements.
In a multiplex, each connection operates under a single logical server context. When you
submit a query to a multiplex server, its execution may be distributed to one or more multiplex
servers, depending upon the configuration of the connection's logical server. To dynamically
adjust the resources assigned to a logical server, add or remove multiplex servers from the
logical server to meet the changing needs of the applications that it serves.

Balancing Query Loads

Using the SAP Sybase IQ network client to balance the query load among multiplex query
servers requires an intermediate system that is able to dispatch the client connection to a
machine in a pool.
To use this method, on the client system you create a special ODBC DSN, with the IP address
and port number of this intermediate load balancing system, a generic server name, and the
VerifyServerName connection parameter set to NO. When a client connects using this DSN,
the load balancer establishes the connection to the machine it determines is least loaded.
Note: Third-party software is required. VerifyServerName simply allows this method to work.
Addtional Information
Administration: Database > Appendix: Connection and Communication Parameters
Reference > Network Communications Parameters > VerifyServerName Communication
Parameter [Verify]
40 SAP Sybase IQ
Schema Design
Schema Design
Good database performance begins with good database design. Take the time to incorporate
design features into your schema during development for better response time and faster query
results.
Indexing
Indexing selection and solutions for SAP Sybase IQ.
See also
• Join Column on page 46
• Primary Keys on page 47
• Foreign Keys on page 47
• Proper Data Type Sizing on page 48
• Null Values on page 49
• Unsigned Data Types on page 49
• LONG VARCHAR and LONG VARBINARY on page 50
• Large Object Storage on page 51
• Temporary Tables on page 52
• Denormalizing for Performance on page 53
• UNION ALL Views for Faster Loads on page 54
• Hash Partitioning on page 56
Indexing Tips
Choose the correct column index type to make your queries run faster.
SAP Sybase IQ provides some indexes automatically—an index on all columns that optimizes
projections, and an HG index for UNIQUE and PRIMARY KEYS and FOREIGN KEYS.
While these indexes are useful for some purposes, you may need other indexes to process
certain queries as quickly as possible.
INDEX_ADVISOR
INDEX_ADVISOR generates messages when the optimizer would benefit from an additional
index on one or more columns in your query.
To activate the index advisor, set the INDEX_ADVISOR option ON. Messages print as part of a
query plan or as a separate message in the message log (.iqmsg) if query plans are not
enabled, and output is in OWNER.TABLE.COLUMN format.

Schema Design
LF or HG Indexes
Consider creating either an LF or HG index on grouping columns referenced by the WHERE
clause in a join query if the columns are not using enumerated FP storage. The optimizer may
need metadata from the enumerated FP or HG/LF index to produce an optimal query plan.
Non-aggregated columns referenced in the HAVING clause may also benefit from a LF or HG
index to help with query optimization. For example:
SELECT c.name, SUM(l.price * (1 - l.discount))
FROM customer c, orders o, lineitem l
WHERE c.custkey = o.custkey
AND o.orderkey = l.orderkey
AND o.orderdate >= "1994-01-01"
AND o.orderdate < "1995-01-01"
GROUP by c.name
HAVING c.name NOT LIKE "I%"
AND SUM(l.price * (1 - l.discount)) > 0.50
ORDER BY 2 desc
Adding indexes increases storage requirements and load time. Add indexes only if there is a
net benefit to query performance.
Reference: Statements and Options > Database Options > Alphabetical List of Options >
INDEX_ADVISOR Option
See also
• When and Where to use Indexes on page 42
• Simple Index Selection Criteria on page 43
• HG Index Loads on page 44
• Multi-Column Indexes on page 45
When and Where to use Indexes

Indexes are the primary tuning mechanisms inside SAP Sybase IQ. Knowing when and where
to use indexes can make your queries run faster.
Always use indexes on:
• Join columns (HG index regardless of cardinality)
• Searchable columns (HG or LF index based on cardinality)
• DATE, TIME, and DATETIME/TIMESTAMP columns (DATE, TIME, DTTM)
The DATE, TIME, or DATETIME/TIMESTAMP column should also have an LF or HG
index depending on data cardinality.
• If you are uncertain whether the column will be used heavily, place an LF or HG index on
the column. Workload Management can subsequently be enabled to monitor the use of
indexes.
42 SAP Sybase IQ
Schema Design
• Use PRIMARY KEY, UNIQUE CONSTRAINT, or UNIQUE HG indexes where

appropriate, as they provide SAP Sybase IQ with additional information about the unique
data in the indexed column(s).
• A column with an HNG or CMP index should have a corresponding LF or HG index
• Indexes are not needed on columns whose data is ONLY returned to the client (projected)
See also
• Indexing Tips on page 41
Simple Index Selection Criteria

Answers to some simple questions can help you choose the right index for a column.
To determine the best indexes for your datamodel without regard for queries, ask yourself
these simple questions about each column:
• Is the cardinality greater than 1500-2000?
If the answer is yes, place an HG index on this column. If not, place an LF index on the
column.
• Does the column contain DATE, TIME, DATETIME, or TIMESTAMP data?
If the answer is yes, place a DATE, TIME, or DTTM index on this column. You should also
place an LF or HG on the column.
• Will the column be used in range searches or aggregations?
If the answer is yes, place an HNG index on the column. You should also place an LF or HG
should be on the column. If the aggregation contains more than just the column, an HNG
may not be appropriate. In most cases an HNG index is not needed as the LF or HG indexes
have more than enough capability to perform the aggregations. This does not apply to
DATE, TIME, or DATETIME types.
• Will this column be used for word searching?
If the answer is yes, place a WD index on the column. An LF or HG index is not necessary
and would consume significant space.
• Will this column be used for full text searching?
If the answer is yes, place a TEXT index on the column. An LF or HG is not necessary and
would consume significant space.
• Will two columns in the same table be compared to each other (A = B, A < B, A >
B, A <= B, A > = B)?
If the answer is yes, place a CMP index on the two columns.
• Will this column, or set of columns, be used in GROUP BY or ORDER BY statements?

Schema Design
If the answer is yes, place an HG index on the column, or columns in the GROUP BY or
ORDER BY statement. Each column should also have a corresponding HG or LF index.
• Is this column part of a multicolumn primary key, constraint, or index?
If the answer is yes, place an HG or LF index on each column in the multicolumn index.
See also
HG Index Loads
Relative to other indexes, the HG indexes are more expense to maintain during data loads and
deletions. A main contributor to the performance of the HG index is the location of the data
within the HG index structure: the sparsity or density of the operation.
Dense HG operations are those in which the affected rows are tightly grouped around certain
keys. Sparse operations are those where there may be just a few rows per key that must be
affected. For instance, dates on data are typically grouped around the time the operation was
logged, data modified, etc. This means that new data will be placed at the end of the HG index
structure. When deleting data in the date HG index, said data would typically come off in
chunks of days, weeks, months, etc and thus be removed from the beginning of the HG btree or
be tightly grouped around a few keys for deletion. These operations are very fast, relatively
speaking, as SAP Sybase IQ will operate on a few pages and affect a tremendous number of
rows.
Data that is rather sparse, like Prices, Customer IDs, City, Country, etc., are very different. As
“pricing" data, for instance, is loaded each value will vary widely across all data already in the
index. If the column is tracking stock prices the numeric field to store that data will be densely
updated because the data being changed will be across the nearly the entire range of values
already loaded. These operations are slower due to the amount of index pages that must be
maintained for each row being affected. A worst case scenario is that SAP Sybase IQ is forced
to read and write 1 page for EACH ROW being loaded or deleted. While this can be less than
optimal, SAP Sybase IQ has been design to parallel process phase 2 of the HG index loads and
the deletes so that the impact is greatly reduced.
All of this is well and good, but how does it affect the data model design and indexing? Typical
tuning and optimization within SAP Sybase IQ generally boils down to indexes or the lack
thereof. Knowing how the indexes can be affected by the data and loading is an important
aspect when deciding which indexes to put in place and which to leave off. Because HG
indexes take, relatively, more time to load than other indexes they are often the subject of focus
when it comes to use and design. Certainly, HG indexes can help with query performance.
There are times, though, where adding an index may have a slight positive impact on queries
44 SAP Sybase IQ
Schema Design
but have more of an impact to data loads. In these situations, it is important to understand why
the load or delete took longer and what can be done about it.
The sparsity or density of new data with respect to currently loaded data plays a critical role in
this. If a relatively random column of a Customer ID must be indexed for fast query
performance and an index must be on that column. Suppose, though, that a primary key exists
on the table and it is the Customer ID and a Date field storing a transaction datetime. If the
ordering were left as (customer_id, transaction_date) the data would be sparsely
loaded or deleted from the table in most case. Data being loaded will be done so by transaction
date. Since the Customer ID column is first in the multicolumn index, though, it will force SAP
Sybase IQ to touch data throughout the entire HG index structure.
A simple change in order to (transaction_date, customer_id) changes this
behavior. The index is still in place to control referential integrity for the primary key. The
ordering of the columns is immaterial for primary key enforcement. As such, we can change
the column order without causing any downstream ill effects. This simple change will now
force all new data being loaded by transaction date to be inserted at the end of the HG index
structure in a very dense manner. Over time the loads will perform consistently as the data is,
generally, always going to the end of the HG structure.
Simply changing the column ordering in a multicolumn index can have drastic impacts on
performance. The size of the HG index shouldn't change much as the data is still the same width
regardless of order. What will change is how fast the data is loaded or deleted from the table.
See also
Multi-Column Indexes
Currently, only HG, UNIQUE HG, UNIQUE CONSTRAINT, and PRIMARY KEY indexes
support multiple columns in index creation, but multi-column indexes are also useful for
GROUP BY and ORDER BY statements.
From a statistics point of view, multi-column indexes provide enough information in multi-
column table joins to let the optimizer know the exact statistics of the join and whether or not it
is a many-to-many or one-to-many join. The optimizer is also smart enough to use the
statistics for optimization, but use individual HG/LF indexes for the actual work. The
optimizer costs out all join and sort scenarios and decides which index(es) is best for that
operation. The statistics help it get to that point.
Some items to keep in mind about the HG indexes:
• HG inserts are the most expensive

