Query optimization techniques in MySQL - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to select all columns from the employees table.

MySQL

SELECT [1] FROM employees;

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AANY

B*

CALL

DEVERY

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using ALL instead of * causes syntax error.

Using ANY or EVERY are not valid in this context.

The asterisk (*) selects all columns from the table.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to filter employees with salary greater than 50000.

MySQL

SELECT * FROM employees WHERE salary [1] 50000;

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A>

B<

C=

D<=

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '<' will select salaries less than 50000.

Using '=' will select salaries exactly 50000.

The '>' operator filters rows where salary is greater than 50000.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the query to count employees in each department.

MySQL

SELECT department, COUNT(*) [1] employees GROUP BY department;

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AON

BIN

CFROM

DWHERE

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using IN or ON causes syntax errors here.

WHERE is used for filtering, not specifying tables.

The FROM keyword specifies the table to select data from.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to optimize the query by selecting only needed columns and filtering.

MySQL

SELECT [1] FROM employees WHERE [2] > 100000;

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aname

Bsalary

Cage

Ddepartment

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Selecting all columns instead of just needed ones.

Filtering by a column not related to salary.

Selecting only the 'name' column and filtering by 'salary' > 100000 improves query efficiency.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create an index on the salary column to speed up queries.

MySQL

CREATE [1] INDEX [2] ON employees([3]);

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AUNIQUE

Bidx_salary

Csalary

DPRIMARY

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using PRIMARY causes a syntax error.

Naming the index incorrectly.

Indexing the wrong column.

Creating a UNIQUE INDEX named 'idx_salary' on the 'salary' column helps optimize queries filtering by salary.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of using indexes in MySQL query optimization?

easy

A. To encrypt the data for security

B. To speed up data retrieval by reducing the search area

C. To store backup copies of data

D. To increase the size of the database

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what indexes do

   Indexes help the database find rows faster by creating a quick lookup structure.

2. Step 2: Relate indexes to query speed

   By reducing the number of rows scanned, indexes speed up data retrieval significantly.

3. Final Answer:

   To speed up data retrieval by reducing the search area -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Indexes improve search speed = D [OK]

Hint: Indexes speed up searches by narrowing data to scan [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking indexes increase database size only
• Confusing indexes with backups
• Believing indexes encrypt data

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to check the query execution plan in MySQL?

easy

A. EXPLAIN SELECT * FROM users;

B. PLAN SELECT * FROM users;

C. SHOW PLAN SELECT * FROM users;

D. DESCRIBE PLAN SELECT * FROM users;

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the command to view query plans

   MySQL uses the EXPLAIN keyword before a SELECT query to show the execution plan.

2. Step 2: Identify the correct syntax

   Only EXPLAIN SELECT * FROM users; is valid syntax to check the plan.

3. Final Answer:

   EXPLAIN SELECT * FROM users; -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   EXPLAIN shows query plan = C [OK]

Hint: Use EXPLAIN before SELECT to see query plan [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using SHOW PLAN which is invalid in MySQL
• Forgetting EXPLAIN keyword
• Confusing DESCRIBE with EXPLAIN

3. Given the table employees(id INT PRIMARY KEY, name VARCHAR(50), department_id INT) with an index on department_id, what will be the effect of this query?
SELECT * FROM employees WHERE department_id = 5;

medium

A. The query will scan the entire table without using the index

B. The query will return no rows because indexes filter data

C. The query will fail due to missing index

D. The query will use the index to quickly find rows with department_id = 5

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand index usage on department_id

   Since there is an index on department_id, MySQL can use it to locate matching rows efficiently.

2. Step 2: Analyze query behavior

   The WHERE clause filters by department_id = 5, so the index helps avoid scanning all rows.

3. Final Answer:

   The query will use the index to quickly find rows with department_id = 5 -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Index on filter column speeds query = B [OK]

Hint: Indexed columns in WHERE speed up searches [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming index is ignored automatically
• Thinking query fails without index
• Believing indexes filter out rows

4. You wrote this query:
SELECT * FROM orders WHERE customer_id = 10 AND status = 'shipped';
You notice it runs slowly. Which fix will most likely improve performance?

medium

A. Add ORDER BY customer_id

B. Remove the WHERE clause

C. Add an index on (customer_id, status)

D. Use SELECT COUNT(*) instead of SELECT *

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify slow query cause

   The query filters on two columns but may lack a composite index to speed filtering.

2. Step 2: Apply composite index for optimization

   Adding an index on (customer_id, status) helps MySQL quickly find matching rows using both filters.

3. Final Answer:

   Add an index on (customer_id, status) -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Composite index speeds multi-column filters = A [OK]

Hint: Use composite index for multiple WHERE columns [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Removing WHERE clause loses filtering
• ORDER BY does not speed filtering
• Changing SELECT * to COUNT(*) changes result, not speed

5. You have a large table sales(date DATE, product_id INT, amount DECIMAL) without indexes. You want to find total sales for product 101 in 2023 quickly. Which optimization technique is best?

hard

A. Create an index on (product_id, date) and use a query filtering both

B. Add a full table scan hint to force scanning all rows

C. Use SELECT * without WHERE to get all data

D. Drop the table and recreate it

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify query needs

   The query filters by product_id and date range, so indexing these columns helps speed filtering.

2. Step 2: Apply composite index for efficient filtering

   Creating an index on (product_id, date) allows MySQL to quickly find relevant rows without scanning the whole table.

3. Final Answer:

   Create an index on (product_id, date) and use a query filtering both -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Composite index on filter columns = A [OK]

Hint: Index columns used in WHERE for faster queries [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forcing full table scan slows query
• Selecting all rows wastes time
• Dropping table loses data