12 Tips for Optimizing SQL Queries

for Faster Performance

Sarang S. Babu · Follow
Published in Learning SQL · 8 min read · Mar 6, 2023

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Ways to Optimize SQL Queries

Database applications have become a crucial component of many
enterprises in todays data-driven world. With so many companies choosing
to process and store their data in the cloud, optimizing queries has become
more important than ever for a company’s bottom line.

We will examine some effective techniques for accelerating SQL query

performance in this article. There are several ways to optimize SQL queries
 for faster performance which are discussed below.

1. Minimize the use of wildcard characters

The
Open in app use of wildcard characters, such as % and _, in SQL queries, can slow
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down query performance. When using wildcard characters, the database has
Search Write
to scan the entire table to find the relevant data. To optimize SQL queries, it
is important to minimize the use of wildcard characters and to use them only
when absolutely necessary.

Let’s consider a query to locate all clients whose last name of the city begins
with the letter “P”, for instance. The following query uses a wildcard
character to find all matching records:

SELECT * FROM customers WHERE last_name_city LIKE 'P%';

This query will work, but it will be slower than a query that uses an index on
the last_name_city column. The query can be improved by adding an index
to the last_name_city column and rewriting it as follows:

SELECT * FROM customers WHERE last_name_city >= 'P' AND last_name < 'Q';

This query will use the index on the last name column and will be faster than
the previous query.

2. Increase Query Performance with Indexes

SQL queries can be sped up by using indexes, which enable the database to
quickly find entries that fit specific criteria. Indexing is the process of
mapping the values of one or more columns from a table to such a unique
value that makes it easy to search for the rows that match a certain value or
range of values.
To enhance SQL queries, you can create indexes on the columns that are
frequently used in the WHERE, JOIN, and ORDER BY clauses. However,
creating too many indexes can slow down data modification operations such
as INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE.

Consider the trade-offs between read performance and write performance

when deciding which columns to index and which types of indexes to use.

Use the following query to find all orders made by a specific customer:

SELECT * FROM orders WHERE customer_number = 2154;

Because the database must search the entire table for the entries that match
the customer number, this query may take a long time if the orders table
contains a lot of records. You can make an index on the customer_number
column to improve the query:

CREATE INDEX idx_orders_customer_number ON orders (customer_id);

This creates an index on the customer_number column of the orders table.

Now when you run the query, the database can quickly locate the rows that
match the customer number using the index, which can improve query
performance.

3. Use appropriate data types

Using appropriate data types for columns in a database can significantly
improve query performance. For example, using an integer data type for a
column that contains numeric values can make queries run faster than using
a text data type. Using the correct data type also ensures data integrity and
can prevent data conversion errors.
Let’s consider, we have a table that where each row represents the orders’
details of a retail store. The table has columns for order ID, customer ID,
order date, and order total.

The order total column contains numeric values. If the order total column is
stored as a text data type, queries that perform calculations on the order
total will be slower than if the column was stored as a numeric data type.

4. Avoid subqueries
Subqueries can slow down query performance, especially when used in the
WHERE or HAVING clauses. It is important to avoid subqueries whenever
possible and to use JOINs or other techniques instead.

For example, consider a query that finds all customers who have placed an
order in the last 30 days. The following query uses a subquery to find all
order IDs within the last 30 days:

SELECT * FROM customers WHERE customer_id IN (SELECT customer_id FROM orders WHE

This query will work, but it will be slower than a query that uses a JOIN to
find the relevant data. The following query uses a JOIN to find all customers
who have placed an order in the last 30 days:

SELECT DISTINCT c.* FROM customers c JOIN orders o ON c.customer_id = o.customer

This query joins the customers table with the orders table and retrieves all
customer information for those who have placed an order in the last 30 days.
This query will be faster than the previous query because it avoids the use of
a subquery.

5. Use LIMIT or TOP to limit the number of rows returned

The LIMIT or TOP clause must be used to restrict the number of rows
returned in SQL queries. There will be fewer data to process and return as a
result.

For example, consider a query to find all customers who have placed an
order in the last 27 days. If there are a large number of customers who have
placed orders in the last 27 days, the query could return a large number of
rows. This can be optimized using LIMIT or TOP. The following query limits
the number of rows returned to 10:

SELECT TOP 10 * FROM customers WHERE customer_id IN (SELECT customer_id FROM ord

This query will only return the top 10 rows that match the criteria, which
will improve query performance.

6. Avoid using SELECT *

Using the SELECT * statement can slow down query performance because it
returns all columns in a table, including those that are not needed for the
query. To optimize SQL queries, it is important to only select the columns
that are needed for the query.

For example, consider a query to find all customers who have placed an
order in the last 30 days. The following query selects all columns from the
customers table:

SELECT * FROM customers WHERE customer_id IN (SELECT customer_id FROM orders WHE

To optimize the query, the SELECT statement can be modified to only select
the columns that are needed:
 SELECT customer_id, first_name, last_name FROM customers WHERE customer_id IN (S

This query will only select the customer ID, first name, and last name
columns, which will improve query performance.

