Prolifics’ Analytic Platform Optimization

Before You Sign Another Server License, Read This.

Prolifics’ Analytic Platform Optimization solution is unique to the industry and will show you how to better balance, and even maximize, the productivity of your existing servers. And we can guarantee it’s a lot less expensive than adding more servers.

The budget alarm bells go off – loud

It’s the first sign – you’re overbudget on your spending for servers. It could be the front-end or the back-end platforms, at this point it doesn’t seem to matter. You turn to your staff and ask, “Why in the heck are we spending so much money on licenses? And now it looks like we’re going to have to get more servers and our licenses are going to go up even more? Why is this happening?”

The result is generally blank stares or mumbling about the need based on all the work being done. There may be a project assigned to look at the over-budget platform. But that won’t necessarily solve anything because it’s usually not a one-platform problem.

It’s a platform ecosystem problem

Michael Gonzales, PhD (“Dr. G”) is Prolifics’ Chief Data Scientist and the force behind Analytic Platform Optimization. “Clients ask us, ‘Why are we spending so much?’” says Dr. G. “And when we get in discussions with them, we make the case for the multiple platforms. Because you’re not going to solve your problem just looking at one of the platforms by itself. If you look at it in isolation, you’re not looking at the total picture. And at Prolifics, we look at the total picture. The problem is that the scale of the total picture is huge. So that’s why almost nobody does it. But we use data science so that we can simplify the whole process and come up with legitimate, actionable results that we can help you implement.”

The total picture is all about balance

Basically, the real issue is that the front-end and back-end platforms are essentially out of balance – one is over-used and one is under-used. For example, one of Dr. G’s clients had a mid-tier, BusinessObjects server farm and Teradata for the back-end. They pushed data requests back and forth using Structured Query Language (SQL). The BusinessObjects developers were writing whatever they needed to suck out as much data as they could, then manipulated it in the BusinessObjects server farm. That’s what they were comfortable with. They didn’t really know what Teradata could do – how it could manipulate data beforehand. On the back-end, the Teradata people didn’t know anything about the manipulation and reporting done upstream, their role was monitoring SQL requests for data.

“What happens or what’s totally missed, in most of these organizations, is a clear view of all the code that’s been written to move the data,” says Dr. G. “We take a global view, so we’re not interested in the network speeds or necessarily concerned about specific queries. What we’re concerned with is the global view – the balance of all the code being written. Where is the ‘heavy lifting’ being done, and where should it be done?”  

How does Prolifics’ Analytic Platform Optimization work?

As Dr G. explains, you can’t read all the lines of code to see where the “heavy lifting” is – it’s impossible because of sheer scale and knowledge needed for different platforms. “Instead, our process works because it uses data science and text mining to consume thousands of programs and analyze the word usage in the language (SQL or any language). I’ve developed a dictionary for very specific words that I know characteristically are ‘resource pigs.’ These words demonstrate a lack of proper planning – they just consume a ton of resources on one platform versus the optimal use of both platforms.”

Analytic Platform Optimization will take you right to the program, right to where that word usage is being applied. You’ll know which platform is not being leveraged properly, meaning an imbalance showing both platforms are not performing correctly.

Then what?

At Prolifics, we not only point out where the issues are, but can also come up with an agile plan (a sprint plan) to correct them, along with an army of our own code developers (experts in different platforms) to help you with the optimization. We recommend doing the worst culprits first, in terms of language usage, then going from worst to the least offensive. Prolifics can drive and close the entire process. So put that pen down – don’t sign another server license until you talk to us.

About Prolifics

Prolifics is a global digital transformation leader with expertise in cloud, data and analytics, DevOps, digital business, and quality assurance across multiple industries. We provide consulting, engineering and managed services for all our practice areas at any point you need them – giving you fast, complete solution delivery experiences that you will find nowhere else. Whether it’s initial advising and strategy; design and implementation; or ongoing analysis and guidance, Prolifics will help you take charge of your digital future. Email solutions@prolifics.com or visit prolifics.com.