GiAPA FAQ

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Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about GiAPA.
Is there a free trial available?
Yes, please refer to our “Free Trial” offer, covering an analysis of 48 hours of data.

You can try the SQL Observer for free for 30 days. Our friendly team will work with you to get you up and running as soon as possible.

What is GiAPA's 'Triple A' feature?
Automatic Application Analysis – a powerful diagnostic tool.

Triple A (Automatic Application Analysis) lets GiAPA automatically analyze program behavior and file access patterns. It often reveals inefficiencies even in code assumed to run well.

Can GiAPA compare system load before and after changes?
Yes. It’s easy to generate before/after diagrams and workload comparisons.

Whether you're rolling out new code or migrating systems, GiAPA lets you compare performance metrics over time. This makes it easier to measure the actual impact of changes.

Does GiAPA replace the need for external performance consultants?
In many cases, yes – its built-in intelligence offers expert-level analysis.

Thanks to GiAPA’s automated analysis and reporting features, organizations often reduce or eliminate the need for external consultants. It highlights performance problems and optimization opportunities clearly.

How long is historical performance data stored in GiAPA?
That depends on your configuration, but weeks or months of data can be retained.

You can configure how long data is kept based your business needs. Many installations keep weeks or months of historical data for long-term analysis and comparison.

How does GiAPA support performance tuning of applications?
By highlighting where time and resources are consumed inside the code.

GiAPA's data reveals which parts of a program use the most CPU or I/O. GiAPA documents which source statement should be modified and suggests the new code to use to improve performance.

What kind of data does GiAPA collect every 15 seconds?
GiAPA collects 22 types of resource usage data like CPU, I/O, memory usage, and more for all jobs every 15 seconds.

This high-frequency sampling allows for precise performance insights.

Can I monitor SQL statements with GiAPA?
Yes. GiAPA’s SQL Observer allows user-controlled dumping of Plan Cache data for user selected jobs, thereby ensuring that data is available for analysis by IBM’s SQL Performance Center.

SQL Observer’s report shows the SQL statement(s), when the Plan Cache dumps were taken, where the dumps are stored, and why the access method were selected for the max 3 latest access plans.

How does GiAPA retrieve program call stacks?
For jobs with high CPU usage, GiAPA collects additionally the program's call stack and open file data.

This enables developers pinpoint the exact part of the code causing the issue.

Is it difficult to install or configure GiAPA?
No. GiAPA is designed to be installed and running quickly.

The installation process is straightforward, with default settings that work well in most environments. Configuration can be customized later to match specific monitoring needs.

How does GiAPA support proactive system monitoring?
By highlighting unusual patterns before they become issues.

GiAPA reports program functions using excessive resources and files accessed inefficiently.

Can GiAPA be used to justify hardware upgrades?
Yes. It provides data to support infrastructure decisions.

When evaluating hardware upgrades, GiAPA can demonstrate actual system strain, historical performance trends, and areas where current resources are insufficient – all based on objective data.

What does GiAPA mean by 'Good Morning Reports'?
GiAPA’s ‘Good Morning Reports’ provides a snapshot of what happened on your system the previous 24 hours in a graph showing average and max CPU usage, and physical and logical I/Os per hour.
Is GiAPA useful for capacity planning?
Yes. It helps forecast usage trends and growth over time.

With GiAPA’s trend analysis and visual reporting tools, IT leaders can identify resource usage patterns and plan for future system demands based on actual usage data.

Can GiAPA help during incident investigations?
Yes. Historical job data makes it easier to diagnose past issues.

GiAPA continuously logs detailed job and system activity. If a performance issue or outage occurred, you can go back and see exactly what jobs were running and which resources were affected.

Can GiAPA help optimize batch jobs?
Yes. It pinpoints where time and resources are consumed.

By analyzing CPU usage, file access patterns, and program call stacks, GiAPA helps developers find bottlenecks and inefficiencies in batch processing routines.

Does GiAPA support multi-LPAR environments?
Yes. GiAPA supports multiple LPARs with consolidated reporting.

You monitor each partition individually, and generate consolidated reports for a full overview.

Is GiAPA suitable for small IBM i environments?
Yes. It works well for both small and large setups.

GiAPA is lightweight and scalable. It provides valuable insight whether your system runs a handful of applications or a large enterprise workload.

How does GiAPA detect looping jobs?
Processing Performance Collector API data in real time every 15 seconds, GiAPA can warn the system operator if a job uses significant CPU without having any file accesses.
Can I define custom reports in GiAPA?
Yes. You can create both standard and user-defined reports and graphs.

GiAPA includes a wide range of standard reports and graphs, and allows users to define their own based on the comprehensive GiAPA data base containing data for all jobs, summarized or per 15 seconds’ intervals.

What platforms does GiAPA support?
GiAPA is designed specifically for IBM i operating system (AS/400, iSeries).

GiAPA is built for the IBM Power i platform and integrates tightly with the OS architecture. It does not require any additional hardware or cloud integration.

Does GiAPA alert users about abnormal job behavior?
Yes. It detects and highlights unusual patterns such as looping jobs or jobs allocating excessive memory.

