Improving Query Performance Without Hacking Core

The Drupal database structure and highly-customizable field system make for great sites, but can also cause a problem with poorly constructed queries. As your site grows, queries that perform well one day may not the next due to additional features or an influx of content.

This session will cover how to identify if you have a problem with your queries and what tools are available to help you. We'll look at some common query problems and how to solve them, and cover some common Drupal queries that can run slow. We'll also give an overview of reading the query execution plan ( focusing on mysql and postgres ) and how to use that knowledge to identify solutions for better query performance.

We'll then look at the changes in the query system from D6 to D7 with a specific focus on the changes that affect your ability to alter queries. We'll take a look at how to use Drupal 7's new DBTNG system to modify core and views queries for performance, add filters to queries, send queries to slave servers, or otherwise alter the query object.

We'll look at a few real-world queries, and how you can improve them dramatically with just a few lines of code.