I’ve been barely able to keep up with my current OWB projects and getting ready for my UKOUG presentation that I haven’t had ANY time to work on the previously floated ideas for blogs. However, I didn’t want to pass up the chance to add to a thread started on rittman.net.

Jon Mead, a colleague a SolStonePlus, emailed Mark and I about his findings about the tuning method “in the real world.” Jon and Mark had sorted out many of the details for how to generate diagnostic data for OWB Mappings and Flows. I asked to include this exceptional work in my OWB Tuning Workshop (which is the final afternoon of my Administration/Operations course) as part of a method for tuning OWB DW solutions. The method I put forth in the workshop includes information on generating detailed information for tuning particular mappings, but I included it as part of an overal process for tuning OWB Data Warehouses.

Method 1: OWB Runtime Data Analysis

This involves examination in greater detail the runtime audit information provided by the OWB runtime engine. The web based interface provides only per-run reporting, and there is currently not any Oracle provided interface for analyzing the data in the Runtime Repository. We’ll examine some of the data available as Oracle views, and understand what information is available to us. It provides performance data on a macro level, and does not provide detailed diagnostic information (an explain plan for instance).

Method 2: Mapping/Process Flow Analysis

We’ll learn how to set our mappings and process flows up to generate very detailed information about how Oracle is processing our logic, and an entire wealth of information used for common Oracle tuning practices. This includes being able to explain plan, receiving information on wait events, etc. We’ll learn how to implement these diagnostics in our mappings and process flows along with how to collect and assemble them from our Oracle server

Jon echoes the same reasons why this tracing should be used as part of an overal process: too much data and diagnostic data to sort through. Make sure your dollars are well spent and tune mappings one at a time. Tune the ones that will provide the most direct benefit (decrease in load time), or will not scale well (hockey stick anyone?). I have in my “OWB Toolbox” a little OWB Performance Data Mart that transforms the OWB Runtime View data into a ROLAP mart (with Disco). It’s pretty cool, actually! I’ll see if I can’t take some screenshots from a non-client instance (when I get the time, right?).

It might not be good business sense to publish parts of a course that I charge money for, but hitherto I’ve been a better techie than businessman so what do I care!? 🙂

Without further adieu here are the first 13 workbook pages (there’s 90 pages total) from the afternoon workshop that enumerates a method for tuning OWB solutions. Feel free to contact me with any feedback or if you think you could use some help tuning your OWB solution.

UPDATE: A reader sent me an email noting that there is a rather amusing metaphor mixup in the paper… Blog visitors from “.ca” should recognize it straight away. 🙂 I’ll revise it eventually.

Originally reported by Mark Rittman:

Apart from Report Center though, there were no significant new products launched at Open World that affect BI and data warehousing – indeed, we were told this week that OWB Paris won’t be out until calendar year 2006 (that’s over two years late by my estimation) so there probably won’t be much new going on for a while now.

I emailed the OWB product managers in Redwood Shores and they confirmed that Paris will not be out until calendar year 2006.

I have mixed feelings about this development. OWB 10gR2 is such a marked improvement on OWB capabilities that I am dissapointed that most customers are unable to use it on their DW projects. I’m building a new DW using Paris for a customer in Houston and parts of the development are SCREAMING by because of some of the new Dimensional modeling features. That being said, using the beta product I’ve been only at 80% effectiveness. Simple things still tend to blow up and take some time to sort out… This is not a bad product, it’s a beta product. In that regard, I’m happy they’re waiting. OWB is a solid tool… Releasing it too early with issues would not help the uptake and long term reputation of the product.

I’m just hopeful it’s not Paris in 2012!

I couldn’t make Open World this year… too busy on my project to skip out for the week. Quite unfortunate! However, all the bloggers from the conference deserve our thanks for their coverage of OW. I’ve been listening to Keynotes, reading through presentations of interest, and otherwise getting much more of the “scoop” than in years past.

Thanks to all the OW bloggers on behalf of the world Oracle community!