Schema Design
• Try to guarantee that inserts will happen at the end of the index
Place generally incrementing data, like a transaction date or batch number (sequential data), at
the beginning of the index list. Something that will try to guarantee a sequential key.
See also
Join Column
For joins, keep the data types as narrow as possible to reduce disk I/O and memory
requirements.
Because integer comparisons are quicker than character comparisons, use integer data types
(unsigned if possible) in joins. Keeping the data types as narrow as possible improves join
performance by reducing disk I/O and memory requirements. Because the HG index has
slightly more capability from a join perspective, use an HG index on join columns rather than a
cardinality appropriate index (LF or HG) . This should be weighed against the potential
increase in time to load the HG index as compared to the LF index.
See also
• Indexing on page 41
46 SAP Sybase IQ
Schema Design
Primary Keys
Multi-column primary keys should have an additional LF or HG index placed on each column
specified in the primary key. This must be done manually as SAP Sybase IQ only creates an HG
index on the composite columns.
UNIQUE constraint, UNIQUE HG, and primary key share an identical structure. That
structure uses an HG index with no G-Array to store the row ids. When possible, use primary
keys on tables. This helps the optimizer make more informed query path decisions even if the
index is not used. The index structure provides detailed statistics to help the optimizer make
better choices as well as providing a structure to traverse the data.
See also
Foreign Keys
As with primary keys, use foreign keys to improve query join performance. This gives SAP
Sybase IQ one more piece of information on how tables are joined and the statistics behind
those joins. SAP Sybase IQ automatically creates an HG Index on the foreign key column, so
no additional HG or LF index is necessary. A foreign key requires that a primary key exists on
referenced table.
See also

Schema Design

Proper Data Type Sizing

Size all data types as accurately as possible, especially character-based data types.
To decide which data type to use for a column, consider these factors:
• SAP Sybase IQ includes a large number od data types. Using the correct data types for your
application leads to optimal performance gains.
• If HOUR, MINUTE and SECOND information is not necessary, use DATE instead of
DATETIME
• If the data will fit within a TINYINT or SMALLINT datatype use that rather than
INTEGER or BIGINT
• Do not over allocate storage when defining NUMERIC() or DECIMAL() as it can be
costly for data that does not need all that level of precision
• CHAR() and VARCHAR() types are fixed width in the default Flat FP index. The only
difference is the addition of 1 byte to each VARCHAR() row that represents the number of
bytes in use.
SAP Sybase IQ includes compression algorithms that compress large repeating patterns often
seen in BINARY(), CHAR(), VARCHAR(), and VARBINARY() data types.
See also
48 SAP Sybase IQ
Schema Design

Null Values
Defining columns as NULL or NOT NULL helps the optimizer work more efficiently.
Specifying NULL or NOT NULL allows the optimizer a more educated guess at joins and
search criteria by having one more piece of information about the characteristics of the data.
NULL data does not save space on the database page, as it would in other databases. NULL data
will, however, be compressed out when stored on disk due to the SAP Sybase IQ compression
algorithms and optimized indexes.
• Always specify NULL or NOT NULL
• Open Client and ODBC connections have different default behavior when table is created
• Give the optimizer an additional piece of information about the characteristics of the data
for joins and search arguments
See also
Unsigned Data Types

In some cases, using unsigned data types can eliminate sign comparisons and create faster
queries.
Use unsigned data types when the sign of the data does not matter as all data will always be
greater than or equal to zero. The lack of sign storage results in column comparisons that no

Schema Design
longer have to perform sign comparison. This increases performance and eliminates a step in
the joining and searching of data, particularly for key columns.
See also
LONG VARCHAR and LONG VARBINARY

Use VARCHAR() and VARBINARY() to increase column storage without using large object
storage mechanisms.
Typically, developers and DBAs think of VARBINARY() and VARCHAR() data as being
limited to 255 bytes.SAP Sybase IQsupports VARCHAR() and VARBINARY() widths of up
to 32K (also known as LONG VARCHAR or LONG VARBINARY). This allows for much
larger storage of text or binary data without needing to move into the highly specialized large
objects storage mechanism of BLOB/CLOB or IMAGE/TEXT data types.
• Can be used to store moderate amounts of text or binary data
• Maximum width is 32K (64K ASCII hex for VARBINARY())
• The WORD and TEXT index is the only index allowed on VARCHAR() data wider than 255
bytes
• Storage will be allocated in 256 byte chunks
• A 257 byte string will require 512 bytes of storage
• A 511 byte string will also require 512 bytes of storage
See also
50 SAP Sybase IQ
Schema Design

Large Object Storage

Use Large Object data types for data that requires more than 32K in storage.
• Large object data types store ASCII (TEXT/CLOB) and binary (IMAGE/BLOB) data. Each
BLOB/CLOB cell of data is stored on one or more pages:
• Assuming the page size is 128K
• If the data is 129K, it will require 2 pages to store the information
• If the data is 1K, it will require 1 page to store the data
• In either case, the page(s) are compressed on disk into multiples of the block size
• Can be used to store binary or text based objects
• Extends the long binary data type from a maximum size of 6K to an unlimited size
• The TEXT index is the only viable index
• Can be fully searched with the TEXT index and its search capabilities
• Special function to return the size of an object (byte_length64)
• Special function to return portions of the object, not the entire contents
(byte_substr64)
• Can extract contents of a binary object cell to an individual file with the BFILE()
function
See also

Schema Design

Temporary Tables
If you want the data to persist through transaction commits, use the ON COMMIT PRESERVE
ROWS option when you create global temporary tables or declare local temporary tables.
There are three types of Temporary Tables:
• # tables
CREATE TABLE #temp_table( col1 int )
• Local Temporary Tables
DECLARE LOCAL TEMPORARY TABLE temp_table ( col1 int )
Local Temporary Tables behave just like # tables

• Global Temporary Tables
CREATE GLOBAL TEMPORARY TABLE temp_table ( col1 int )
Global Temporary Table structure is static across connections and reboots

Normal hash (#) tables do not need the ON COMMIT PRESERVE ROWS option because the
data in a hash table will always persist through transaction commits.
See also
52 SAP Sybase IQ
Schema Design
Denormalizing for Performance

Denormalizing your database can improve performance, but there are risks and
disadvantages.
Denormalization can be successfully performed only with thorough knowledge of the
application and should be performed only if performance issues indicate that it is needed.
Consider the effort required to keep your data up-to-date.
This is a good example of the differences between decision support applications, which
frequently need summaries of large amounts of data, and transaction processing needs, which
perform discrete data modifications. Denormalization usually favors some processing, at a
cost to others.
Denormalization has the potential for data integrity problems, which must be carefully
documented and addressed in application design.
Deciding to Denormalize
Analyze the data access requirements of the applications in your environment and their actual
performance characteristics, including:
• What are the critical queries, and what is the expected response time?
• What tables or columns do they use? How many rows per access?
• What is the usual sort order?
• What are concurrency expectations?
• How big are the most frequently accessed tables?
• Do any processes compute summaries?
See also

