Elements for Response Time Statistics in ERP Transaction Systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates the statistical distribution of response times in ERP systems, showing they are generally log-normal, which has implications for performance analysis and service agreements.

Contribution

It introduces the idea that ERP transaction response times follow a log-normal distribution, supported by empirical data and heuristic reasoning.

Findings

Response times are often log-normal distributed.

Deviations indicate system performance issues.

Implications for SLA interpretation.

Abstract

We present some measurements and ideas for response time statistics in ERP systems. It is shown that the response time distribution of a given transaction in a given system is generically a log-normal distribution or, in some situations, a sum of two or more log-normal distributions. We present some arguments for this form of the distribution based on heuristic rules for response times, and we show data from performance measurements in actual systems to support the log-normal form. Deviations of the log-normal form can often be traced back to performance problems in the system. Consequences for the interpretation of response time data and for service level agreements are discussed.