A method, computer program and system for regulating the workload of a database system as it processes one or more requests are disclosed. The requests are grouped into workload groups and are processed by one or more of a plurality of subsystems within the database system. Each subsystem has resources. The system has resources. The subsystem resources and the system resources are allocated across the workload groups. The method, computer program and system include monitoring, at a subsystem level, the processing of the requests and adjusting the allocation of subsystem resources to workload groups to achieve a subsystem goal and monitoring, at a system level, the processing of the requests and adjusting the allocation of system resources to workload groups to achieve a system goal. The subsystems are arranged in a hierarchical network. The method includes each subsystem reporting through the hierarchy of the network the consumption level of its resources and each subsystem reporting through the hierarchy of the network the consumption level of the resources of other subsystems reporting to it according to the hierarchy.