1. Building a Business Metrics Database Adding value to performance management and capacity planning Scott Chapman American Electric Power sachapman@aep.com

2. The problem What are we measuring? What are we measuring? Lots and lots of technical details Lots and lots of technical details What are we reporting? What are we reporting? Some subset of that Some subset of that Who understands it? Who understands it? Maybe nobody outside of ourselves Maybe nobody outside of ourselves Do our readers understand our technical terms? Do our readers understand our technical terms? Do they understand how we’re doing the calculations? Do they understand how we’re doing the calculations? More importantly do they know what business functions those technical things support? More importantly do they know what business functions those technical things support? The technical details are probably not overly important to anybody other than a few technicians The technical details are probably not overly important to anybody other than a few technicians

3. What really matters? How much business-useful work are we doing? How much business-useful work are we doing? What are we doing that isn’t useful? What are we doing that isn’t useful? Are we meeting our SLAs and do the SLAs match the business requirements? Are we meeting our SLAs and do the SLAs match the business requirements? What is stopping us from doing more? What is stopping us from doing more? When will we need to invest in more technology? When will we need to invest in more technology? Does everybody understand the business value and importance of our IT systems? Does everybody understand the business value and importance of our IT systems? Ensure that our IT systems provide business value!

4. We need a business-centric view! We need business measurements to tie to the technical measures We need business measurements to tie to the technical measures Hard to answer questions from the business perspective if we don’t have business measurements! Hard to answer questions from the business perspective if we don’t have business measurements! Business metrics not a new idea Business metrics not a new idea The business managers have metrics The business managers have metrics E.G. Balanced scorecards for business reporting E.G. Balanced scorecards for business reporting Used for capacity planning Used for capacity planning Natural Forecasting Units Natural Forecasting Units

5. CPDB… PDB… BMDB? Not only do we need business metrics, we need a historical view of them Not only do we need business metrics, we need a historical view of them We create Capacity Planning Databases and Performance Databases, why not a Business Metrics Database? We create Capacity Planning Databases and Performance Databases, why not a Business Metrics Database? Could be part of CPDB or could include capacity planning metrics in the BMDB Could be part of CPDB or could include capacity planning metrics in the BMDB Either way, a historical database of business metrics should be part of our core performance and capacity management processes Either way, a historical database of business metrics should be part of our core performance and capacity management processes

6. Bring it all together Three dimensions of applications: Three dimensions of applications: Performance Performance Capacity Utilization Capacity Utilization Business work performed Business work performed All together on one screen please! All together on one screen please!

8. Why build a BMDB? Capacity planning Capacity planning Technical projections based on business measures Technical projections based on business measures Performance reporting Performance reporting Business workloads impact on performance? Business workloads impact on performance? Systems performance impacting business? Systems performance impacting business? Learn about your applications Learn about your applications What runs where? What runs where? What is the value to the business? What is the value to the business? Publish the data—spread the knowledge! Publish the data—spread the knowledge!

9. BMDB Design Use vendor-provided solution Use vendor-provided solution MICS? Other options? MICS? Other options? Build your own Build your own SAS or other DBMS SAS or other DBMS This really isn’t too hard! This really isn’t too hard! But you would like to not change the database every time we add a metric But you would like to not change the database every time we add a metric

10. One possible design

11. Key features of this design Business metrics metadata contained within the database Business metrics metadata contained within the database Relatively compact Relatively compact Provisions for formatting the metrics Provisions for formatting the metrics SAS formats applied to metrics SAS formats applied to metrics Stoplight reporting via the severity table Stoplight reporting via the severity table

12. How to start populating the BMDB Capture technical measures for all applications Capture technical measures for all applications CPU time, RT, SLA attainment, etc. CPU time, RT, SLA attainment, etc. Determine the first application Determine the first application One you are familiar with One you are familiar with Or one with an enthusiastic supporter Or one with an enthusiastic supporter Find the significant technical drivers Find the significant technical drivers Determine the business functions for those Determine the business functions for those Capture metrics for those functions Capture metrics for those functions

13. For example… Looking at work management Looking at work management Notice increase in transaction volume every two weeks—why? Notice increase in transaction volume every two weeks—why? Time entry! Time entry! Find business metric to represent the volume of this workload: Time sheets submitted Find business metric to represent the volume of this workload: Time sheets submitted Select count(*) from time_sheets where submit_date = “yesterday” Select count(*) from time_sheets where submit_date = “yesterday” Run the query everyday & store the results! Run the query everyday & store the results!

14. Make your life as easy as possible! You don’t need to understand everything about the business! You don’t need to understand everything about the business! System utilization drivers System utilization drivers “Problem children” “Problem children” Things that people care about Things that people care about Easy for us to understand the technical measures, so start there Easy for us to understand the technical measures, so start there Easy for somebody else to tell us what those represent Easy for somebody else to tell us what those represent Most activity metrics can be readily retrieved from the application database Most activity metrics can be readily retrieved from the application database May want to parse some existing reports for complicated data— like accounting totals May want to parse some existing reports for complicated data— like accounting totals

15. Things to consider capturing Items representing business work, i.e. business transaction volumes Items representing business work, i.e. business transaction volumes Items representing business data, i.e. business entities stored by the application Items representing business data, i.e. business entities stored by the application Application-centric performance and SLAs Application-centric performance and SLAs Application capacity utilization Application capacity utilization Whatever is important to the business managers! Whatever is important to the business managers!

