SQL: Advanced SQL Query optimization techniques

by Andy Vickler

Many companies worldwide suffer from one fundamental problem, and that is the inefficient functioning of their databases. While many know of database tuning and work to cover that aspect, professional database developers, managers, and administrators always miss one optimizing their queries to save maximum time and cost and provide the query efficiently. Those who are aware of query optimization often lack the skillset and resources to implement this process at an advanced level efficiently. This book aims to make it easier for them.

Here are some ways this book will prove beneficial for readers of all types, e.g., database administrators, teachers, students, or people genuinely interested in
• This book is free of any sort of jargon and complex discussions. The simple language aims to make it accessible to and implementable for people of all backgrounds.
• This book uses a very balanced approach. Too much time is not given to concepts that may be irrelevant, nor is anything missed out (purposefully) that may be of substantial importance to the readers.
• Simplified code is provided that can be used by the readers as a reference. This approach allows the readers to get onto practical implementation immediately.
• This book sticks to the point. That means the readers are likely to get exactly what they are looking for and will not find the book's title misleading by the time they are done reading the book.
• This book attempts to cover all the aspects of query optimization. However, since it is not a textbook and just covers advanced optimization techniques, an adequate amount of background knowledge may be expected from the readers.

By the end of this book, readers will have a greater understanding of databases and understand all the considerations of efficient use of databases. The contents of this book will equip readers with the capability to practically apply the given concepts for efficient querying.

Take your database career to the next level!

169 pages, Paperback

Published July 12, 2021

Reviews

[Chó Yêu Cáo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find it interesting to read. But is it useful? I do not think so. Chapters 3 and 4 sound trivial. Chapter 5 is OK, but as mentioned in the book, the Rule-based optimizer is not as optimal as the cost-based one, so in my opinion, it is just a nice-to-have chapter. Chapter 6 is mostly about statistics and revolves around Oracle Database, which is disappointing. I mean, I want the knowledge to optimize the database, and it should be applicable for most engines, not a specific one, right? I have limited experience with database statistics, making it difficult to assess the practical value of this chapter for effective statistics management, though I remain skeptical. Maybe I will visit this chapter again when I can get my hands on those statistics. Furthermore, Chapter 7 is another waste of time, as I believe everyone knows how to read the execution plan. What I (and most readers) want to know is how to detect the bottleneck in that plan and how to tackle it. While the book indeed mentioned such knowledge, it was, however, as concise as possible: "... see the numbers of rows the optimizer estimated would be processed at every step. Compare that to the actual number - if the estimates are not right, it's highly likely there is a better plan." That is it. No examples, no explanations on how to change to another plan, no suggestions on how to find a better plan, no nothing. The last chapter is yet another disappointment. I will not say it is useless, as the presented information is technically correct, but "understanding the application?" Really? Is that supposed to appear in a book about optimization? This chapter shifts the focus to designing a database, which is related to query optimization in some sense, but I expect more about querying than about designing. In summary, I do not think this is a good option to delve into if you are facing a slow query, as it is not practical enough, at least for me.