Database Analyzer Skill

This skill helps you analyze database schemas, identify optimization opportunities, and understand table relationships.

Instructions

1. Identify the target: Determine which table or schema to analyze
2. Gather context: Understand the current usage patterns and performance concerns
3. Analyze structure: Examine table definitions, indexes, and relationships
4. Identify issues: Look for missing indexes, improper data types, or inefficient structures
5. Suggest improvements: Provide specific, actionable recommendations

Examples

Example 1: Basic Table Analysis

User request: "Analyze the users table for optimization opportunities"

Approach:

• Check table structure and data types
• Verify indexes on frequently queried columns
• Look for redundant or missing indexes
• Suggest appropriate data types for columns

Analysis Steps:

-- 1. Get table structure
DESCRIBE users;

-- 2. Check existing indexes
SHOW INDEX FROM users;

-- 3. Analyze table statistics
ANALYZE TABLE users;

Common Issues to Check:

• Missing indexes on foreign keys
• Text columns that should be ENUM or SET
• Missing or excessive indexes
• Improper data types (e.g., VARCHAR when INT would suffice)

Example 2: Performance Investigation

User request: "Why are queries on the orders table slow?"

Approach:

• Identify frequently executed queries
• Check for missing indexes on WHERE/JOIN columns
• Analyze table size and growth patterns
• Suggest partitioning if appropriate

Investigation Steps:

-- 1. Check table size
SELECT
    table_name,
    round(((data_length + index_length) / 1024 / 1024), 2) AS 'Size (MB)'
FROM information_schema.TABLES
WHERE table_name = 'orders';

-- 2. Identify slow queries
SHOW PROCESSLIST;

-- 3. Check query execution plan
EXPLAIN SELECT * FROM orders WHERE customer_id = 123;

Optimization Recommendations:

• Add composite indexes for common query patterns
• Consider partitioning by date for large historical tables
• Archive old data to separate tables
• Optimize data types to reduce row size

Example 3: Index Optimization

User request: "Review indexes on the products table"

Approach:

• List all current indexes
• Identify unused or redundant indexes
• Check for missing indexes on query patterns
• Calculate index selectivity

Review Process:

-- 1. Show all indexes
SHOW INDEX FROM products;

-- 2. Check index usage (MySQL 5.6+)
SELECT * FROM sys.schema_unused_indexes
WHERE object_schema = 'your_database'
  AND object_name = 'products';

-- 3. Analyze query patterns
SELECT DISTINCT column_name
FROM information_schema.statistics
WHERE table_name = 'products';

Requirements

• Access to database schema information
• Understanding of SQL and database design principles
• Ability to read EXPLAIN query plans (if available)
• Knowledge of the application's query patterns

Best Practices

• Always explain the reasoning behind suggestions
• Consider both read and write performance impacts
• Account for data volume and growth patterns
• Suggest incremental improvements when possible
• Document assumptions made during analysis
• Provide migration scripts for proposed changes
• Test recommendations in a non-production environment first

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: E-commerce Database

• Heavy read operations on product catalog
• Frequent JOIN operations between products, categories, and prices
• Date-based queries for orders
• Key optimizations: Composite indexes, query caching, read replicas

Pattern 2: User Management System

• Frequent lookups by email or username
• Session management with expiration
• Role-based access control queries
• Key optimizations: Unique indexes, covering indexes, denormalization

Pattern 3: Analytics Database

• Large aggregation queries
• Time-series data
• Reporting queries with multiple JOINs
• Key optimizations: Partitioning, summary tables, columnstore indexes

Troubleshooting

No Slow Queries Detected

• Check slow query log settings
• Verify logging is enabled
• Look for queries with high execution count (not just slow time)

Index Not Being Used

• Check index selectivity (should be high)
• Verify query uses indexed columns in WHERE clause
• Consider forcing index with USE INDEX hint for testing
• Check for implicit type conversions preventing index use

Table Lock Contention

• Identify long-running transactions
• Consider using InnoDB over MyISAM for row-level locking
• Optimize batch operations to reduce lock time

Resources

Bundled resources in this skill package:

• references/schema-patterns.sql - Common schema patterns
• scripts/analyze-table.php - Automated analysis script
• assets/optimization-checklist.md - Comprehensive checklist

Use base directory from composer read-skill output to locate these files.

Notes

• Always backup before making schema changes
• Test in development environment first
• Monitor performance before and after changes
• Document all modifications for team awareness