This talk will look at the most important factor influencing MySQL 5 application performance—the optimization of SQL statements and stored procedures. We’ll first consider the optimization of simple, single table SQL statements by using effective indexing techniques and database design. We’ll then consider how to optimize joins and more complex queries involving derived tables, views, ordering, grouping, and DML. The first step toward optimizing MySQL 5 stored procedures and functions is to optimize the SQL contained within these programs. However, as with any programming language, the design of loops, conditional (IF and CASE) and other structures, can have a significant effect on overall execution time. We’ll look both at how to optimize the stored program code, and how to optimize the use of SQL within that code. Finally, we’ll consider some cases in which you can use a stored programming approach as an alternative to hard-to optimize SQL.