Speed Up Your MySQL Searches: The Power of Secondary Indexes
May 23, 2024Imagine a massive warehouse filled with boxes. You need to find a specific box containing red objects, but all the boxes are just piled on top of each other. Going through every box would take forever.
This is where organisation comes in. In MySQL databases, indexes act like a filing system for your data.
Types of Indexes
There are different types of indexes. Common ones include:
Primary keys (unique identifiers for rows)
Unique indexes (ensure no duplicate values in a column)
Secondary indexes (used for filtering and sorting) are the ones we will talk about today.
What are Secondary Indexes?
Think of a secondary index as a separate list specifically for a particular section (column) in your warehouse. Let's say you have a table storing information about products in your online store. A secondary index can be created on the "colour" column. This index would list all the products and their corresponding colours, separate from the main table.
Why Use Secondary Indexes?
Faster Filtering: When you search for red objects (products with "colour" as "red"), MySQL can quickly look at the colour index instead of scanning every single product in the warehouse (table). It's like having a handy reference guide!
Efficient Sorting: For instance, if you want to sort products by colour, using a secondary index on the "colour" column helps MySQL sort things based on a specific feature (like colour) much faster!
Creating Secondary Indexes: A Step-by-Step Example
Let's create a secondary index on the "colour" column in our product table named products:
Open your MySQL command line.
Use the CREATE INDEX statement: Here's the command format:
mysql> CREATE INDEX index_name ON table_name (column_name); Example of a command:
mysql> CREATE INDEX colour_index ON products (colour);
This command creates an index named colour_index on the colour column of the products table.
Using Your New Index
Now, whenever you run a query that filters or sorts based on colour, MySQL will (hopefully!) utilize the colour_index to speed things up. For example:
mysql> SELECT * FROM products WHERE colour = 'red'; -- Filter by colour Remember:
Indexes are for specific columns: Create secondary indexes on columns frequently used for filtering and sorting in your queries.
Balance is key: Too many indexes can slow down writes, so choose them wisely.
Posted by Renata Shaw. Posted In : MySQL