Teradata Integrated Workload Management (TIWM) and Teradata Active System Management (TASM) are both solutions offered by Teradata to optimize system performance and manage workloads in a Teradata Database environment. Although they share some similarities, they have key differences in their functionality and purpose.
TIWM is a built-in feature of the Teradata Database, included in the base software. It provides static workload management capabilities that help organizations manage their resources and workloads.
TIWM offers workload classification, prioritization, and resource allocation based on query characteristics, user-defined attributes, and system-defined attributes.
It enables administrators to define workload management rules and policies, balancing resource usage among various users and applications.
TIWM is suitable for smaller-scale Teradata environments where basic workload management capabilities are required and resource contention is minimal.
TASM is a more advanced, optional workload management solution designed for larger, complex Teradata Database environments with more demanding workload management requirements.
Teradata Integrated Workload Management (TIWM) utilizes static workload definitions, whereas Teradata Adaptive System Management (TASM) enables dynamic adjustment of workload management based on actual system conditions. This distinction allows for a more adaptable and responsive approach to managing workloads in TASM.
In TIWM, workload definitions are fixed and do not change in response to varying system conditions. This means the same rules and priorities are applied consistently, regardless of system state or resource availability.
On the other hand, TASM allows for dynamic adjustments to workload management depending on real-time system conditions. These adjustments can be triggered by time-based events, such as reaching a specific time of day, or system-specific events, like exceeding a predefined number of AMP Worker Tasks (AWT) in use. In TASM terminology, these triggers are "planned environments" and "health conditions". Together, they form a "state matrix".
The state matrix comprises individual cells, each representing a distinct state with its workload priorities and management rules, such as filters and throttles. By dynamically transitioning between states in response to real-time system conditions, TASM can better allocate resources and ensure optimal performance, even in fluctuating workloads or resource demands.
In summary, the key difference between TIWM and TASM lies in their approach to workload management. While TIWM relies on static workload definitions, TASM dynamically adjusts workload management based on system conditions (time and events). This allows TASM to provide a more flexible, responsive, and efficient approach to managing workloads in a Teradata environment.
Additionally, advanced utility throttling in TASM helps control the number of concurrent load and export utilities running on the system, preventing resource contention and ensuring optimal query performance.
In summary, while TIWM offers basic workload management capabilities for smaller-scale environments, TASM provides advanced functionality suitable for larger, more complex Teradata Database environments with greater workload management requirements.