Techniques for determining effects, on a system, of values for a parameter that is used to manage memory for the system include generating data that indicates a workload and an actual performance of the system. The data is generated while processing the workload within the system using a first value for the parameter. Based on the data, an estimated performance is generated. The estimated performance is a performance that the system would have experienced if a second value for the parameter had been used to process the workload. The second value is different from the first value for the parameter. Using these techniques, an administrator can determine what change in system performance could be achieved by changing a value of the memory management parameter. Therefore the system administrator can better determine whether to make the change in the value of the memory management parameter.