Schema Design
UNION ALL Views for Faster Loads

UNION ALL views can improve load performance when it is too expensive to maintain
secondary indexes for all rows in a table.
SAP Sybase IQ lets you split the data into several separate base tables (for example, by date).
You load data into these smaller tables. You then join the tables back together into a logical
whole by means of a UNION ALL view, which you can then query.
This strategy can improve load performance, but may negatively impact the performance of
some types of queries. Most types of queries have roughly similar performance against a
single base table or against a UNION ALL view over smaller base tables, as long as the view
definition satisfies all constraints. However, some types of queries, especially those involving
DISTINCT or involving joins with multiple join columns, may perform significantly slower
against a UNION ALL view than against a single large base table. Before choosing to use this
strategy, determine whether the improvements in load performance are worth the degradation
in query performance for your application.
To create a UNION ALL view, choose a logical means of dividing a base table into separate
physical tables. The most common division is by month. For example, to create a view
including all months for the first quarter, enter:
CREATE VIEW
SELECT * JANUARY
UNION ALL
SELECT * FEBRUARY
UNION ALL
SELECT * MARCH
UNION ALL
Each month, you can load data into a single base table—JANUARY, FEBRUARY, or
MARCH in this example. Next month, load data into a new table with the same columns, and
the same index types.
Note: You cannot perform an INSERT...SELECT into a UNION ALL view. UNION ALL
operators are not fully parallel in this release. Their use may limit query parallelism.
See also
54 SAP Sybase IQ
Schema Design

Queries Referencing UNION ALL Views

To adjust performance for queries that reference UNION ALL views, set the
JOIN_PREFERENCE option, which affects joins between UNION ALL views.
All partitions in a UNION ALL view must have a complete set of indexes defined for
optimization to work. Queries with DISTINCT will tend to run more slowly using a UNION
ALL view than a base table.
SAP Sybase IQ includes optimizations for UNION ALL views, including:
• Split GROUP BY over UNION ALL view
• Push-down join into UNION ALL view
A UNION can be treated as a partitioned table only if it satisfies all of the following constraints:
• It contains only one or more UNION ALL.
• Each arm of the UNION has only one table in its FROM clause, and that table is a physical
base table.
• No arm of the UNION has a DISTINCT, a RANK, an aggregate function, or a GROUP BY
clause.
• Each item in the SELECT clause within each arm of the UNION is a column.
• The sequence of data types for the columns in the SELECT list of the first UNION arm is
identical to the sequence in each subsequent arm of the UNION.
See also
• UNION ALL View Performance on page 55
UNION ALL View Performance

Structure queries to evaluate the DISTINCT operator before the ORDER BY, where the sort
order is ASC.
Certain optimizations, such as pushing a DISTINCT operator into a UNION ALL view, are
not applied when the ORDER BY is DESC because the optimization that evaluates
DISTINCT below a UNION does not apply to DESC order. For example, the following query
would impact performance:
SELECT DISTINCT state FROM testVU ORDER BY state DESC;

Schema Design
To work around this performance issue, queries should have the DISTINCT operator
evaluated before the ORDER BY, where the sort order is ASC and the optimization can be
applied:
SELECT c.state FROM (SELECT DISTINCT state
FROM testVUA) c
ORDER BY c.state DESC;
See also
• Queries Referencing UNION ALL Views on page 55
Hash Partitioning
Hash table partitioning distributes data to logical partitions for parallel execution, which can
enhance join performance on large tables and distributed queries (PlexQ).
New join algorithms and aggregation algorithms can take advantage of hash partitioning by
reducing the amount of intermediate storage and network transfer required as well as
providing increased parallelism by leveraging the semantic division of the table rows into
partitions. The improved cache behavior provided by data affinity and affinity based work
allocation provide further scalability in the PlexQ environment.
Using Hash Partitioned Join or Hash Partitioned Aggregation Algorithms

To use the hash partitioned join or hash partitioned aggregation algorithms, it is critical that all
the columns of the hash partitioning key for the table or tables, be used in the equi-join
conditions or grouping expressions for those tables. Additional join conditions or grouping
expressions may be used, but if a column that is a component of the hash partitioning key is not
used in the query, the partitioned algorithms will not be eligible. In such a case, other non-
partitioned algorithms remain eligible and would be chosen as for non-partitioned tables.
Hash partitioning of a set of tables should cover the smallest common set of columns used by
the application queries on those tables. Frequently a single column is a sufficient partitioning
basis. It is essential that the data types of columns in joins between partitioned tables be
identical.
Small tables benefit less from hash partitioning than large tables. Consider hash partitioning
for tables of at least 1 billion rows.
Large Memory
Some load operations may require more large memory than the 2GB default provides. If the
memory requirements exceed the default, use the - iqlm startup option to increase the memory
that SAP Sybase IQ can dynamically request from the OS.
As a general rule, large memory requirements represent one third of the total available
physical memory allocated to SAP Sybase IQ. To ensure adequate memory for the main and
temporary IQ stores, set the –iqlm, –iqtc, and –iqmc startup parameters so that each parameter
receives one third of all available physical memory allocated to SAP Sybase IQ.
56 SAP Sybase IQ
Schema Design
In most cases, you should allocate 80% of total physical memory to SAP Sybase IQ to prevent
SAP Sybase IQ processes from being swapped out. Adjust actual memory allocation to
accommodate other processes running on the same system. For example, on a machine with
32 cores and 128GB of total available physical memory, you would allocate 100GB
(approximately 80% of the 128GB total) to SAP Sybase IQ processes. Following the general
rule, you would set the –iqlm, –iqtc, and –iqmc parameters to 33GB each.
JOIN_PREFERENCE Option
AGGREGATION_PREFERENCE Option
• Utility Guide > start_iq Database Server Startup Utility > start_iq Server Options > –iqlm
• Utility Guide > start_iq Database Server Startup Utility > start_iq Server Options > –iqmc
• Utility Guide > start_iq Database Server Startup Utility > start_iq Server Options > –iqtc
See also

Schema Design
58 SAP Sybase IQ
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Identify and solve common performance issues.
Isolating Performance Problems

Determine whether the problem is external or internal to SAP Sybase IQ.
External to SAP Sybase IQ

• Monitor the OS, hardware, and storage for any bottlenecks or issues
• Look for high CPU use, high CPU system time, low CPU user time, high wait time
• Look for I/O service times that are more than 10ms
Internal to SAP Sybase IQ

• Enable INDEX_ADVISOR and look for missing indexes
• Enable QUERY_PLAN_AS_HTML and the INDEX_ADVISOR if the issue is with a single
query
See also
• Diagnostic Tools on page 59
• Common Performance Issues on page 60
Diagnostic Tools
Utilities on your operating system that monitor system activities.
Use these utilities to get statistics on the number of running processes, including and the
number of page-outs and swaps. Use this information to find out if the system is paging
excessively, then make any necessary adjustments. You may want to put your swap files on
special fast disks.
OS Utility Description
UNIX top, topas Provides an ongoing look at processor activity in real
time.
top is available on Solaris, Linux, and HP-UX plat-
forms. topas is available on AIX.

Troubleshooting
OS Utility Description
ps Reports process status.
vmstat Displays information about system processes, mem-
ory, paging, block IQ, traps, and CPU activity.
iostat -x Displays disk subsystem information.
sar Writes selected OS activity results to standard out-
put.
Windows Task Manager, Resource Provide detailed information about computer per-
Monitor formance and running applications, processes, CPU
usage, and other system services.
Note: To access System Monitor, select the object Logical Disk, the instance of the disk
containing the file PAGEFILE.SYS, and the counter Disk Transfers/Sec.
Put the Windows page files on different disks than your database dbspace devices. You can
also monitor the Object Memory and the counter Pages/Sec. However, this value is the sum of
all memory faults which includes both soft and hard faults.
See also
• Isolating Performance Problems on page 59
• Common Performance Issues on page 60
Common Performance Issues

Solutions to common performance problems.
See also
• Isolating Performance Problems on page 59
• Diagnostic Tools on page 59
Paging and Disk Swapping

