Collection Services regularly collects information about system performance. Often, analyzing performance data begins with this information.
Collecting data is an important step toward improving performance. When you collect performance data, you gather information about your server that can be used to understand response times and throughput. It is a way to capture the performance status of the server, or set of servers, involved in getting your work done. The collection of data provides a context, or a starting point, for any comparisons and analysis that can be done later. When you use your first data collections, you have a benchmark for future improvements and a start on improving your performance today. You can use the performance data you collect to make adjustments, improve response times, and help your systems achieve peak performance. Performance problem analysis often begins with the simple question: "What changed?" Performance data helps you answer that question.
You can use Collection Services to collect performance data, create performance files with the Create Performance Data (CRTPFRDTA) command, convert them to current release with Convert Performance Data (CVTPFRDTA) command or through the Performance Tools plugin in iSeries™ Navigator, and then create reports or create your own queries by using the information in the performance database files.
In addition, you can use either the Performance Management APIs or the performance collection CL commands to start, end, and cycle collections, as well as to change and retrieve system parameters for the data collected.
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Collection Services