SQL Performance Tuning By Peter Gulutzan, Trudy Pelzer Publisher: Addison Wesley Pub Date: September 10, 2002 ISBN: 0-201-79169-2 Pages: 528 SQL Performance Tuning is a handbook of practical solutions for busy database professionals charged with managing an organization's critically important data. Covering today's most popular and widely installed database environments, this book is an indispensable resource for managing and tuning SQL across multiple platforms. Packed with tips, techniques, and best practices, this hands-on guide covers SQL commands and queries over a wide range of conditions and environments. Every facet of the SQL environment is covered, from concurrency control to optimization—and every issue in between. The book includes an overview of each of the most widely used database management systems (DBMS) and provides tuning tips for common day-to-day situations. Topics covered include: • General and specific tuning • General sort considerations and options • Joins and subqueries • Columns and tables • Indexes, including B-trees and bitmaps • Constraints and stored procedures • ODBC and JDBC • Data changes and concurrency control (locking) • Clients, servers, and middleware Whether you are a programmer, consultant, or user, you will find SQL Performance Tuning an indispensable guide to optimizing SQL performance across today's popular database environments. Throughout SQL Performance Tuning, ideas and techniques are tested on a variety of popular SQL environments, including IBM DB2, Informix, Ingres, InterBase, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, and Sybase ASE. The book's practical examples are written in ANSI/ISO Standard SQL: 1999. Copyright Preface You Don't Know that Your DBMS Is Good … You Know that Even Good Tools Work Better in Skilled Hands … Acknowledgments Chapter 1. Facilis Descensus Averni This Subject Is Important The Big Eight Test Results Portability Terminology and Expectations Generalities Chapter 2. Simple Searches General Tuning Specific Tuning Style Notes Parting Shots Chapter 3. ORDER BY General Sort Considerations Character Sorts Other Options Parting Shots Chapter 4. GROUP BY Refresher Optimal GROUP BY Clauses Sorting Set Functions and Summary Aggregates Parting Shots Chapter 5. Joins Join Plan Strategies Avoid the Join Strategies Three-Way Joins and Beyond Old Style versus ANSI Style Parting Shots Chapter 6. Subqueries Refresher Join versus Subquery Syntax Choices Parting Shots Chapter 7. Columns How Big Is the Size Factor? Characters Temporals Numbers Bits Large Objects NULLs Column Order Within Rows Parting Shots Chapter 8. Tables The Storage Hierarchy Heaps Clusters The Normal Forms Views Parting Shots Chapter 9. Indexes Refresher B-trees Types of Indexes Bitmap Indexes Other Index Variations Index Key Values Parting Shots Chapter 10. Constraints NOT NULL CHECK FOREIGN KEY PRIMARY KEY UNIQUE Triggers Disabling Constraints Client Validations Redundant SELECT Clauses Parting Shots Chapter 11. Stored Procedures Refresher Advantages of Stored Procedures Parting Shots Chapter 12. ODBC Refresher SQLPrepare Fetch Loops Data-Change Statements Catalog Functions Parting Shots Chapter 13. JDBC Connections Query Prepping Result Sets