Good memory management avoids page swapping. To minimize use of operating system files,
increase or reallocate physical memory.
Insufficient memory severely degrades performance. If this is the case, you need to find a way
to make more memory available. The more memory you can allocate to SAP Sybase IQ, the
better.
Because there is always a fixed limit to the amount of memory, the operating system may
sometimes keep part of the data in memory and the rest on disk. Paging or swapping occurs
60 SAP Sybase IQ
Troubleshooting
when the operating system must go out to disk and retrieve any data before a memory request
can be satisfied. Good memory management avoids or minimizes paging or swapping.
The most frequently used operating system files are swap files. When memory is exhausted,
the operating system swaps pages of memory to disk to make room for new data. When the
pages that were swapped are called again, other pages are swapped, and the required memory
pages are brought back. This is very time-consuming for users with high disk usage rates. Try
to organize memory to avoid swapping and, thus, to minimize use of operating system files.
To make the maximum use of your physical memory, SAP Sybase IQ uses buffer caches for all
reads and writes to your databases.
Note: Your swap space on disk must be at least large enough to accommodate all of your
physical memory. Having swap/paging space striped across fast disks is essential.
See also
• Index and Row Fragmentation on page 61
• Catalog File Growth on page 62
• Thrashing and Query Execution on page 62
Index and Row Fragmentation

Internal index fragmentation occurs when index pages are not being used to their maximum
volume. Row fragmentation occurs when rows are deleted. Deleting an entire page of rows
frees the page, but if some rows on a page are unused, the unused space remains on the disk.
DML operations (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) on tables can cause index fragmentation.
Run these stored procedures for information about fragmentation issues:
• sp_iqrowdensity reports row fragmentation at the FP index level.
• sp_iqindexfragmentation reports internal fragmentation within supplemental indexes. .
Review the output and decide whether you want to recreate, reorganize, or rebuild the indexes.
You can create other indexes to supplement the FP index.
• Reference: Building Blocks, Tables, and Procedures > System Procedures >
sp_iqrowdensity procedure.
• Reference: Building Blocks, Tables, and Procedures > System Procedures >
sp_iqindexfragmentation procedure.
See also
• Paging and Disk Swapping on page 60

Troubleshooting
Catalog File Growth

Growth of the catalog files is normal and varies depending on the application and catalog
content. The size of the .db file does not affect performance, and free pages within the .db
file are reused as needed.
To minimize catalog file growth:
• Avoid using IN SYSTEM on CREATE TABLE statements
• Issue COMMIT statements after running system stored procedures
• Issue COMMIT statements during long-running transactions
See also
Thrashing and Query Execution

Adjust the HASH_THRASHING_PERCENT option to limit thrashing during queries that
involve hash algorithms.
Adjusting the HASH_THRASHING_PERCENT database option controls the percentage of
hard disk I/Os allowed before the statement is rolled back and an error is returned. The default
value of HASH_THRASHING_PERCENT is 10%. Increasing
HASH_THRASHING_PERCENT permits more paging to disk before a rollback and
decreasing HASH_THRASHING_PERCENT permits less paging before a rollback.
Queries involving hash algorithms that executed in earlier versions of SAP Sybase IQ may
now be rolled back when the default HASH_THRASHING_PERCENT limit is reached. SAP
Sybase IQ reports the error
Hash insert thrashing detected
or
Hash find thrashing detected
Take one or more of the following actions to provide the query with the resources required for
execution:
• Relax the paging restriction by increasing the value of HASH_THRASHING_PERCENT.
• Increase the size of the temporary cache. Keep in mind that increasing the size of the
temporary cache requires an equal size reduction in main cache allocation to prevent the
possibility of system thrashing.
62 SAP Sybase IQ
Troubleshooting
• Attempt to identify and alleviate why SAP Sybase IQ is not estimating one or more hash
sizes for this statement correctly. For example, check that all columns that need an LF or
HG index have one. Also consider if a multicolumn index is appropriate.
• Decrease the value of the database option HASH_PINNABLE_CACHE_PERCENT.
To identify possible problems with a query, generate a query plan by running the query with
the temporary database options QUERY_PLAN='ON' and QUERY_DETAIL ='ON'.
Examine the estimates in the query plan.
See also

Troubleshooting
64 SAP Sybase IQ
Queries and Deletions

Recommendations to help you plan, structure, and control your queries.
Structuring Queries
Improving query structures can make your queries run faster.
• In some cases, command statements that include subqueries can also be formulated as
joins and may run faster.
• If you group on multiple columns in a GROUP BY clause, list the columns by descending
order by number of unique values if you can. This will give you the best query
performance.
• You can improve performance by using an additional column to store frequently
calculated results.
Enhancing ORDER BY Query Performance

Using multicolumn HG indexes can enhance the performance of ORDER BY queries.
You can use multicolumn HG indexes to enhance the performance of ORDER BY queries with
reference to multiple columns in a single table query. This change is transparent to users, but
improves query performance.
Queries with multiple columns in the ORDER BY clause may run faster using multicolumn HG
indexes. For example, if the user has multicolumn index HG(x,y,z) on table T, then this
index is used for ordered projection:
SELECT abs (x) FROM T
ORDER BY x, y
In the above example, the HG index vertically projects x and y in sorted order.
If the ROWID() function is in the SELECT list expressions, multicolumn HG indexes are also
used. For example:
SELECT rowid()+x, z FROM T
ORDER BY x,y,z
If ROWID() is present at the end of an ORDER BY list, and if the columns of that list—except
for ROWID()— exist within the index, and the ordering keys match the leading HG columns
in order, multicolumn indexes are used for the query. For example:
SELECT z,y FROM T
ORDER BY x,y,z,ROWID()

See also
• Improved Subquery Performance on page 66
• Using Caching Methods on page 66
Improved Subquery Performance

Use SUBQUERY_FLATTENING_PREFERENCE and
SUBQUERY_FLATTENING_PERCENT to control subquery flattening.
Subquery flattening is an optimization technique in which the optimizer rewrites a query
containing a subquery into a query that uses a join. SAP Sybase IQ flattens many but not all
subqueries. Use SUBQUERY_FLATTENING_PREFERENCE and
SUBQUERY_FLATTENING_PERCENT to control when the optimizer chooses to use this
optimization.
See also
• Enhancing ORDER BY Query Performance on page 65
• Using Caching Methods on page 66
Using Caching Methods

Set the SUBQUERY_CACHING_PREFERENCE option to choose caching methods for a
correlated subquery.
A correlated subquery contains references to one or more tables outside of the subquery and is
re-executed each time the value in the referenced column changes. Use the
SUBQUERY_CACHING_PREFERENCE option to choose caching methods for executing the
correlated subquery.
See also
• Enhancing ORDER BY Query Performance on page 65
• Improved Subquery Performance on page 66
Generating Query Plans

Generating a query plan can help you understand the execution plan developed by the
optimizer.
Before it executes any query, the query optimizer creates a query execution plan. A query
execution plan represents the set of steps the database server uses to access information in the
database related to a statement. The execution plan for a statement can be saved and reviewed,
regardless of whether it was just optimized, whether it bypassed the optimizer, or whether its
plan was cached from previous executions. Although a query execution plan may not
correspond exactly to the syntax used in the original statement, operations described in the
execution plan are semantically equivalent to the original query.
66 SAP Sybase IQ
Query plans generate an execution tree that consists of a series of nodes that represent a
processing stage. The lowest nodes on the tree are leaf nodes. Each leaf node represents a table
in the query. At the top of the plan is the root of the operator tree. Information flows up from the
tables and through any operators representing joins, sorts, filters, stores, aggregation, and
subqueries.
Load Execution Plans

Load execution plans detail the steps that the database engine uses to insert data into a table.
Load plans use the same database and output options as query execution plans. The Data Flow
Object (DFO) tree identifies the number of rows processed at each stage of the load. Different
SQL statements may generate different DFO trees and the same statement may generate
different trees for different kind of tables (un-partitioned, range partitioned, hash partitioned,
hash-range partitioned, etc.).
Generating Query Plans

To generate a query plan, set the appropriate evaluation options, then execute the query. Text
versions of the plan are written to the .iqmsg file. HTML versions can be displayed in the
Interactive SQL Plan Viewer or in most Web browsers.
Note: Use query plans only to evaluate the efficiency of a particular query or load. Running
SAP Sybase IQ with the QUERY_PLAN option set to ON can significantly impact
performance, particularly as the volume of INSERT...VALUE statements increase.
Query Evaluation Options

