SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR AUTOMATED DESIGN OF ROW COMPRESSION ON TABLES IN A RELATIONAL DATABASE

1 . A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium including computer usable program code for recommending row compression on tables in a relational database, said computer program product including:

computer usable program code for obtaining a workload specification for said database;

computer usable program code for, based on said workload specification, identifying and ranking candidate ones of said tables;

computer usable program code for evaluating compression impact for said candidate ones of said tables; and

computer usable program code for developing a design for said database, specifying one of: (i) which of said tables should be compressed, and (ii) which of said tables should not be compressed.

2 . The computer program product of claim 1 , further comprising computer usable program code for obtaining a specification of a given performance penalty a user is willing to accept when compression is applied to given ones of said tables.

3 . The computer program product of claim 2 , wherein said computer usable program code for developing bases said design, at least in part, on compliance with said specification.

4 . The computer program product of claim 3 , wherein said specification is expressed as a percentage value comparing performance with said compression to performance without said compression.

5 . The computer program product of claim 1 , further comprising computer usable program code for obtaining a storage capacity which said design must comply with, wherein said computer usable program code for developing bases said design, at least in part, on compliance with said storage capacity.

6 . The computer program product of claim 1 , further comprising:

comprising computer usable program code for obtaining a specification of a given performance penalty a user is willing to accept when compression is applied to given ones of said tables; and

comprising computer usable program code for obtaining a storage capacity which said design must comply with;

wherein said computer usable program code for developing bases said design, at least in part, on compliance with said specification and compliance with said storage capacity.

7 . A system for recommending row compression on tables in a relational database, said system comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor, coupled to said memory, and operative to

obtain a workload specification for said database;

based on said workload specification, identify and rank candidate ones of said tables;

evaluate compression impact for said candidate ones of said tables; and

develop a design for said database, specifying one of: (i) which of said tables should be compressed, and (ii) which of said tables should not be compressed.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein said processor is farther operative to obtain a specification of a given performance penalty a user is willing to accept when compression is applied to given ones of said tables.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein said processor is operative to develop said design based, at least in part, on compliance with said specification.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein said specification is expressed as a percentage value comparing performance with said compression to performance without said compression.

11 . The system of claim 7 , wherein said processor is further operative to obtain a storage capacity which said design must comply with, wherein said processor is operative to develop said design based, at least in part, on compliance with said storage capacity.

12 . The system of claim 7 , wherein said processor is further operative to:

obtain a specification of a given performance penalty a user is willing to accept when compression is applied to given ones of said tables; and

obtain a storage capacity which said design must comply with;

wherein said processor is operative to develop said design based, at least in part, on compliance with said specification and compliance with said storage capacity.

13 . A system for recommending row compression on tables in a relational database, said system comprising:

means for obtaining a workload specification for said database;

means for, based on said workload specification, identifying and ranking candidate ones of said tables;

means for evaluating compression impact for said candidate ones of said tables; and

means for developing a design for said database, specifying one of: (i) which of said tables should be compressed, and (ii) which of said tables should not be compressed.

14 . The system of claim 13 , further comprising means for obtaining a specification of a given performance penalty a user is willing to accept when compression is applied to given ones of said tables.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein said means for developing base said design, at least in part, on compliance with said specification.