Performance Tuning Guide - EMC Community Network

Maximizing Process Throughput
performance problem. On-demand processing can also result in an unbalanced load across Content
Severs as each Content Server only processes the automatic tasks its workflows generate. With
polling, all Content Servers can process tasks generated by any of the other Content Servers.
Polling can also provide for load balancing, even if on-demand processing is enabled. For example, a
Content Server that runs out of its own on-demand activities for the duration of the polling interval,
polls the database for tasks in the common queue.
Increasing throughput for single or low volume
workflows
In a single workflow (Figure 8, page 30), processing of a single automatic activity exhausts the
backlog of activities in the workflow queue until the automatic activity can be completed and the
next activity in the workflow enters the workflow queue. During this temporary lull, in which the
queue does not contain any activities for processing, the workflow agent goes into sleep mode for the
duration set by the polling interval.
Figure 8. Single workflow
If a workflow has 6 steps and the polling interval is set to 30 seconds, the workflow accumulates 150
seconds of sleep time before the workflow completes. The following illustrates the sequence of
behaviors.
1. Complete workflow #1, Activity 1
2. Sleep 30 seconds
3. Complete workflow #1, Activity 2
4. Sleep 30 seconds
5. Complete workflow #1, Activity 3
6. Sleep 30 seconds
7. Complete workflow #1, Activity 4
8. Sleep 30 seconds
9. Complete workflow #1, Activity 5
10. Sleep 30 seconds
11. Complete workflow #1, Activity 6
Decreasing the polling interval improves throughput for similar scenarios with single workflows
or low volume workflows.
30 EMC Documentum xCP 1.0 Performance Tuning Guide