Setting the appropriate options helps you evaluate the query plan.
• INDEX_ADVISOR – When set ON, the index advisor prints index recommendations as
part of the Sybase IQ query plan or as a separate message in the Sybase IQ message log file
if query plans are not enabled. These messages begin with the string “Index Advisor:” and
you can use that string to search and filter them from a Sybase IQ message file. This option
outputs messages in OWNER.TABLE.COLUMN format and is OFF by default.
See also the “sp_iqindexadvice procedure” in “System Procedures” in the Reference:
Building Blocks, Tables, and Procedures.
• INDEX_ADVISOR_MAX_ROWS – Used to limit the number of messages stored by the
index advisor. Once the specified limit has been reached, the INDEX_ADVISOR will not
store new advice. It will, however, continue to update count and timestamps for existing
advice.
• NOEXEC – When set ON, Sybase IQ produces a query plan but does not execute the entire
query. When the EARLY_PREDICATE_EXECUTION option is ON, some portions of a
query are still executed.
If EARLY_PREDICATE_EXECUTION is OFF, the query plan may be very different than
when the query is run normally, so turning it OFF is not recommended.
• QUERY_DETAIL – When this option and either QUERY_PLAN or
QUERY_PLAN_AS_HTML are both ON, Sybase IQ displays additional information about

the query when producing its query plan. When QUERY_PLAN and
QUERY_PLAN_AS_HTML are OFF, this option is ignored.
• QUERY_PLAN – When set ON (the default), Sybase IQ produces messages about queries.
• QUERY_PLAN_TEXT_ACCESS – When this option is turned ON, you can view, save, and
print IQ query plans from the Interactive SQL client. When
QUERY_PLAN_ACCESS_FROM_CLIENT is turned OFF, query plans are not cached,
and other query plan-related database options have no affect on the query plan display
from the Interactive SQL client. This option is OFF by default.
See “GRAPHICAL_PLAN function [String]” and “HTML_PLAN function [String]” in
Reference: Building Blocks, Tables, and Procedures.
• QUERY_PLAN_AFTER_RUN – When set ON, the query plan is printed after the query has
finished running. This allows the plan to include additional information, such as the actual
number of rows passed on from each node of the query. In order for this option to work,
QUERY_PLAN must be ON. This option is OFF by default.
• QUERY_PLAN_AS_HTML – Produces a graphical query plan in HTML format for
viewing in a Web browser. Hyperlinks between nodes make the HTML format much easier
to use than the text format in the .iqmsg file. Use the QUERY_NAME option to include the
query name in the file name for the query plan. This option is OFF by default.
• QUERY_PLAN_AS_HTML_DIRECTORY – When QUERY_PLAN_AS_HTML is ON and
a directory is specified with QUERY_PLAN_AS_HTML_DIRECTORY, Sybase IQ writes
the HTML query plans in the specified directory.
• QUERY_PLAN_TEXT_CACHING – Gives users a mechanism to control resources for
caching plans. With this option OFF (the default), the query plan is not cached for that user
connection.
If the QUERY_PLAN_TEXT_ACCESS option is turned OFF for a user, the query plan is
not cached for the connections from that user, no matter how
QUERY_PLAN_TEXT_CACHING is set.
See also “GRAPHICAL_PLAN function [String]” and “HTML_PLAN function [String]”
in Reference: Building Blocks, Tables, and Procedures.
• QUERY_TIMING – Controls the collection of timing statistics on subqueries and some
other repetitive functions in the query engine. Normally it should be OFF (the default)
because for very short correlated subqueries the cost of timing every subquery execution
can be very expensive in terms of performance.
• QUERY_PLAN_MIN_TIME – Specifies a threshold for query execution. The query plan is
generated only if query execution time exceeds the threshold in microseconds. This can
improve system performance by turning off query plan generation for queries with very
short execution times.
Note: Query plans can add a lot of text to your .iqmsg file. When QUERY_PLAN is ON, and
especially if QUERY_DETAIL is ON, you might want to enable message log wrapping or
message log archiving to avoid filling up your message log file.
68 SAP Sybase IQ
See also
• Using Query Plans on page 69
Using Query Plans

Set the QUERY_PLAN_AS_HTML option to generate an HTML version of the query plan that
you can view in a Web browser.
HTML versions can be displayed in the Interactive SQL Plan Viewer. HTML query plan,
each node in the tree is hyper-linked to processing details. You can click on any node to
navigate quickly through the plan.
SQL functions GRAPHICAL_PLAN and HTML_PLAN return IQ query plans in XML and
HTML format, respectively, as a string result set. Database options
QUERY_PLAN_TEXT_ACCESS and QUERY_PLAN_TEXT_CACHING control the
behavior of the new functions.
View graphical query plans in the Interactive SQL Plan Viewer. Text plans are not supported
in the Plan Viewer return the error message, Plan type is not supported. Use the
SQL functions, GRAPHICAL_PLAN and HTML_PLAN, to return the query plan as a string
result.
• Reference: Building Blocks, Tables, and Procedures > SQL Functions >
GRAPHICAL_PLAN function [String]
• Reference: Building Blocks, Tables, and Procedures > SQL Functions > HTML_PLAN
function [String]
• Reference: Statements and Options > Database Options >
QUERY_PLAN_TEXT_ACCESS Option
• Reference: Statements and Options > Database Options >
QUERY_PLAN_TEXT_CACHING Option
See also
• Query Evaluation Options on page 67
Controlling Query Processing

Any user can set limits on the amount of time spent processing a particular query. Users with
the SET ANY PUBLIC OPTION system privilege can give certain users’ queries priority over
others, or change processing algorithms to influence the speed of query processing.

Setting Query Time Limits

Set the MAX_QUERY_TIME option to limit the time a query can run. If a query takes longer to
execute than the MAX_QUERY_TIME , SAP Sybase IQ stops the query with an appropriate
error.
Note: SAP Sybase IQ truncates all decimal option-value settings to integer values. For
example, the value 3.8 is truncated to 3.
See also
• Setting Query Priority on page 70
• Setting Query Optimization Options on page 71
• Setting User-Supplied Condition Hints on page 71
• Monitoring Workloads on page 72
Setting Query Priority

Setting query priority options assigns query processing priorities by user.
Queries waiting in queue for processing are queued to run in order of the priority of the user
who submitted the query, followed by the order in which the query was submitted. No queries
are run from a lower priority queue until higher priority queries have all been executed.
The following options assign queries a processing priority by user.
• IQGOVERN_PRIORITY – Assigns a numeric priority (1, 2, or 3, with 1 being the highest)
to queries waiting in the processing queue.
• IQGOVERN_MAX_PRIORITY – Allows users with the SET ANY SYSTEM OPTION
system privilege to set an upper boundary on IQGOVERN_PRIORITY for a user or a
role.
• IQ_GOVERN_PRIORITY_TIME – Allows high priority users to start if a high priority
(priority 1) query has been waiting in the -iqgovern queue for more than a designated
amount of time.
To check the priority of a query, check the IQGovernPriority attribute returned by the
sp_iqcontext stored procedure.
See also
• Setting Query Time Limits on page 70
70 SAP Sybase IQ
Setting Query Optimization Options

Optimization options affect query processing speed.
• AGGREGATION_PREFERENCE – Controls the choice of algorithms for processing an
aggregate (GROUP BY, DISTINCT, SET functions). This option is designed primarily
for internal use; do not use it unless you are an experienced database administrator.
• DEFAULT_HAVING_SELECTIVITY_PPM – Sets the selectivity for all HAVING
predicates in a query, overriding optimizer estimates for the number of rows that will be
filtered by the HAVING clause.
• DEFAULT_LIKE_MATCH_SELECTIVITY_PPM – Sets the default selectivity for
generic LIKE predicates, for example, LIKE 'string%string' where % is a
wildcard character. The optimizer relies on this option when other selectivity information
is not available and the match string does not start with a set of constant characters
followed by a single wildcard.
• DEFAULT_LIKE_RANGE_SELECTIVITY_PPM – Sets the default selectivity for
leading constant LIKE predicates, of the form LIKE 'string%' where the match
string is a set of constant characters followed by a single wildcard character (%). The
optimizer relies on this option when other selectivity information is not available.
• MAX_HASH_ROWS – Sets the maximum estimated number of rows the query optimizer
will consider for a hash algorithm. The default is 2,500,000 rows. For example, if there is a
join between two tables, and the estimated number of rows entering the join from both
tables exceeds this option value, the optimizer will not consider a hash join. On systems
with more than 50MB per user of TEMP_CACHE_MEMORY_MB, you may want to
consider a higher value for this option.
• MAX_JOIN_ENUMERATION – Sets the maximum number of tables to be optimized for
join order after optimizer simplifications have been applied. Normally you should not
need to set this option.
See also
Setting User-Supplied Condition Hints

