Analyzing data for DB2

After you collect data, you must determine how that data can help you to resolve your particular problem. The type of analysis depends on the type of problem that you are investigating and the data that you have collected. These steps represent how to start your investigation of any basic DB2® diagnostic data.

To analyze diagnostic data, take the following actions:

• Have a clear understanding of how the various pieces of data relate to each other. For example, if the data spans more than one system, keep your data well organized so that you know which pieces of data come from which sources.
• Confirm that each piece of diagnostic data is relevant to the timing of the problem by checking timestamps. Note that data from different sources can have different timestamp formats; be sure to understand the sequence of the different elements in each timestamp format so that you can tell when the different events occurred.
• Determine which data sources are most likely to contain information about the problem, and start your analysis there. For example, if the problem is related to installation, start your analysis with the installation log files (if any), rather than starting with the general product or operating system log files.
• The specific method of analysis is unique to each data source, but one tip that is applicable to most traces and log files is to start by identifying the point in the data where the problem occurs. After you identify that point, you can work backward in time through the data to unravel the root cause of the problem.
• If you are investigating a problem for which you have comparative data from an environment that is working and one that is not, start by comparing the operating system and product configuration details for each environment.