Traditional monitoring techniques are inadequate when monitoring complex systems such as multiprocessors or distributed systems. A new approach is described in which a historical database forms the conceptual basis for the information processed by the monitor. This approach permits advances in specifying the low-level data collection, specifying the analysis of the collected data, performing the analysis, and displaying the results. Two prototype implementations demonstrate the feasibility of the approach.
Graphical displays can show the progress of data values over time intervals.
The advantage is that only required data are collected. Techniques for relational query optimization are used to gain efficiency. This research is quite ambitious. Snodgrass claims improvements in efficiency of data collection, clarity of presentation, and ease of specification and generation of data collection routines. Researchers in database and system performance will find this work interesting.