Setting Configuration Parameters

A configuration parameter is a user-definable setting that you set with sp_configure. Configuration parameters are used for a wide range of services, from basic to specific server operations, and for performance tuning. SAP ASE supplies default values for all configuration parameters.

Use configuration parameters to tailor SAP ASE for an installation’s particular needs. Determine which configuration parameters you should reset to optimize server performance.

SAP ASE stores the values of configuration parameters in a configuration file, which is an ASCII text file.

When you install a new SAP ASE, your parameters are set to the default configuration; the default name of the file is server_name.cfg, and the default location of the file is the SAP ASE home directory ($SYBASE_ASE). Each time you modify a configuration parameter, SAP ASE creates a copy of the outdated configuration file, using the naming convention server_name.001, server_name.002, server_name.003...server_name.999. SAP ASE writes the new values to the file server_name.cfg or to a file name you specify at start-up.

• Modifying Configuration Parameters
  You can modify configuration parameters using a variety of methods.
• Required Roles for Modifying Configuration Parameters
  The SAP ASE role you have determines how you execute sp_configure.
• Unit Specification Using sp_configure
  sp_configure allows you to specify the value for configuration parameters in unit specifiers.
• Global Versus Session Settings
  Some SAP ASE global settings are similar to session-level settings. For example, both sp_configure and sp_passwordpolicy include a minimum password length parameter.
• Getting Help Information on Configuration Parameters
  Use either sp_helpconfig or sp_configure to display information about a particular configuration parameter.
• Using sp_configure
  sp_configure displays and resets configuration parameters.
• sp_configure Output
  The values sp_configure prints vary, depending on your platform and on what values you have already changed.
• sysconfigures and syscurconfigs Tables
  The report shown by sp_configure is constructed mainly from the master..sysconfigures and master..syscurconfigs system tables, with additional information provided from sysattributes, sysdevices, and other system tables.
• Named Cache Configuration Parameter Group
  The Named Cache configuration parameter group provides details for named caches.
• Dump Configuration Parameter Group
  The dump configuration configuration parameter group represents these user-created dump configurations.
• Configuration Parameters
  In many cases, the maximum allowable values for configuration parameters are usually limited by available memory, rather than by sp_configure limitations.