SQL Performance Tuning: Indexes, Joins, and Query Plans
SQL Performance Tuning: Indexes, Joins, and Query Plans SQL performance tuning helps data apps feel fast. The fastest query is often the one that scans the fewest rows. A good index strategy and careful join choices let the database work with small, predictable data sets. Indexes form the foundation. Create indexes on columns that appear in WHERE, JOIN, ORDER BY, or GROUP BY clauses. Use B-tree indexes for most needs. When several columns are used together in a predicate, a composite index on (colA, colB) can be powerful, but the order matters: place the most selective column first. A covering index, which includes all columns the query reads, avoids extra lookups. But too many indexes slow writes and consume space, so choose thoughtfully. For example, if you filter by status and created_at, an index on (status, created_at) often helps dozens of similar queries. Keep in mind that update-heavy workloads may favor fewer, well-placed indexes. ...