Case Study: Resolving Catastrophic Database Performance Issues for a Leading Internet Company’s Advertisement Management System
Introduction
A global leader in the internet industry faced a mission-critical database performance issue that disrupted their advertisement management system and jeopardized core business operations. Enteros, leveraging its patented SaaS platform Enteros UpBeat, swiftly addressed and resolved the problem, restoring system stability and safeguarding key revenue channels.
The Challenge
The client’s Oracle-based advertisement management infrastructure was experiencing severe, unpredictable disruptions, including:
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Widespread Database Hangs and Timeouts: Thousands of database user sessions would freeze, resulting in cascading timeouts and necessitating frequent database restarts due to fragmented memory and connection storms.
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Executive-Level Escalation: Due to the business impact, the issue drew direct oversight from the COO, who required progress updates every 20 minutes.
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Ineffective Traditional Tools: Oracle experts had spent two weeks using conventional diagnostic tools like AWR (Automatic Workload Repository), ASH (Active Session History), and OS Watcher without identifying the root cause.
Enteros UpBeat Approach
Enteros deployed its advanced observability and anomaly detection capabilities through the Enteros UpBeat platform, applying a multi-layered instrumentation strategy:
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End-to-End Infrastructure Instrumentation: Enteros instrumented three critical layers of the client’s infrastructure:
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Storage Area Network (SAN)
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Server Layer (Red Hat Linux)
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Database Layer (Oracle RAC nodes)
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High-Frequency Data Capture: Performance data was collected at three-second intervals to provide granular visibility into transient issues.
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Spike and Statistical Analysis: Enteros UpBeat’s advanced statistical learning algorithms scanned for anomalies across all collected metrics, rapidly identifying the root cause that had previously eluded detection.
Discovery and Resolution
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Identification of Cache Flush Events: A sudden cache flush on the NetApp storage array was discovered, caused by a specific read/write pattern executed within a six-second window.
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Vendor Collaboration and Deep Correlation: Working in tandem with the storage vendor, NetApp, Enteros confirmed the cache flush mechanism and linked it with a large transactional log switch and log shipping process initiated by the Oracle database.
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Pinpointing the Triggering SQL Statement: A single SQL query was found responsible for flushing memory from the database buffer cache, initiating a surge of direct data file reads from thousands of sessions—catalyzing the performance collapse.
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Remediation Strategy: Enteros recommended halting automatic log shipments to the standby database. Instead, a custom script was introduced to delay log shipping by one minute, mitigating the risk of repeat incidents.
Results
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Swift Root Cause Identification: Enteros UpBeat identified the complex, multi-layered root causes within a few hours—a task that had proven insurmountable for other teams over two weeks.
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System Stability Restored: Post-remediation, the advertisement management system stabilized, eliminating mass timeouts and hangs.
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Operational Efficiency Reclaimed: Thousands of user sessions resumed stable operation, significantly boosting application performance and end-user experience.
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Revenue Stream Protection: The restored system performance safeguarded the company’s high-value ad operations and preserved key revenue streams.
Conclusion
This case study highlights the unmatched diagnostic depth and resolution power of Enteros UpBeat. By providing full-stack observability and leveraging advanced statistical anomaly detection, Enteros identified and resolved a deeply embedded performance issue that traditional tools failed to uncover. The result was a fully restored system, improved business continuity, and long-term operational cost savings—demonstrating why Enteros is the trusted partner for Fortune 500 enterprises facing high-stakes performance challenges.