GiAPA includes logic to detect jobs consuming abnormal amounts of memory or stuck in loops – giving operators the ability to intervene quickly.

Can GiAPA be used to document system usage for audits?
Yes. The tool provides reliable historical usage logs for compliance.

GiAPA’s data collection enables full transparency of job and system activity. You can generate reports for specific users, applications, or time periods – useful for audits and compliance checks.

Is it possible to track file usage in GiAPA?
Yes. GiAPA collects detailed file access information for jobs using a certain minimum of CPU.

For CPU-intensive jobs, GiAPA retrieves file usage details to show how data is accessed during execution. This helps developers and operators understand I/O patterns and file bottlenecks.

Is user training required to get started with GiAPA?
Minimal. The interface is intuitive, and reports are generated automatically.

For rarely used advanced functions it is recommended to turn to GiAPA’s complete set of smaller tutorials, each covering one or a couple of GiAPA’s menu options.

How often does GiAPA collect data?
GiAPA collects data every 15 seconds, ensuring near real-time insight.

GiAPA samples job-related data every 15 seconds around the clock. This high frequency allows you to detect even short-lived performance issues and gain reliable insights into system usage trends.

What is the 'Triple A' feature in GiAPA?
It’s an automatic application analysis tool for identifying optimization potential.

Triple A stands for Automatic Application Analysis. It highlights which program functions and file accesses are consuming the most resources – often revealing hidden inefficiencies even in trusted code.

What is GiAPA’s impact on system performance?
It uses less than 0.1% CPU on average – virtually negligible.

GiAPA is designed to be extremely lightweight. The data collection process uses less than 0.1% CPU and does not interfere with job execution, making it safe for use in production environments.

Does GiAPA offer historical comparisons?
Yes. You can compare past and present workloads, trends, and anomalies.

You can generate visual reports comparing workloads across days, weeks, or months – perfect for evaluating the impact of changes or identifying performance degradation over time.

How does GiAPA visualize system usage?
Through automatically generated Management Graphics with job, CPU, and I/O insights.

In addition to GiAPA’s suite of automatically generated graphics, users can define their own. Graphs can run in unattended batch and be emailed automatically to stakeholders.

How much system overhead does GiAPA introduce?
Less than 0.1% CPU usage.

GiAPA was built with performance in mind. It collects detailed data for every job every 15 seconds – and still keeps its own resource use extremely low. The total CPU consumption is typically below 0.1%, even on busy production systems. This means you get full visibility without performance trade-offs. GiAPA runs quietly in the background, without slowing anything down.

Can GiAPA help us troubleshoot performance issues after they’ve happened?
Yes. GiAPA collects data for all jobs continuously, so you can analyze past performance issues in detail.

With GiAPA, you're not limited to real-time monitoring. The system stores a rich history of performance data, which lets you investigate and diagnose problems after the fact. For example, if a job caused issues last night, you can review what happened – CPU spikes, I/Os, and even call stacks or file activity (for CPU-heavy jobs). This makes it easy to identify root causes, compare before/after changes, and avoid guesswork in your troubleshooting process.

Is GiAPA suitable for use on Power i systems with high workloads?
Yes. GiAPA is built specifically for the IBM i operating system.

It scales effortlessly to handle high workloads and complex environments. Thanks to its lightweight design and low CPU footprint, it remains stable and responsive even under heavy load, making it ideal for mission-critical systems.

Does GiAPA collect or expose sensitive business data?
No – GiAPA collects system-level performance metrics only. It does not access business transactions or file contents.

GiAPA is designed to help you monitor and optimize performance without touching your business-critical data. It collects detailed metrics like CPU usage, job activity, and I/O patterns – but never the content of database files, user input, or application data. All data remains on your system. There’s no cloud syncing, and no external access is required. This ensures full data privacy and compliance with internal security policies.

Can GiAPA help us troubleshoot performance issues after they’ve happened?
Yes. GiAPA logs job activity continuously, so you can analyze past performance issues in detail.

With GiAPA, you're not limited to real-time monitoring. The system stores a rich history of performance data, which lets you investigate and diagnose problems after the fact.

For example, if a job caused issues last night, you can review what happened – CPU spikes, looping behavior, and even call stacks or file activity (for CPU-heavy jobs).

This makes it easy to identify root causes, compare before/after changes, and avoid guesswork in your troubleshooting process.

How much system overhead does GiAPA introduce?
Less than 0.1% CPU usage, even when collecting data 24/7.

GiAPA was built with performance in mind. It collects detailed data for every job every 15 seconds – and still keeps its own resource use extremely low.

The total CPU consumption is typically below 0.1%, even on busy production systems. This means you get full visibility without performance trade-offs. GiAPA runs quietly in the background, without slowing anything down.

Does GiAPA collect or expose sensitive business data?
No – GiAPA collects system-level performance metrics only. It does not access business transactions or file contents.

GiAPA is designed to help you monitor and optimize performance without touching your business-critical data. It collects detailed metrics like CPU usage, job activity, and I/O patterns – but never the content of database files, user input, or application data.

All data remains on your system. There’s no cloud syncing, and no external access is required. This ensures full data privacy and compliance with internal security policies.

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