A system for processing a prioritizing protocol for a database, the system including an interface for nominating a first prioritizing protocol that maps a plurality of user accounts to one or more performance groups and to one or more periods; a processor that is responsive to the interface for defining a second prioritizing protocol; and an output in communication with the processor for exporting the second prioritizing protocol. The processor defines the second prioritizing protocol by defining a plurality of workload classes; associating each user account to a particular workload class; and mapping each workload class to a workload weight. The system provides a mechanism for DBMS administrators to migrate their systems from user-centric management to workload-centric management, wherein many DBMS components require updating, replacement or modification.