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Focus on Performance

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Performance is a funny thing. In order to define it, you must first agree on a standard to measure it by. If you are measuring the performance of a Formula One race car, what do you compare it to? Do you compare the race car’s performance to the performance of a Buick LeSabre? Is that a fair comparison? Probably not. Even if you let your grandparents drive the Formula One race car, as they do the Buick, it’s still comparing apples to oranges. Sure, both are technically cars, and both are being driven by the same people, but beyond that, what do you have? The race car is built with a high performance engine. The LeSabre is built with an engine that can go almost six months without requiring a visit to the mechanic. The race car uses specially designed wide tires that provide positive road handling at high speeds. The Buick uses mass-produced tires that may or may not shred while making a left-hand turn. And perhaps most important of all, the Formula One race car is built for speed. The Buick is built to look solid and dependable while sitting on the dealer’s lot. There’s just no way you can compare the two.

The same problem arises on the iSeries. Just what exactly do you compare these systems to in order to define performance, and consequently, know if you are improving upon it? For example, you can’t compare interactive performance on an AS/400 Model 150 with the interactive performance of an iSeries Model 270. Why not, you may ask? Both are basically the same system, right? Well, yes and no. The 150 uses an older, slower, processor technology than the 270, so you could say that the 270 outperforms the 150 because of that. However, when you are comparing interactive performance, the 270 may not necessarily beat the 150 because the 270 is not designed for interactive usage like the 150 is. Performance comparisons are tough.

The good news is that, despite the differences, there are still many things in the area of performance that we can all agree upon. That’s why this issue of Midrange Computing focuses on performance. While we can’t provide you with performance comparisons or solutions that fit all situations, we can provide you with a series of quality performance articles that will help you wring the most out of several areas of your iSeries.

In “Get Connected to Java Performance with Connection Pools,” Don Denoncourt brings you all the information you need to rev up your iSeries’ Java performance. We all know what a dog Java was when it first came to the AS/400 a few years ago. If you still think it’s a turtle among development languages, think again. IBM has created many new features that help Java to equal the performance of other languages such as RPG IV. Don shows you what those features are and shares his years of Java development experience with you to help make your Java applications scream.



In “My Own Private QAQQINI,” Howard F. Arner, Jr., shows you how to achieve SQL nirvana. Howard’s article details for you the very best way to use SQL and how to exploit the QAQQINI initialization file so that you can become an SQL/ODBC guru. SQL performance on your iSeries will never be the same!

And finally, in “Connections and Applications: Fine-tuning Express Client Performance,” Joe Hertvik provides a detailed look at performance tuning AS/400 Client Access Express for Windows. What’s even better is that the tips Joe provides don’t require you to be on the latest release of Client Access Express. Joe shows you how to get the most out of the product using the functionality built into it from day one.

Performance is a funny thing. Let us help you to understand it and find ways to apply some techniques to improve it.



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