Sensitivity analysis of database operations : a case study of parallel partition/sorting algorithm

Many data sets follow certain distribution patterns, such as uniform distribution, normal distribution, and so on. Some algorithms for database operations make use of this distribution knowledge, and they usually perform much better than other algorithms, particularly in parallel computers. However, the distribution characteristics of certain data sets can change from time to time in real-life situations and affect the performance of these algorithms. It is thus important to know the behaviour of these algorithms under imperfect situations. This article presents the sensitivity analysis of a statistical algorithm for database operations when data sets do not follow the assumed distribution pattern. A parallel sorting algorithm designed by the author is used as a case study. This algorithm is for parallel computers with multiple instruction streams, multiple data streams architecture with shared memory.