Data forms the backbone of any business. Irrespective of the type of the organization, there is always data that needs to be stored, manipulated, retrieved and displayed.
Data can be stored in file systems, or a special software called as a database, whose sole purpose of existence is to organize and store data.
Once data is stored, we also need a way to manipulate and retrieve it. To work with the data stored in the database, we need to use a language which database understands, called as Structured Query Language (SQL). The commands written using SQL to perform operations on data are called “Queries.”
How much data is stored in a database?
Theoretically, databases can store any volume of data. The choice of the database must be made as a conscious Engineering decision, based on the current size, and the volume of the data expected in the future. There are many databases available in the market, and the decision on which one to use must be taken after weighing in factors like ease of use, available expertise, cost, and performance.
How is data stored in a database?
SQL Databases. for example, the SQL Server, store related data together, usually in the form of tables with a defined number of columns and an unlimited number of rows. This blueprint of the of the tables and the columns in each of the tables is called as a Data Model.
A good Data Model not only organizes data most efficiently to optimize storage but also provides the best and fastest way of querying the data.
What are the potential problems with databases?
Databases are meant to be used by multiple applications and people at the same time. Operations like inserting, updating, deleting and reading the data need to happen in parallel. These operations are called CRUD (Create, Read, Update and Delete) operations.
When multiple CRUD operations happen simultaneously, there are performance issues, which means databases become slow, and in some cases, data could be corrupted as well.
Furthermore, there could be problems like the database not being scalable, fast and reliable.
How to get the most optimized performance from the database?
- The way the data model is implemented is one of the most critical factors that can make or break the performance of the database. To apply the data model correctly, one must understand if space efficiency or time efficiency is more critical to the business, and the data model must be created accordingly.
- Use the right indexing strategy to retrieve the data efficiently. Think of indexing as a “Table of Contents” in a book, that gives information on where exactly to find a particular piece of information, which is a much better way of retrieving data, instead of scanning through the whole data set.
- Ensure that the machines have the right amount of processing power and RAM
- Ensure that the queries are written correctly, such that they manipulate and retrieve the required data in the most optimized fashion.
What is SQL Performance Tuning?
The process of adjusting the queries for most efficient CRUD operations is called as SQL Performance Tuning.
There are several strategies that software developers can use to write SQL queries, such that the data is retrieved from the database in the most optimized fashion with no time delays and retaining the integrity of the data.
- Do not explode data by joining different datasets.
- Choose columns that are necessary and not to use all columns when you need just a few of them from a table.
- Ensure that joins use proper indexes so that retrieval is faster.
- Avoid deadlocks by using right locking techniques.
- Updates and deletes are complex operations performed by a database query engine, and we do not want to overload that. Avoid these as much as possible.
Conclusion
When it comes to accounting, business insights, costs, and inventory, a database provides an efficient way of storing data, in a way where it becomes straightforward to view and manipulate data and generate meaningful reports that help organizations take business decisions easily.
However, to make the best use of the database, it is essential to have optimized queries that manipulate and retrieve data, which can be achieved through SQL Performance Tuning. we, the expert DBAs at optimizDBA strive to provide the best services to all our clients. With our unique non-intrusive approach, we can optimize your production database without any access to your data.
If you wish to know how we do it and how we can help you, contact us today.