A system including instructions recorded on a computer-readable medium that are executable by at least one processor, the system comprising: a buffer monitor configured to cause the at least one processor to monitor buffer content of a buffer being used during processing of a query workflow in which write tasks (108a,108b) of the query workflow write data to the buffer and read tasks (112a,112b) of the query workflow read data from the buffer, the buffer having a buffer capacity; a threshold manager configured to cause the at least one processor to compare the buffer content to a low threshold and to a high threshold that are defined relative to the buffer capacity; a speed controller configured to cause the at least one processor to control a number of the write tasks (108a,108b) relative to a number of the read tasks (112a,112b) that are currently executing the query workflow, to thereby maintain the buffer content between the low threshold and the high threshold; and a workload manager configured to cause the at least one processor to associate available processing cores among a plurality of buffers, and associated write and read tasks (112a,112b) thereof, of the query workflow, wherein the query workflow includes at least one sequence of buffers and wherein the workload manager is configured to cause the at least one processor to implement a locale encouraged mode including: assigning processing cores from the available processing cores to tasks of a first selected buffer of the sequence of buffers until a maximum number of cores is reached for implementing the tasks of the first selected buffer, and then assigning remaining processor cores from the available processing cores to tasks of a second selected buffer of the sequence of buffers. a buffer monitor configured to cause the at least one processor to monitor buffer content of a buffer being used during processing of a query workflow in which write tasks (108a,108b) of the query workflow write data to the buffer and read tasks (112a,112b) of the query workflow read data from the buffer, the buffer having a buffer capacity; a threshold manager configured to cause the at least one processor to compare the buffer content to a low threshold and to a high threshold that are defined relative to the buffer capacity; a speed controller configured to cause the at least one processor to control a number of the write tasks (108a,108b) relative to a number of the read tasks (112a,112b) that are currently executing the query workflow, to thereby maintain the buffer content between the low threshold and the high threshold; and a workload manager configured to cause the at least one processor to associate available processing cores among a plurality of buffers, and associated write and read tasks (112a,112b) thereof, of the query workflow, wherein the query workflow includes at least one sequence of buffers and wherein the workload manager is configured to cause the at least one processor to implement a locale encouraged mode including: assigning processing cores from the available processing cores to tasks of a first selected buffer of the sequence of buffers until a maximum number of cores is reached for implementing the tasks of the first selected buffer, and then assigning remaining processor cores from the available processing cores to tasks of a second selected buffer of the sequence of buffers. assigning processing cores from the available processing cores to tasks of a first selected buffer of the sequence of buffers until a maximum number of cores is reached for implementing the tasks of the first selected buffer, and then assigning remaining processor cores from the available processing cores to tasks of a second selected buffer of the sequence of buffers.