"With tools like Apache, Perl, PHP, and Python, building great MySQL applications is easy. Making sure that they are
fast, however, requires quite a bit more insight. Here's what you need to know.
MySQL has a well-deserved reputation for being a very fast database server that's also quite easy to set up and use.
(We looked at the installation process in the March 2001 issue, available on the Web at http://www.linux-mag.com/2001-03/mysql_01.html.) With
its growing popularity as a back-end database for Web sites, its visibility has increased dramatically in the last year or so. But few MySQL users
know more than how to create a database and write queries against it. Just as thousands of folks are learning about Unix by experimenting with
Linux in their spare time, many are learning about relational database systems by playing with MySQL. Most of these newcomers to MySQL have
neither a background in relational database theory nor the time to read the entire MySQL manual.
For this reason, we've decided to take a look at some of the methods you can use to tune MySQL for optimal performance. After reading this article,
you'll understand some of the techniques that will help you design your MySQL databases and queries so that your applications are efficient. We
will assume you are familiar with MySQL and SQL basics, but will not assume you have extensive knowledge of either."
