If the middle time-wise section is Writing, which section should be targeted first for performance improvements?

• A. Reading
• B. Transforming
• C. Writing
• D. None of these

Answer: (A)

The idea to focus on Reading first comes from how data flows through a workflow. When you want the biggest overall performance boost, speeding up the upstream stage has the broadest impact because it lowers the load arriving at every downstream step. If the middle time-wise section is Writing, speeding up Reading reduces the amount of data that must pass through Transforming and Writing, cuts I/O time, and shortens queues before the writing stage. In practice, you’ll see a larger total time improvement by optimizing how quickly data is read and fed into the process than by tweaking the later stages alone. Once Reading is tightened, you can then evaluate whether Transforming or Writing still needs attention.