Selectivity hints help the optimizer choose an appropriate query strategy.
The SAP Sybase IQ query optimizer uses information from available indexes to select an
appropriate strategy for executing a query. For each condition in the query, the optimizer
decides whether the condition can be executed using indexes, and if so, the optimizer chooses
which index and in what order with respect to the other conditions on that table. The most

important factor in these decisions is the selectivity of the condition; that is, the fraction of the
table’s rows that satisfy that condition.
The optimizer normally decides without user intervention, and it generally makes optimal
decisions. In some situations, however, the optimizer might not be able to accurately
determine the selectivity of a condition before it has been executed. These situations normally
occur only where either the condition is on a column with no appropriate index available, or
where the condition involves some arithmetic or function expression and is, therefore, too
complex for the optimizer to accurately estimate.
• Reference: Building Blocks, Tables, and Procedures > SQL Language Elements > User-
supplied Condition Hints
See also
Monitoring Workloads
Use the stored procedures that monitor table, column, and index usage for better query
performance.
Indexes are often created to provide optimization metadata and to enforce uniqueness and
primary/foreign key relationships. Once an index is created, however, DBAs face the
challenge of quantifying benefits that the index provides.
Tables are often created in the IQ Main Store for the temporary storage of data that must be
accessed by multiple connections or over a long period. These tables might be forgotten while
they continue to use valuable disk space. Moreover, the number of tables in a data warehouse is
too large and the workloads are too complex to manually analyze usage.
Thus, unused indexes and tables waste disk space, increase backup time, and degrade DML
performance.
SAP Sybase IQ offers tools for collecting and analyzing statistics for a defined workload.
DBAs can quickly determine which database objects are being referenced by queries and
should be kept. Unused tables/columns/indexes can be dropped to reduce wasted space,
improve DML performance, and decrease backup time.
Workload monitoring is implemented using stored procedures, which control the collection
and report detailed usage of table, column, and, index information. These procedures
complement INDEX_ADVISOR functionality, which generates messages suggesting
additional column indexes that may improve performance of one or more queries. Once
72 SAP Sybase IQ
recommended indexes have been added, their usage can be tracked to determine if they are
worth keeping.
See also
Optimizing Delete Operations

SAP Sybase IQ chooses the best algorithm to process delete operations on columns with HG
and WD indexes.
HG Delete Operations
SAP Sybase IQ chooses one of three algorithms to process delete operations on columns with
an HG (High_Group) index.
• Small delete provides optimal performance when rows are deleted from very few groups.
It is typically selected when the delete is only 1 row or the delete has an equality predicate
on the columns with an HG index. The small delete algorithm can randomly access the HG.
Worst case I/O is proportional to the number of groups visited.
• Mid delete provides optimal performance when rows are deleted from several groups, but
the groups are sparse enough or few enough that not many HG pages are visited. The mid
delete algorithm provides ordered access to the HG. Worst case I/O is bounded by the
number of index pages. Mid delete has the added cost of sorting the records to delete.
• Large delete provides optimal performance when rows are deleted from a large number of
groups. The large delete scans the HG in order until all rows are deleted. Worst case I/O is
bounded by the number of index pages. Large delete is parallel, but parallelism is limited
by internal structure of the index and the distribution of group to deleted from. Range
predicates on HG columns can be used to reduce the scan range of the large delete.
HG Delete Costing
The delete cost model considers many factors including I/O costs, CPU costs, available
resources, index metadata, parallelism, and predicates available from the query.
Specifying predicates on columns that have HG, LF, or enumerated FP indexes greatly
improves costing. In order for the HG costing to pick an algorithm other than large delete, it
must be able to determine the number of distinct values (groups) affected by deletions.
Distinct count is initially assumed to be lesser of the number of index groups and the number
of rows deleted. Predicates can provide an improved or even exact estimate of the distinct
count.

Costing currently does not consider the effect of range predicates on the large delete. This can
cause mid delete to be chosen in cases where large delete would be faster. You can force the
large delete algorithm if needed in these cases, as described in the next section.
Using HG Delete Performance Option

You can use the HG_DELETE_METHOD option to control HG delete performance.
The value of the parameter specified with the HG_DELETE_METHOD option forces the use of
the specified delete algorithm as follows:
• 1 = Small delete
• 2 = Large delete
• 3 = Mid delete
• DML_OPTIONS5 = 4 (Disable Push Delete Predicates) Default 0 — Disables pushing
range predicates to the HG large delete.
For more information on the HG_DELETE_METHOD database option, see
“HG_DELETE_METHOD option” in “Database Options” in Reference: Statements and
Options.
See also
• WD Delete Operations on page 74
• TEXT Delete Operations on page 75
WD Delete Operations
SAP Sybase IQ chooses one of three algorithms to process delete operations on columns with
a WD (Word) index.
• Small delete provides optimal performance when the rows deleted contain few distinct
words, so that not many WD pages need to be visited. The WD small delete algorithm
performs an ordered access to the WD. Worst case I/O is bounded by the number of index
pages. Small delete incorporates the cost of sorting the words and record IDs in the records
to delete.
• Mid delete for WD is a variation of WD small delete, and is useful under the same conditions
as small delete, that is, when the rows deleted contain few distinct words. Mid delete for WD
sorts only words in the records to delete. This sort is parallel, with parallelism limited by
the number of words and CPU threads available. For Word index, the mid delete method is
generally faster than small delete.
• Large delete provides optimal performance when the rows deleted contain a large number
of distinct words, and therefore need to visit a large number of “groups” in the index. The
large delete scans the WD in order, until all rows are deleted. Worst case I/O is bounded by
the number of index pages. Large delete is parallel, but parallelism is limited by the
internal structure of the index and the distribution of groups from which to delete.
74 SAP Sybase IQ
WD Delete Costing
The WD delete cost model considers many factors including I/O costs, CPU costs, available
resources, index metadata, and parallelism.
You can use the WD_DELETE_METHOD database option to control WD delete performance.
Using WD Delete Performance Option

The value of the parameter specified with the WD_DELETE_METHOD option forces the use of
the specified delete algorithm as follows:
• 0 = Mid or large delete as selected by the cost model
• 3 = Mid delete
For more information on the WD_DELETE_METHOD database option, see
“WD_DELETE_METHOD option” in “Database Options” of Reference: Statements and
Options.
See also
• HG Delete Operations on page 73
• TEXT Delete Operations on page 75
TEXT Delete Operations

SAP Sybase IQ chooses one of two algorithms to process delete operations on columns with a
TEXT index.
• Small delete provides optimal performance when the rows deleted contain few distinct
words, so that not many TEXT pages need to be visited. The TEXT small delete algorithm
performs an ordered access to the TEXT. Worst case I/O is bounded by the number of index
pages. Small delete incorporates the cost of sorting the words and record IDs in the records
to delete.
• Large delete provides optimal performance when the rows deleted contain a large number
of distinct words, and therefore need to visit a large number of “groups” in the index. The
large delete scans the TEXT in order, until all rows are deleted. Worst case I/O is bounded
by the number of index pages. Large delete is parallel, but parallelism is limited by the
internal structure of the index and the distribution of groups from which to delete.
TEXT Delete Costing

The TEXT delete cost model considers many factors including I/O costs, CPU costs, available
resources, index metadata, and parallelism.
You can use the TEXT_DELETE_METHOD database option to control TEXT delete
performance.

Using TEXT Delete Performance Option

The value of the parameter specified with the TEXT_DELETE_METHOD option forces the use
of the specified delete algorithm as follows:
• 0 = Mid or large delete as selected by the cost model
For more information on the TEXT_DELETE_METHOD database option, see
“TEXT_DELETE_METHOD option” in “TEXT Indexes and Text Configuration Objects” of
Unstructured Data Analytics in Sybase IQ.
See also
• HG Delete Operations on page 73
• WD Delete Operations on page 74
76 SAP Sybase IQ
Index
Index
Columns
-gm 15 Null Values 65
-iqgovern Common performance issues 60
Restricting Queries To Improve Performance Condition Hints
16 Setting 71
-iqwmem 13 Connections
Connection Requests 15
A Limiting Statements 20
CPU
AGGREGATION_ALGORITHM_ availability 5
PREFERENCE 71 setting number 5
Cursors
Forcing Non-scrolling 18
B Limiting 19
Block Size
Relationship To IQ Page Size 12 D
BT_PREFETCH_MAX_MISS 20 Data Compression
Buffer Cache Page Size 12
Block Size 12 Data Model Recommendations 41
Data Compression 12 Data Type Sizing 48
Database Access, Multiuser 9 Data types
Memory Use 9 LONG VARBINARY 50
Memory, Saving 12 LONG VARCHAR 50
Overhead 9 Null Values 49
Page Size 12 Sizing 48
Thread Stacks 9 Data Types
Buffer Cache Performance 32 Unsigned Data Types 49
Cache Monitor 32 Database Access
Cache Monitor Checklist 32 Multiuser 9
Buffer Caches Databases
Layout 23 Procedure Profiling 28
Procedures 28
C DATABASES
DENORMALIZING FOR PERFORMANCE
Cache Memory 53
–iqmc 11 DATE indexes 42, 43
–iqtc 11 Dbspace
Cache Size 11 Limiting Use 17
Parameters 11 DEFAULT_HAVING_SELECTIVITY 71
Prefetching Pages 20 DEFAULT_LIKE_MATCH_SELECTIVITY 71
Cache Monitor Checklist 32 DEFAULT_LIKE_RANGE_SELECTIVITY 71
CACHE_PARTITIONS 23 Delete Operations
Caching Methods 66 Optimizing 73
Catalog File Growth 62 TEXT Delete Operations 75
CMP indexes 42, 43 WD Delete Operations 74

