Like application monitoring, database performance monitoring is a critical discipline. If there isn’t a code issue, there’s a good chance you have a database issue. Key metrics such as CPU and memory usage can give you important insights into your database’s performance. In addition, by monitoring slow queries, and inordinate number of database requests, you […]
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Preface: Jez Marsh is a SolarWinds MVP and the founder of Silverback Systems U.K., a solutions provider working with customers to sharpen their operations processes and maximize their investment in their monitoring solutions. He primarily works with customers to implement SolarWinds network management software and systems management solutions but has found a growing need for […]
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Making sure that database applications are running optimally is one of the biggest problems faced by DBAs on an ongoing basis. DBAs are constantly monitoring and managing performance while also reacting to end user complaints. When users have to wait longer than they are used to waiting for their applications to respond it is understandable […]
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I’ve come across quite a few articles on the discussion surrounding the “DBA is Dead” topic. I’d like to open this up for discussion. Perhaps the rumors of the imminent demise of the DBA are grossly exaggerated—or are they? There is lots of talk about the value of data, the expansion of data, the movement […]
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The benefits of DevOps are clear: higher quality software, better performance, agility, responsiveness, and more. And yet, DevOps seems like an impossible mirage for most teams. It requires a complete change of culture, new tools, new processes, and new skills. Adopting DevOps is a monumental task. However, there is an option. If we look at […]
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When it is not possible to eliminate an SQL statement to improve performance, it might be possible to simplify the statement. Consider the following questions: Are all columns required? Can a table join be removed? Is a join or WHERE restriction necessary for additional SQL statements in a given function? Column Improvement An important requirement […]
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When it’s not possible to remove SQL statements that are unnecessary and the rate of change of common data is relatively low, caching SQL results can provide a significant performance boost to your application and enable additional scalability of your database server. MySQL Caching The MySQL query cache can provide a boost in performance for […]
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Eliminating overhead that adds unnecessary load to database servers when SQL statements are unnecessary can improve MySQL performance, including removing duplicate, repeating or unnecessary statements. Removing Duplicate SQL Statements Capture of all SQL statements for a given function or process will highlight any duplicate SQL statements that are executed to complete a specific request. The […]
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Adding indexes can provide significant performance benefits. However, the most effective SQL optimization for a relational database is to eliminate the need to execute the SQL statement completely. For a highly tuned application, the greatest amount of time for the total execution of the statement is the network overhead. Removing SQL statements can reduce the […]
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You might need to restore corrupted tables (or even an entire database) from your backups and use the update logs if a table gets damaged or deleted by accident. In case of relatively minor damage, however, MySQL provides several options for table repair. This next section deals with what you can do if this is […]
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If you want your server to perform optimally the best solution is to get tons of memory and big, fast drives. However, in most situations, these brute-force techniques won’t be an option. Given that we operate under less-than-ideal conditions, getting a handle on some subtler techniques for optimizing server performance makes more sense. Accordingly, this […]
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In the context of keeping your queries lean and mean, you need to consider several things in terms of the table design. First, if a frequently queried table also gets a lot of changes, the way to improve performance is to stay with fixed-length fields, rather than variable-length ones. The trade-off is this: By definition, […]
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