how to know whether a sql query is optimal or not - sql

i have four queries, all of which are valid and they do the same work.
how to find out which one is the most optimal?
i'm using oracle 10g.
is there any method like finding time complexity of a program?

One of the parameters to measure is the performance of the query. For oracle you can use Explain Plan. Check out the details below -
http://www.adp-gmbh.ch/ora/explainplan.html
http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/B10500_01/server.920/a96533/ex_plan.htm

If you use MySQL, i think that most practical method to compare queries efficiency is BENCHMARK() query.

If you're using Microsoft SQL Server you could use SQL Management Studio to look at the queries' Execution Plans, or even run a SQL Profiler trace.

Generate the execution plan (e.g. using EXPLAIN PLAN) and compare the costs of the different statements.

Related

How I can find sql query for execution plan?

Some programm generate and send queries to sql server(on high load production). I want take plan of concrete query of concrete table. I start profiler with "Showplan XML" and set filter on TextData(like %MyTable%) and DatabaseName. It show rows with xml in TextData that describe execution plans(for all queries of my table). But I know that exist 5 different sql queries for this table.
How I can match some concrete query with correspond plan without use statistic?
Is there a reason this has to be done on the production environment? Most really bad execution plans (missing indexes causing table scans etc.) will be obvious enough on a dev environment where you can use all the diagnostics you want.
Otherwise running the SQL on the query cache (as in the linked question someone else mentioned) will probably have the lowest impact as it just queries a system table rather than adding diagnostics to every query.

How to make auto execution of sql queries

i have lots of query with select and update. i want to execute it automatically in Oracle SQL developer. I also want to note the execution time of each query.
Please suggest way.
Thanks in advance.

SQL View optimisation

I have inherited an existing system and am trying to figure out a few things.
The system does a
SELECT * FROM v_myView WHERE mvViewCol = 'someValue'
and v_myView performs summation of Table1 based on myViewCol
Does SQL Server 2005 optimize the query or will summation always occur across the entire Table1?
I understand that I could use a parameterized view but don't want to go changing things unnecessarily.
Cheers
Geoff
Views have no runtime cost at all. They are always inlined into the surrounding query as if you had pasted the view definition as text. They would be impractical to use otherwise.
Does SQL Server (2005) optimize the query or will summation always occur across the entire Table1.
It will be optimized.
This is a complicated question. I think the best explanation is here. I do wish Microsoft documentation were a little clearer on this point.
When a view is created, the query is parsed. This ensures that it is correct.
The execution plan is determined the first time the query is run (to a close approximation). This execution plan then remains in the plan cache for subsequent calls. So, if you have an index on the appropriate columns and the first execution has a where clause that would use the index, then subsequent calls will also use the index.
I say to a close approximation, because it is really the first time that a view is called when the plan is not in the plan cache. Certain changes to the database will flush the plan, as will restarting the server.
So, if you only access the view with the where clause, then subsequent uses of the view will be optimized for that purpose.
SQL Server 2005 will optimize the view each time it is referenced in a query : http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc917715.aspx
"After view expansion, the SQL Server query optimizer compiles a single execution plan for the executing query."
I don't have 2005 installed but it will operate similiar to 2008R2 - To view the Query Optimization Plan, right click in the query window and select "Display Estimated Execution Plan" for more info and to spot any bottlenecks.
In the Query menu option, there is "Analyse Query in Database Tuning Advisor" that may also be of benefit to you.

Measuring the Performance of SQL Queries

Let me say ahead of time, that I have very little understanding of the algorithms that SQL queries go through, so please excuse my ignorance.
My question is: How do you go about evaluating the performance of a particular SQL query? And what metrics are considered?
For example,
SELECT * FROM MyTable;
and
SELECT * FROM MyTable UNION SELECT * From MyTable;
I'm guessing the second one is a lot slower even though both queries return the same results. But, how could someone evaluate the two and decide which one is better and why?
Are there tools to do this? Is there any type of SQL stack trace? Etc...
Thanks.
Assuming you're talking about SQL Server (you didn't specify...):
You need to look into SQL Server Profiler - and the best intro around is a six-part webcast series called
Mastering SQL Server Profiler
in which Brad MacGehee walks you through how to start using Profiler and what to get from it.
Red-Gate Software also publishes a free e-book on Mastering SQL Server Profiler (also by Brad)
Also assuming you are talking about SQL Server, if you are using SQL Server Management Studio, then you can try 'Display Estimatesd Execution Plan' and/or 'Include Actual Execution Plan' (from the Query menu).
The difference is that the first one doesn't execute the query, while the second does. So the second is more accurate, but the first is useful if you only want to execute the 'lighter' query.
Both of them display the execution tree. You can hover over each node and see statistics.
The one to use to compare is 'Estimate Subtree Cost' (the higher the worse).
Hope this was helpful.

Improve SQL Server query performance

I would like to know if there is any tool which will give me the optimized SQL query for which ever query I specify. So that I can improve my DB as well as query performance. I use SQL Server 2008.
Thanks in advance.
The old Rule of DBs still applies, don't try to optimize sql statements, since the DB query parser will do its own optimizations anyway, instead do right away what we all do in the end:
Create indexes to increase performance
Don't get me wrong of course sql queries can be written stupidly and will therefore perform badly, but as long as you created a sensable 'normal' query, the query optimizer will do the rest together with the indexes.
SQL Server will even tell you if a query will clearly benefit from an index when you look at the execution plan. It will even generate the DDL statement to create the index, so all you have to do is copy/paste and run it to have the index your query needs.
You can already watch the execution plan that gives you SQL Server Management Studio.
You can try Redgate, they have evaluation versions for most of their products:
Redgate Website
SQL Server 2005 and up comes with a Query Optimizer. This can help, but tools can't really do too much optimization suggesting for you because they don't know what you are trying to accomplish.
You might try taking a look instead at some ways in which you can optimize your queries. Here are some links to get you started.
Tips, Tricks, and Advice from the MS SQL Query Optimization Team
SQL Server Rules for Optimizing Queries, best practices
Statistics Used by the Query Optimizer in SQL Server 2008
SQL Server 7.0 / 2000 came with 'index tuning wizard' this functionality has been around for a long time.
I'd reccomend having a look at 'select * from sys.dm_db_missing_index_details'
It tells you which indexes are 'missing', it's trivial to look in that table and then create indexes