Index
DELETE OPERATIONS hyperthreading

HG Delete Operations 73 server switch 5
Diagnostic Tools 59
disk space I
multiplex databases 39
I/O
Disk Space
performance recommendations 24
Conserving 27
IN_SUBQUERY_PREFERENCE 71
Limiting message log size 27
Index and Row Fragmentation 61
Swap Space 60
Index Selection 42, 43
Truncating transaction log 27
CMP 43
Disk Striping 24
DATE 43
Internal Striping 25
DTTM 43
distributed query processing 39
HG 43
DTTM indexes 42, 43
HNG 43
LF 43
E TIME 43
WD 43
EARLY_PREDICATE_EXECUTION 71 INDEX_ADVISOR 67
Evaluating INDEX_PREFERENCE 71
Loads 66 Indexes
Queries 66 Choosing 41
Event Profiling Procedures 30 CMP 43
DATE 43
F DTTM 43
HG 41, 43, 65
File Access HG Index Loads 44
Random Files 26 HG Indexes 44
Sequential Files 26 HNG 43
File System Buffering 22 Index Advisor 41
FLATTEN_SUBQUERIES 66 Index Selection 43
FORCE_NO_SCROLL_CURSORS 18 Indexes 44
Foreign Keys 47 LF 41, 43
FROM Clause 55 Multi-Column Indexes 45
Multicolumn 65
G TIME 43
Types 41
GRAPHICAL_PLAN 69 WD 43
Input/Output
H Disk Striping 24
Internal Striping 25
Hash Partitioning 56 Message Log 27
HG Delete Operations 73 Random File Access 26
HG indexes 42, 43 Raw devices 24
HG Indexes 65 Sequential File Access 26
Loads 44 Transaction log 27
Operations 44 Internal Striping 25
Schema Design 44 IOS_FILE_CACHE_BUFFERING 22
HNG indexes 42, 43 IQ_USE_DIRECTIO 22
HTML_PLAN 69 IQGOVERN_MAX_PRIORITY 70
78 SAP Sybase IQ
Index
IQGOVERN_PRIORITY 70 multithreading 5
iqnumbercpus process threading model 5
setting number of CPUs 5 Memory 9
Cache Memory 11
Cache Size 11
J Connection Requests 15
Join Column 46 File System Buffering 22
JOIN_ALGORITHM_PREFERENCE 71 Heap Memory 9
JOIN_PREFERENCE 55 IOS_FILE_CACHE_BUFFERING 22
IQ_USE_DIRECTIO 22
Large Memory 11
K Limits 9
Key Performance Indicators Page Size 12
Logical Server Statistics 30 Required Memory 9
Multiplex and Node-Related Statisitics 30 Server Memory 9
Server Statisitics 30 Wired Memory 13
Keys Memory Use
Foreign Keys 47 Other 9
Primary Keys 47 Message Log
Limiting Size 27
Monitoring Performance
L Buffer Cache Performance 32
Large Memory Cache Monitor 32
–iqmc 11 Database Profiling Procedures 28
–iqtc 11 Event Profiling Procedures 30
Multiplex Servers 11 Key Performance Indicators 30
Simplex Servers 11 Monitoring Workloads 72
Large Object Storage 51 Multi-Column Indexes 45
LF indexes 42, 43 Multi-user Performance 20
lightweight processes 5 Multicolumn Indexes 65
load balancing multiplex 39
among query servers 40 Multiplex and Node-Related Statisitics 30
Load Plans 66 multiplex databases
Logical Server Statistics 30 disk space 39
logical servers 39 multiplex resources
LONG VARBINARY 50 dynamically adjusting 39
LONG VARCHAR 50 multithreading
performance impact 5
M
N
management, resources
buffer cache 3 networks
MAX_CURSOR_COUNT 19 large data transfers 6
MAX_HASH_ROWS 71 networks 6
MAX_QUERY_TIME 70 performance 6
MAX_STATEMENT_COUNT 20 performance suggestions 6
memory settings 6
balancing I/O 24 Null Values 49
lightweight processes 5

Index
O MAX_HASH_ROWS 71
Options, Query Plans
Optimizing
INDEX_ADVISOR 67
Queries 65
NOEXEC 67
Optimizing Queries 41, 65
QUERY_DETAIL 67
Options
QUERY_PLAN 67
AGGREGATION_ALGORITHM_
QUERY_PLAN_AFTER_RUN 67
PREFERENCE 71
QUERY_PLAN_AS_HTML 67
BT_PREFETCH_MAX_MISS 20
QUERY_PLAN_AS_HTML_DIRECTORY
CACHE_PARTITIONS 23
67
DEFAULT_HAVING_SELECTIVITY 71
QUERY_PLAN_TEXT_ACCESS 67
DEFAULT_LIKE_MATCH_SELECTIVITY
QUERY_PLAN_TEXT_CACHING 67
71
QUERY_TIMING 67
DEFAULT_LIKE_RANGE_SELECTIVITY
ORDER BY Clause 65
71
OS_FILE_CACHE_BUFFERING 22
EARLY_PREDICATE_EXECUTION 71
OS_FILE_CACHE_BUFFERING_TEMPDB 22
FLATTEN_SUBQUERIES 66
Overhead
IN_SUBQUERY_PREFERENCE 71
Buffer Cache 9
INDEX_PREFERENCE 71
IQ_USE_DIRECTIO 22
JOIN_ALGORITHM_PREFERENCE 71
P
JOIN_PREFERENCE 55 Page Size
MAX_CURSOR_COUNT 19 Block Size 12
MAX_HASH_ROWS 71 Data Compression 12
MAX_STATEMENT_COUNT 20 Default Size 12
OS_FILE_CACHE_BUFFERING 22 Determining 12
OS_FILE_CACHE_BUFFERING_TEMPDB Memory, Saving 12
22 Reducing Memory 12
PREFETCH_BUFFER_LIMIT 20 Paging 60
QUERY_ROWS_RETURNED_LIMIT 18 Paging and Disk Swapping 60
QUERY_TEMP_SPACE_LIMIT 17 Partitioned Table 55
SUBQUERY_CACHING_PREFERENCE 66 Partitions 24
SUBQUERY_FLATTENING_PERCENT 66 Peformance
SUBQUERY_FLATTENING_PREFERENC Monitoring And Tuning 28
E 66 performance
SWEEPER_THREADS_PERCENT 23 balancing I/O 24
USER_RESOURCE_RESERVATION 14 consideration 3
WASH_AREA_BUFFERS_PERCENT 23 definition 3
Options, Query Optimization designing for 3
AGGREGATION_ALGORITHM_ Performance
PREFERENCE 71 Choosing Correct Index Type 41
DEFAULT_HAVING_SELECTIVITY 71 Restricting Concurrent Queries 16
DEFAULT_LIKE_MATCH_SELECTIVITY Subqueries 66
71 Performance Problems, Isolating 59
DEFAULT_LIKE_RANGE_SELECTIVITY PREFETCH_BUFFER_LIMIT 20
71 Prefetched Cache Pages 20
EARLY_PREDICATE_EXECUTION 71 Prefetched Rows
IN_SUBQUERY_PREFERENCE 71 Controlling 21
INDEX_PREFERENCE 71 PRIMARY KEY 42
JOIN_ALGORITHM_PREFERENCE 71 Primary Keys 47
80 SAP Sybase IQ
Index
Procedure Profiling Query Optimization Options

