Slow Query Optimization with EXPLAIN ANALYZE and Indexes
Diagnoses and optimizes slow SQL queries using execution plans, strategic indexes, and query rewriting.
Learn to identify SQL query performance bottlenecks using EXPLAIN ANALYZE, create efficient indexes, and rewrite queries to reduce response time.
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Prompt objective
Learn to identify SQL query performance bottlenecks using EXPLAIN ANALYZE, create efficient indexes, and rewrite queries to reduce response time.
Real use case
The sales dashboard of Farma Distribuição, running on a PostgreSQL database with 12 million records, takes 45 seconds to load — the CTO needs the main queries to run in under 2 seconds.
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Prompt
Analyze and optimize the following slow queries for the [COMPANY NAME] database with [NUMBER] records in the main table ([TABLE NAME]).\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n**Original slow query:**\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\`\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\`\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\`sql\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n[PASTE SLOW QUERY HERE]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\`\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\`\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\`\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n**Environment details:**\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n- Database: [PostgreSQL/MySQL version]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n- Main table: [NUMBER] records\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n- Existing indexes: [LIST CURRENT INDEXES]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n- Current execution time: [SECONDS]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n- Performance target: [SECONDS]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n**For each query, provide:**\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n1. **EXPLAIN ANALYZE diagnosis:**\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - Interpret the execution plan line by line\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - Identify: Seq Scan vs Index Scan, Nested Loop vs Hash Join, Disk-based Sort\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - Point out the most expensive node (bottleneck)\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - Estimate I/O cost\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n2. **Index optimizations:**\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - Recommended indexes (B-tree, Hash, GIN, BRIN) with justification\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - Composite indexes in the correct order (selectivity)\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - Partial indexes where applicable (WHERE is_active = true)\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - Estimated impact on INSERT/UPDATE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n3. **Query rewriting:**\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - Optimized version with CTEs when they improve readability\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - Replace correlated subqueries with JOINs or EXISTS\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - Use window functions instead of self-joins\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - Optimized LIMIT + OFFSET with keyset pagination\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n4. **Before/after comparison:**\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - Table with: metric, before, after, improvement %\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - EXPLAIN ANALYZE of the optimized query\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n5. **General best practices:**\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - When to use materialization (MATERIALIZED VIEW)\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - Table partitioning by [date/region]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - Relevant postgresql.conf settings (work_mem, shared_buffers)\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n - VACUUM and ANALYZE routine\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\nFocus on production environment with real data.
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