If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
—Peter Drucker
Figures are not always facts.
—American saying
CHAPTER 11
Performance Measurement and Analysis
11.1 INTRODUCTION
The two quotations with which we introduce this chapter highlight the dilemma of computer performance evaluation. One must have quantitative tools with which to gauge performance, but how can one be certain that the tools chosen for the task meet the objectives of the assessment? In fact, one cannot always be certain that this is the case. Furthermore, system purveyors are strongly motivated to slant otherwise truthful numbers so that their system looks better than its competitors.
You can defend yourself against most statistical chicanery by cultivating a thorough understanding ...
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