Tesco is looking to keep a lid on its IT costs ahead of the
Christmas peak by driving down its mainframe processing power
utilisation, measured in mips (millions of instructions per
second).
The retailer is making use of performance management software
from Macro 4 to help generate a significant reduction in mips usage
before Christmas when mainframe activity approaches peak
levels.
Tesco IT director John Westnedge said, "We run some core
commercial applications on the mainframes, including ordering and
distribution systems that drive our retail supply chain processes.
They produce round-the-clock order and delivery calculations to
ensure stock is continually replenished in the stores to meet
customer demand.
"Mainframe usage rises significantly at Christmas because of the
volume of activity. So our initial aim is to achieve greater
efficiency in mips usage to help avoid buying more processing power
in the run-up."
Tesco has commissioned Macro 4 partner CPT Global, an
independent performance management specialist, to consult on the
project.
Phase one involved CPT Global using Macro 4's performance
management software to identify opportunities where changes to
databases, systems software and applications could generate mips
savings.
"In the next stage, CPT is providing a more detailed assessment
of these opportunities so that our developers can go in and make
the necessary changes," said Westnedge.
Tesco plans to train its staff in Macro 4 to deliver ongoing
benefits, including fewer CPU upgrades and reduced systems software
costs due to better mips utilisation.
"We want to make performance a standard part of our development
cycle, so that we're resolving performance issues before any new
systems or changes go into production," said Westnedge. "To keep
control of mips utilisation we need to be writing efficient code
from the start, and Macro 4's solution will help us to do
this."
The performance management initiative is part of a wider Step
Change programme to improve the efficiency of the IT operation at
Tesco, which Westnedge is driving.
Tesco is using Macro 4's ExpeTune suite for mainframe
performance management.
"CPT recommended the Macro 4 software, as did an independent
analyst we talked to," said Westnedge. "From our point of view,
mainframe performance management is a very specialist task, and it
made sense to go with a specialist vendor such as Macro 4, who
lives and breathes this area."
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