Analyzing Index Usage and Disk I/O with MySQL 8 Performance Schema: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction:

Index usage and disk I/O play a crucial role in optimizing MySQL database performance. Monitoring how indexes are utilized provides valuable insights. Analyzing their impact on disk I/O helps identify potential bottlenecks and improves query execution times.

In this blog, we will explore how to use the MySQL 8 Performance Schema to monitor index usage and disk I/O. This approach enables database administrators to evaluate query efficiency and gain deeper insights into their storage system.

SQL Query to Monitor Index Usage and Disk I/O:

SELECT
    OBJECT_SCHEMA AS DATABASE_NAME,
    OBJECT_NAME AS TABLE_NAME,
    INDEX_NAME AS INDEX_NAME,
    COUNT_READ AS Total_Reads,
    COUNT_WRITE AS Writes,
    COUNT_FETCH AS Fetches,
    SUM_TIMER_READ AS Read_Latency,
    SUM_TIMER_WRITE AS Write_Latency,
    SUM_TIMER_FETCH AS Fetch_Latency,
    (COUNT_READ + COUNT_WRITE + COUNT_FETCH) AS Total_IO
FROM
    performance_schema.table_io_waits_summary_by_index_usage
GROUP BY OBJECT_SCHEMA, OBJECT_NAME, INDEX_NAME, COUNT_READ, COUNT_WRITE, COUNT_FETCH, SUM_TIMER_READ, SUM_TIMER_WRITE, SUM_TIMER_FETCH, (COUNT_READ + COUNT_WRITE + COUNT_FETCH)
ORDER BY
    Total_IO DESC;

Conclusion:

Monitoring Index usage and disk I/O plays a crucial role in optimizing MySQL 8 database performance. By executing the provided SQL query with the MySQL 8 Performance Schema, database administrators can gain valuable insights. They can analyze how indexes are being utilized and assess their impact on disk I/O.

This information helps identify performance bottlenecks and enables administrators to address them effectively. As a result, query execution times improve, and overall database efficiency increases. Regularly monitoring index usage and disk I/O significantly contributes to managing large-scale MySQL databases successfully. Additionally, it enhances the overall user experience.

About Shiv Iyer 497 Articles
Open Source Database Systems Engineer with a deep understanding of Optimizer Internals, Performance Engineering, Scalability and Data SRE. Shiv currently is the Founder, Investor, Board Member and CEO of multiple Database Systems Infrastructure Operations companies in the Transaction Processing Computing and ColumnStores ecosystem. He is also a frequent speaker in open source software conferences globally.