Historical product vendors have a very technically challenging problem. They want to gather as much data as possible and as frequently as possible. However, vendors know the more frequently they gather data and the more data they gather, the more their collection activities will impact the system. This is one reason why good historical products seem expensive. In Chapter 5, which covers Oracle performance diagnosis, I will address data-collection challenges.

Firefighting vendor products shine when they blend interactive and historical capabilities. Regardless of the tools you use, ensure you have both interactive capabilities and historical capabilities. Always have your tools installed, running, and ready.

If performance is disastrous, put simply, users assume you're an idiot. They believe you do not understand there are problems, you don't know what the problems are, or you're not fixing the problems. Unless you have done something to change their minds, that's what they will think.