Step 1: Selecting and opening buffer pool data files
About this task
When you have started the long-term analysis function,
as described in Starting the long-term analysis function,
the first page of the long-term analysis wizard is displayed: Figure 1. Long-Term Analysis – The Files Selection window
You use this page to select one or more bpd files that
contain the performance data you want to analyze. Initially, this
dialog box is empty. The example lists three bpd files that were already
selected.
Procedure
Select one or more bpd files to be opened, using the following
steps in reasonable order:
To add one or more bpd files to the (initially empty) list of
selected bpd files, click Add Files.
The
Open dialog box is displayed. You use this dialog box to select one
or more bpd files that you want to add to the list of selected bpd
files.
Several sample buffer pool data files (*.bpd)
are delivered with Buffer Pool Analyzer in the …\samples\reporting folder.
The sample files are named bpa-zos-lta-samplenn.bpd.
You can use them to become familiar with this function.
Select a folder from the Look in list where
the bpd files you want to use are located.
The File
of type field shows the file name extension of buffer
pool data files (*.bpd). If your bpd files
do not have the recommended file name extension bpd,
select All files (*.*) from the File of
type list to see the appropriate files.
Click the bpd file to be added to the list
of selected bpd files.
You can add multiple files by selecting
multiple files in the Open dialog box. To select a range of files,
click the first file, hold down the Shift key, then click the last
file in the sequence. To select several separate files, click the
first file, hold down the Ctrl key, then click the other files as
required. To select all files, press Ctrl+A.
The File
name field shows the names of the selected bpd files.
Click Open.
The Open dialog box closes
and the bpd files are added to the list of selected bpd files.
Restriction: bpd
files are usually named at your own discretion, except for the recommended
file name extension bpd. Thus, it is possible
that bpd files exist with different names, but identical or partially
identical performance data. If you accidentally select such files
for the long-term analysis, the duplicated performance records falsify
the result. Buffer Pool Analyzer does not filter out duplicates from
the selected bpd files.
To remove one or more bpd files from the list of selected bpd
files, select one or more files in the list, then click Remove
Selected Files.
To remove all bpd files from the list of selected bpd files, click Remove
All Files.
When you have completed your selection of bpd files, and
the list of selected bpd files contains at least one file, click Next.
The selected bpd files are opened, and the data is preprocessed.
This step can take some time, depending on the sizes and contents
of the bpd files. A progress indicator is displayed that shows the
percentage of preprocessing that has been completed. You can click Cancel to
cancel preprocessing and restore the file selection page.
Preprocessing
performs several activities on each bpd file, which eases your selections
and specifications in the following steps:
The subsystems are determined from which performance data was
collected.
The counters and active objects are determined.
The earliest and the latest timestamp in each bpd file is determined.
