Workload- and hardware-aware transaction processing

The main goal for the “Workload- and hardware-aware transaction processing” proposal was to lay the groundwork for database systems that adapt and reconfigure online, depending on the workload and the hardware, while ensuring efficient resource utilization. In this project, we deliver fast and scalable algorithms which can be implemented with limited changes on existing On-Line Transaction Processing (OLTP) systems. We identify the fundamental computer architecture limitations that affect traditional OLTP systems, and establish a plan to permanently address these bottlenecks. Our approach does not require a fundamental redesign for OLTP databases, but suggests a set of fixes, which enables us to use the current hardware and software to its full potential.
According to the proposed directions, our research results are divided into four groups described in the paragraphs below. The first one comprises results from the exploration of the impact of non-uniform hardware topology on the transaction processing applications. The second and third groups are related to the efficient use of resources of the processor core by transaction processing systems, while the last one analyzes different aspects of energy efficiency.

The research leading to these results was funded by the Swiss
National Science Foundation (Project 200021 146407/1).