Definition
The process of improving database query performance through better SQL, indexing, schema design, and execution plan analysis.
In Depth
Query optimization involves using EXPLAIN/ANALYZE to understand execution plans, adding appropriate indexes, avoiding N+1 queries, using select_related/prefetch_related in Django, limiting result sets, and denormalizing for read-heavy workloads.
Example Usage
Using Django's select_related('category') when fetching glossary terms to avoid a separate database query for each term's category.
Business Context
A single poorly optimized query can bring down a production database. Query optimization is the highest-impact performance improvement for most applications.
Related Terms
ACID Properties
Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability: the four properties that guarantee database transacti...
Database Index
A data structure that speeds up query performance by creating a fast lookup path to rows based on sp...
Database Migration
A version-controlled change to a database schema (adding tables, modifying columns, or creating inde...
Database Normalization
The process of organizing database tables to reduce data redundancy and improve data integrity by fo...
ORM
Object-Relational Mapping: a programming technique that lets you interact with a database using obje...
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