7. Use EXISTS instead of IN

A value is compared with a list of values returned by a subquery using the IN
operator. However, using IN can slow down query performance because it
requires the database to perform a full table scan on the subquery. To
optimize SQL queries, you can use the EXISTS operator instead of IN.

For example, consider a query to find all customers who have placed an
order in the last 30 days:

SELECT * FROM customers WHERE customer_id IN (SELECT customer_id FROM orders WHE

This query uses IN to compare the customer ID with the list of customer IDs
returned by the subquery. To optimize the query, you can use EXISTS instead
of IN:

SELECT * FROM customers c WHERE EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM orders o WHERE o.customer_

This query uses EXISTS to check if a matching row exists in the orders table
instead of using IN. This can improve query performance by avoiding a full
table scan.

8. Use GROUP BY to group data

It is used to group rows based on one or more columns. This can be useful
for summarizing data or performing aggregate functions on groups of data.
However, using GROUP BY can slow down query performance if it is used
unnecessarily. To optimize SQL queries, you should only use GROUP BY
when it is necessary.

For example, consider a query to find the total number of orders placed by
each customer:

SELECT customer_id, COUNT(*) as order_count FROM orders GROUP BY customer_id;

This query uses GROUP BY to group the rows by customer ID and count the
number of orders placed by each customer. To optimize the query, you can
use a subquery to retrieve the customer information and join it with the
orders table:

rder_count FROM orders GROUP BY customer_id) o ON c.customer_id = o.customer_id;

This query uses a subquery to calculate the number of orders placed by each
customer and then joins the result with the customers table to retrieve the
customer information. This avoids the use of GROUP BY and can improve
query performance

9. Use stored procedures

Stored procedures are precompiled SQL statements that are stored in the
database. They can be called from an application or directly from a SQL
query. Using stored procedures can improve query performance by reducing
the amount of data that is sent between the database and the application,
and by reducing the amount of time required to compile and execute the
SQL statements.
10. Optimize the database design
Optimizing the database design can also improve query performance. This
includes ensuring that tables are properly normalized and that indexes are
used effectively. In addition, it is important to ensure that the database is
properly tuned for the expected workload and that it is configured for the
appropriate level of concurrency.

11. Use query optimization tools

There are a variety of query optimization tools available that can help
identify performance issues in SQL queries. These tools can provide
recommendations for improving query performance, such as creating
indexes, rewriting queries, or optimizing the database design. Some popular
query optimization tools include Microsoft SQL Server Query Optimizer,
Oracle SQL Developer, and MySQL Query Optimizer.

12. Monitor query performance

Monitoring query performance is an important step in optimizing SQL
queries. By monitoring query performance, it is possible to identify
performance issues and make appropriate adjustments. This can include
optimizing indexes, rewriting queries, or adjusting the database design. For
tracking query performance, a number of tools are available, including SQL
Server Profiler, Oracle Enterprise Manager, and MySQL Enterprise Monitor.

Conclusion
Optimizing SQL queries for faster performance is an important step in
ensuring that database applications run efficiently. Through this article, we
can conclude the following points -

1. Indexing is the most efficient technique to increase the performance of

SQL queries but carefully consider the trade-offs between read
performance and write performance when deciding which columns to
index and which types of indexes to use.

2. Optimizing SQL queries is an ongoing process and requires regular

monitoring and adjustment to ensure continued performance
improvements.
 3. Have to minimize the use of expensive operations such as JOIN, GROUP
BY, IN, and subqueries, to increase the performance.

4. Test queries on realistic data sets to ensure that optimizations are having
the desired effect.

References
1. Sarang S, What are SQL Wildcard Operators? (2022), Plumbers of Data
Science

2. Dionysia Lemonaki, Learn SQL Queries — Database Query Tutorial for

Beginners 2021, freecodecamp

3. Himnshu Yadav, Limit in SQL, Scaler Topics

4. Lec-57: SQL Queries and Subqueries, Gate Smashers

Related — 10 Best YouTube Channels to Learn SQL

Go from SELECT * to interview-worthy project. Get our free 5-page guide.

Sql Learn Sql Database Programming Tips Editors Pick

Published in Learning SQL Follow

2.1K Followers · Last published 5 days ago

Focused on helping you learn SQL

Written by Sarang S. Babu Follow

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A tech enthusiast with a great taste in technology, avid gamer and a marketer by
profession. 😎
Responses (5)

What are your thoughts?

Respond

Bappy
about 1 year ago

Using INMEMORY can also be helped

1 1 reply Reply

Akash Borigi
about 2 months ago (edited)

I felt helpful with the context in this article!

Do you have any open thoughts when formulating a text-to-SQL query on how to detect a best-fit query for
faster execution?

Reply

Baksa Peter
6 months ago

last_name

I think that you wanted to write last_name_city :)

Reply

See all responses

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