Procedures 28 AGGREGATION_ALGORITHM_
Procedures, System PREFERENCE 71
sp_iqcolumnuse 72 DEFAULT_HAVING_SELECTIVITY 71
sp_iqindexuse 72 DEFAULT_LIKE_MATCH_SELECTIVITY
sp_iqtableuse 72 71
sp_iqunusedcolumn 72 DEFAULT_LIKE_RANGE_SELECTIVITY
sp_iqunusedindex 72 71
sp_iqunusedtable 72 EARLY_PREDICATE_EXECUTION 71
sp_iqworkmon 72 IN_SUBQUERY_PREFERENCE 71
process threading model 5 INDEX_PREFERENCE 71
Pushdown Join 55 JOIN_ALGORITHM_PREFERENCE 71
Q MAX_HASH_ROWS 71
Query Plans
Queries
Generating 66
Caching Methods 66
Generating Without Executing 67
Condition Hints 71
LOAD Evaluation Plans 66
Controlling 71
Query Evaluation Options 67
Delete Operations 73
Query Evaluation Plans 66
HG Delete Operations 73
Using 69
Joins 71
Query Plans, Options
Limiting By Row 18
INDEX_ADVISOR 67
Optimizer Simplications 71
NOEXEC 67
Optimizing 41, 71
QUERY_DETAIL 67
ORDER BY Performance 65
QUERY_PLAN 67
Query Plans 69
Query Priority Options 70
Query Processing 69
QUERY_PLAN_AS_HTML_DIRECTORY
Restricting Concurrent 16
67
Setting Time Limits 70
TEXT Delete Operations 75
WD Delete Operations 74
QUERY_TIMING 67
Workload Monitoring 72
Query Priority Options 70
Queries,
query processing
Optimizing 65
monitoring 72
Structuring 65
Query Processing
Query Evaluation Options 67
Controlling 69
INDEX_ADVISOR 67
query server
NOEXEC 67
balancing loads 40
QUERY_DETAIL 67
QUERY_PLAN 67
QUERY_PLAN_AS_HTML_DIRECTORY R
67
QUERY_PLAN_TEXT_ACCESS 67 Random File Access 26
QUERY_PLAN_TEXT_CACHING 67 Raw devices 24
QUERY_TIMING 67 Raw Partitions
query execution File Systems 9
distributed 39 Memory Use 9

Index
Required Memory Using Indexes 42

Backup 9 Sequential Disk I/O 26
Database Validation 9 Sequential File Access 26
Dropping Leaked Blocks 9 Server configuration
Multiuser Access 9 Memory 9
Raw Partitions 9 Server Memory
Thread Stacks 9 Heap Memory 9
resource use 39 Limits 9
load balancing 40 Shared Memory 9
multiplex disk space 39 Server Statisitics 30
network performance 6 sp_iqcolumnuse 72
Resource Use sp_iqindexuse 72
Indexing 41 sp_iqtableuse 72
Loading with UNION ALL 54 sp_iqunusedcolumn 72
resource use options sp_iqunusedindex 72
setting available CPUs 5 sp_iqunusedtable 72
Resource Use Options 14 sp_iqworkmon 72
Forcing Non-scrolling Cursors 18 Startup Parameters 15
Limiting Cursors 19 -iqwmem 13
Limiting Dbspace Use 17 –iqmc 11
Limiting Queries By Row 18 –iqtc 11
Limiting Statements 20 Statements
Prefetched Rows 21 Limiting Statements 20
Prefetcing Cache Pages 20 Stored Procedures
Restricting Concurrent Queries 16 Viewing Profiling Data 28
Typical Usage 14 Structuring Queries
resources Caching Methods 66
multiplex 39 Improving Performance 66
response time 3 Subqueries
Flattening 66
S Performance 66
Subquery Performance
Schema Design
Improving Performance 66
Denormalization 53
SUBQUERY_CACHING_PREFERENCE 66
Foreign Keys 47
SUBQUERY_FLATTENING_PERCENT 66
Hash Partitioning 56
SUBQUERY_FLATTENING_PREFERENCE 66
HG Index Loads 44
Swap Files 60
Indexing 41
Swapping 60
Join Column 46
Sweeper Threads 23
Large Object Storage 51
SWEEPER_THREADS_PERCENT 23
LONG VARBINARY 50
System Procedures
LONG VARCHAR 50
sp_iqcolumnuse 72
Multi-Column Indexes 45
sp_iqindexuse 72
Null Values 49
sp_iqtableuse 72
Primary Keys 47
sp_iqunusedcolumn 72
Proper Data Type Sizing 48
sp_iqunusedindex 72
Simple Index Selection Criteria 43
sp_iqunusedtable 72
Temporary Tables 52
sp_iqworkmon 72
UNION ALL 55
Unsigned Data Types 49
82 SAP Sybase IQ
Index
system resources Optimizing for Typical Usage 14

performance considerations 3 Optimizing for Users 15
System Resources Prefetched Rows 21
Resource Use Options 14 Prefetching Cache Pages 20
Restricting Concurrent Queries 16
T
Tables U
Collapsing 41
Joining 41 UNION ALL
Temporary Tables 52 Loading 54
TEXT Delete Operations 75 Rules 55
Thrashing and Query Execution 62 View Performance 55
Thread Stacks Views 55
Memory 9 UNIQUE CONSTRAINT 42
Threads UNIQUE HG 42
Buffer Caches 23 Unsigned Data Types 49
throughput 3 USER_RESOURCE_RESERVATION 14
TIME indexes 42, 43 Using Indexes
Transaction log CMP 42
Truncating 27 DATE 42
Troubleshooting 59 DTTM 42
Catalog File Growth 62 HG 42
Common performance issues 60 HNG 42
Diagnostic Tools 59 LF 42
Index and Row Fragmentation 61 PRIMARY KEY 42
Paging and Disk Swapping 60 TIME 42
Performance Problems, Isolating 59 UNIQUE CONSTRAINT 42
Thrashing and Query Execution 62 UNIQUE HG 42
Truncating Using Indexes 42
Transaction log 27
Tuning
Performance 28
W
Tuning Options WASH_AREA_BUFFERS_PERCENT 23
Cache Partitions 23 WD Delete Operations 74
File System Buffering 22 WD indexes 42, 43
Limiting Number of Statements 19, 20 Wired Memory
Limiting Queries by Rows Returned 18 -iqwmem switch 13
Limiting Query Temp Space 17 Workload Monitoring 72
Non-Scrolling Cursors 18

Index
84 SAP Sybase IQ

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Performance and Tuning Guide

SAP Sybase IQ 16.0

Performance and Tuning Guide iii

Random and Sequential File Access ...................26

Common Performance Issues ......................................60

Performance and Tuning Guide v

Performance and Tuning Guide 1

Performance and Tuning Guide 3

Setting the Number of CPUs Available

The Process Threading Model

Insufficient Threads Error

Performance and Tuning Guide 5

Not enough server threads available for this query

SAP Sybase IQ Options for Managing Thread Usage

Figure 1: Isolating heavy network users

Put Small Amounts of Data in Small Packets

Put Large Amounts of Data in Large Packets

Process at the Server Level

Performance and Tuning Guide 7

Raw Partitions Versus File Systems

Performance and Tuning Guide 9

Multiuser Database Access

Memory for Thread Stacks

Other Memory Use

• Large Memory on page 11

Large Memory Allocation

Performance and Tuning Guide 11

Wired Memory Pool

Impact of Other Applications and Databases

Troubleshooting HP Memory Issues

Performance and Tuning Guide 13

Optimizing for Typical Usage

Optimizing for Large Numbers of Users

Table 1. Sever Startup Options

Although this represents the total number of connections the server

Performance and Tuning Guide 15

Restricting Concurrent Queries

Limiting Query Temp Space

Performance and Tuning Guide 17

• Prefetching Cache Pages on page 20

Limiting Queries by Rows Returned

Forcing Cursors to be Non-Scrolling

Limiting the Number of Cursors

Performance and Tuning Guide 19

• Limiting the Number of Statements on page 20

Limiting the Number of Statements

Prefetching Cache Pages

• Forcing Cursors to be Non-Scrolling on page 18

Controlling the Number of Prefetched Rows

Performance and Tuning Guide 21

Controlling File System Buffering

• Forcing Cursors to be Non-Scrolling on page 18

Optimizing the Cache Partitions

Performance and Tuning Guide 23

• Forcing Cursors to be Non-Scrolling on page 18

Performance and Tuning Guide 25

Changing the value of DEFAULT_DISK_STRIPING affects all subsequent CREATE

Random and Sequential File Access

Transaction and Message Logs