Lecture 6
Strategies for Query Processing
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe
Introduction
◼ DBMS techniques to process a query
◼ Scanner identifies query tokens
◼ Parser checks the query syntax
◼ Validation checks all attribute and relation names
◼ Query tree (or query graph) created
◼ Execution strategy or query plan devised
◼ Query optimization
◼ Planning a good execution strategy
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 18- 2
Query Processing
Deals with developing algorithms that analyze queries to generate a
good execution plan that defines a sequence of steps for query
evaluation, each step corresponds to one relational operation and its
evaluation method.
Query Result
Valid Internal Exec. Query
Parser queries Query Query Plan Code
repr. plan Execution
Rewrite Optimizer Generator Engine
Catalog Database
(Meta Data)
Typical steps when processing a high-level query
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 18-3
Basic Steps in Query Processing
Parsing and translation
◦ Parser checks syntax, verifies relations
◦ translate the query into its internal form.
Query Graph
Query Tree
Query optimization
◦ the process of choosing a suitable execution strategy for
processing a query.
Execution
◦ The query-execution engine takes a query-evaluation
plan, executes that plan, and returns the query answers
to the user.
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 17-4
Translating SQL Queries into Relational
Algebra and Other Operators
◼ SQL
◼ Query language used in most RDBMSs
◼ Query decomposed into query blocks
◼ Basic units that can be translated into the
algebraic operators
◼ Contains single SELECT-FROM-WHERE
expression
◼ May contain GROUP BY and HAVING clauses
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 18- 5
Translating SQL Queries (cont’d.)
◼ Example:
◼ Inner block
◼ Outer block
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 18- 6
Translating SQL Queries (cont’d.)
◼ Example (cont’d.)
◼ Inner block translated into:
◼ Outer block translated into:
◼ Query optimizer chooses execution plan for each
query block
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 18- 7
Algorithms for SELECT Operation
◼ SELECT operation
◼ Search operation to locate records in a disk file
that satisfy a certain condition
◼ File scan or index scan (if search involves an
index)
◼ Search methods for simple selection
◼ S1: Linear search (brute force algorithm)
◼ Linear search can be applied regardless of
◼ selection condition or
◼ ordering of records in the file, or
◼ availability of indices.
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 18- 8
Algorithms for SELECT Operation
◼ S2: Binary Search
◼ Applicable if selection is an equality comparison
on the attribute on which file is ordered.
◼ S3: Using Primary Index
◼ Selection condition must be on search-key of
index.
◼ Retrieve a single record that satisfies the corresponding
equality condition.
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 16- 9
Algorithms for SELECT Operation
◼ S4: Using a secondary index to retrieve multiple
records
◼ Retrieve a single record if the search-key is a candidate key
◼ Retrieve multiple records if search-key is not a candidate key
◼ S5: Using a clustering index to retrieve multiple
records
◼ S6: Using a hash key
◼ S7: Using a secondary (B+ -tree) index on an
equality comparison.
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 18- 10
Algorithms for SELECT Operation
◼ Selectivity
◼ Ratio of the number of records (tuples) that satisfy
the condition to the total number of records
(tuples) in the file
◼ Number between zero (no records satisfy
condition) and one (all records satisfy condition)
◼ Query optimizer receives input from system
catalog to estimate selectivity
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 18- 11
Implementing the JOIN Operation
◼ JOIN operation
◼ One of the most time consuming in query
processing
◼ EQUIJOIN (NATURAL JOIN)
◼ Two-way or multiway joins
◼ Methods for implementing joins
◼ J1: Nested-loop join (nested-block join)
◼ J2: Index-based nested-loop join
◼ J3: Sort-merge join
◼ J4: Hash Join
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 18- 12
Implementing the JOIN Operation
◼ Available buffer space has important effect on
some JOIN algorithms
◼ Nested-loop approach
◼ Read as many blocks as possible at a time into
memory from the file whose records are used for
the outer loop
◼ Advantageous to use the file with fewer blocks as
the outer-loop file
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 18- 13
Implementing the JOIN Operation
(cont’d.)
◼ Join selection factor
◼ Fraction of records in one file that will be joined
with records in another file
◼ Depends on the equijoin condition with another file
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Hash Join
◼ Build Phase:
◼ For each row in table 1, calculate hash value of equi join columns.
◼ Store row in a hash table, use calculated hash as key.
◼ Probe Phase:
◼ For each row in table 2, calculate hash value of equi join columns.
◼ Check if hash match in hash table, if so, check actual column
◼ Output hash match
◼ Partition-hash join
◼ Each file is partitioned into M partitions using the same partitioning
hash function on the join attributes.
◼ Each pair of corresponding partitions is joined.
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 16- 15
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 16- 16
Algorithms for PROJECT and Set
Operations
◼ PROJECT operation
◼ After projecting R on only the columns in the list of
attributes, any duplicates are removed by treating
the result strictly as a set of tuples
◼ Default for SQL queries
◼ No elimination of duplicates from the query result
◼ Duplicates eliminated only if the keyword DISTINCT
is included
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 18- 17
Algorithms for PROJECT and Set
Operations
◼ Set operations
◼ UNION
◼ INTERSECTION
◼ SET DIFFERENCE
◼ CARTESIAN PRODUCT
◼ Set operations sometimes expensive to
implement
◼ Sort-merge technique
◼ Hashing
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 18- 18
Implementing Aggregate Operations and
Different Types of JOINs
◼ Aggregate operators
◼ MIN, MAX, COUNT, AVERAGE, SUM
◼ Can be computed by a table scan or using an
appropriate index
◼ Example:
◼ If an (ascending) B+ -tree index on Salary exists:
◼ Optimizer can use the Salary index to search for the
largest Salary value
◼ Follow the rightmost pointer in each index node
from the root to the rightmost leaf
Copyright © 2016 Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant B. Navathe Slide 18- 19