16. Capture hints You will need a mapping of transactions to applications You will need a mapping of transactions to applications Ongoing maintenance required Ongoing maintenance required May already be done for chargeback May already be done for chargeback WLM Report classes can tie work to applications WLM Report classes can tie work to applications Very useful for DDF, maybe WAS & CICS Very useful for DDF, maybe WAS & CICS Account codes limited value for batch? Account codes limited value for batch? Look at the dataset names the jobs are using Look at the dataset names the jobs are using Tie SMF type 42s and 30s together Tie SMF type 42s and 30s together Somewhat expensive, but great accuracy Somewhat expensive, but great accuracy

17. Reporting Make it look good Make it look good Make it useful Make it useful Make it easy to use Make it easy to use Make it engaging Make it engaging Make it accessible! Make it accessible! A browser-based solution would be ideal, but creating a bunch of static pages everyday is not

18. AJAX to the rescue!?! Asynchronous JavaScript with XML Asynchronous JavaScript with XML Read all about it on the web, but… Read all about it on the web, but… Key JS functionality for us: Key JS functionality for us: Can change any HTML element on that page Can change any HTML element on that page Add/delete elements or compeletely re-write the HTML Add/delete elements or compeletely re-write the HTML aka “dynamic html” aka “dynamic html” Extract your BMDB data to XML files Extract your BMDB data to XML files Write some JS code in an HTML page to read/parse that XML file & load to array Write some JS code in an HTML page to read/parse that XML file & load to array JS code then loads frames with more HTML files that are templates JS code then loads frames with more HTML files that are templates JS uses array to look up values for the templates JS uses array to look up values for the templates Once the core code is written, adding new metrics/reporting merely means adding new HTML templates Once the core code is written, adding new metrics/reporting merely means adding new HTML templates

19. HTML “templates” JS Code loads HTML templates based on the application selected JS Code loads HTML templates based on the application selected Then scans the templates for tags Then scans the templates for tags Looks up (or calculates) values from the array and updates the span text with the appropriate value Looks up (or calculates) values from the array and updates the span text with the appropriate value Adding new metrics or reports simply means creating a new template—which is just standard HTML with specially crafted tags Adding new metrics or reports simply means creating a new template—which is just standard HTML with specially crafted tags Work Orders Completed 1,240 CPU per CICS transaction HTML Template file Calculated metric sample

20. JavaScript Issues New language to learn (but easy) New language to learn (but easy) Plenty of good books available Plenty of good books available Consider “browser book” from visibone.com for a quick-reference Consider “browser book” from visibone.com for a quick-reference Parsing XML/HTML with JS can be slow Parsing XML/HTML with JS can be slow Consider limiting data shown initially Consider limiting data shown initially Debugging can be difficult Debugging can be difficult Remember the good old days? Remember the good old days? Help coming soon, if not already – go look for it Help coming soon, if not already – go look for it

21. What I hope you take away from this…

22. Conclusion #1 Business metrics are invaluable for improving capacity planning, performance management, and application awareness Business metrics are invaluable for improving capacity planning, performance management, and application awareness Use as natural forecasting units Use as natural forecasting units Use for application analysis Use for application analysis Use to improve reporting & understanding Use to improve reporting & understanding

23. Conclusion #2 You need a historical collection of business metrics – a BMDB You need a historical collection of business metrics – a BMDB If you don’t retain the data you can’t analyze it! If you don’t retain the data you can’t analyze it! Use the BMDB for consolidated reporting Use the BMDB for consolidated reporting A BMDB should be a core part of your performance/capacity management process A BMDB should be a core part of your performance/capacity management process

24. Conclusion #3 Building the BMDB can be done cheaply and easily Building the BMDB can be done cheaply and easily You already have the tools You already have the tools DB design simple DB design simple DB relatively compact DB relatively compact Populating the database can usually be done from existing performance data or by simple queries from the application database Populating the database can usually be done from existing performance data or by simple queries from the application database

25. Conclusion #4 Once you have the data you should publish it! Once you have the data you should publish it! People will get excited about seeing the business metrics, performance characteristics, and capacity utilization for an application on the same page People will get excited about seeing the business metrics, performance characteristics, and capacity utilization for an application on the same page

26. Conclusion #5 AJAX provides a potentially useful method for presenting this sort of data in a dynamic fashion AJAX provides a potentially useful method for presenting this sort of data in a dynamic fashion Consider building yourself a framework for presenting application performance data using this concept Consider building yourself a framework for presenting application performance data using this concept

27. Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to go build a BMDB for your organization. You will improve your capacity planning, performance management, and business awareness! This is not an impossible mission! Having not self-destructed, I will now answer any questions.