Synthetic vs Non-Synthetic Benchmarking: Understanding the Difference
As technology advances, businesses are finding themselves dealing with massive amounts of data. Databases play a significant role in storing and managing this data, and businesses need to ensure their databases perform optimally. Benchmarking is one way to assess the performance of a database, and there are two types of benchmarking - synthetic and non-synthetic. In this Blog, we’ll discuss the differences between the two and how to choose the right benchmarking tool for your business needs.
Synthetic Benchmarking
Synthetic benchmarking entails creating data and a workload using a programme/applications in order to simulate a near real-world scenario. Synthetic benchmarking has the advantage of being simple to set up and producing huge volumes of data rapidly. Moreover, it makes it possible to test various scenarios and gauge performance under various workloads.
Nonetheless, it is important to take into account the limits of synthetic benchmarking. The workload and data are intentionally produced, therefore they might not precisely reflect real-world conditions and data. As a result, synthetic benchmarking could not accurately reflect the performance of your database in practise.
Non-Synthetic Benchmarking
Non-synthetic benchmarking is a technique that uses real data and workloads from the production environment to evaluate the performance of the database. With the use of actual queries, real data, and real workloads, this approach can accurately simulate how a database would behave in various situations. This approach helps a database operate better overall by identifying problems that actually exist in the real world. It is the most reliable way of benchmarking to get accurate results for your applications benchmarking needs
In contrast to synthetic benchmarking, non-synthetic benchmarking might be more difficult and time-consuming to set up. It also necessitates access to genuine production data, which can jeopardise the company's security. Notwithstanding these difficulties, non-synthetic benchmarking is still an important tool for predicting how a database will perform in a real-world setting and should be taken into account when evaluating a database's performance. A hybrid strategy that combines synthetic and non-synthetic benchmarking may, in some situations, be the most efficient way to gain a thorough understanding of a database's performance.
CockroachDB Workload
CockroachDB is a Highly available resilient and scalable database. CockroachDB Workload, one of its features, is a benchmarking tool that evaluates the database's performance using example data based off a number of different workload options. Developers may simulate the workload of an example environment using these workloads with CockroachDB Workload, giving them a realistic idea of how the database will function in the real world.
CockroachDB Workload is an excellent benchmarking tool for companies wishing to evaluate the performance of their databases because it is simple to set up and utilise. Moreover, it offers thorough performance measurements, enabling companies to locate bottlenecks and enhance database performance.
An Example of how to use this tool can be found here
Conclusion
Choosing the right benchmarking tool for your business is essential to ensure the optimal performance of your database. While synthetic benchmarking is easier to set up, it might not provide an accurate representation of the actual performance of your database. Non-synthetic benchmarking, on the other hand, is more complex to set up but provides a more accurate representation of how your database will perform in the real world. With CockroachDB Workload, businesses can use real production data to assess the performance of their databases accurately.