Article

A portable high-level database debugger and software performance monitor

  1. Hugo T. Jankowitz,
  2. Paul W. Kilfoil,
  3. Ilana Rabkin,
  4. Stephen R. Schach*

Article first published online: 30 OCT 2006

DOI: 10.1002/spe.4380150602

Issue

Software: Practice and Experience

Software: Practice and Experience

Volume 15, Issue 6, pages 523–538, June 1985

Additional Information

How to Cite

Jankowitz, H. T., Kilfoil, P. W., Rabkin, I. and Schach, S. R. (1985), A portable high-level database debugger and software performance monitor. Softw: Pract. Exper., 15: 523–538. doi: 10.1002/spe.4380150602

Author Information

  1. Computer Science Department, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7700 South Africa

*Computer Science Department, Vanderbilt University, Box 70 Station B, Nashville TN 37235, U.S.A.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 30 OCT 2006
  2. Article first published online: 30 OCT 2006
  3. Manuscript Received: 28 MAR 1983

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Keywords:

  • High-level debugging;
  • Database;
  • Trace;
  • Performance monitor;
  • Portability;
  • CODASYL

Abstract

The package DBDEBUG assits the users of CODASYL (network) database management systems in two ways. It can be used by applications programmers to debug their programs, and by the database administrator to monitor the performance of the database. The user may select the sections (or even individual statements) of his program to be traced and/or monitored. He may list the specific records and items he wishes to be investigated; he may also restrict tracing and monitoring to only certain DML verbs.

The user's database schema and subschema are submitted to processors which generate a data dictionary. This data dictionary is then used by DBDEBUG in modifying the user's DML source code in order to obtain the specified tracing or performance statistics. The output is high-level in that it reflects the high-level language (DML COBOL) in which the user's source code was written.

The package is designed to be portable. All but one of its components are written in standard Pascal or ANSI COBOL; assembler code is restricted to a ten-line subroutine which obtains L/O and CPU times from the operating system.

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