Injibara University

College of Engineering and Technology

Advanced Database

Chapter Two

Query Processing and Optimization

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 Query Processing
• Query Processing is the activity performed in
extracting data from the database.
• Query Processing in DBMS is the approach of
selecting the best strategy or plan which can be
used to respond to a database request.
• In Query Processing, we focus on different facts of
converting the query of user into standard form and
afterward into a plan which can be executed to
generate response.
• Query Processing is also referred as Query
Optimization in database
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literature.
• Advanced Database 2
 Cont…
• Refers to the range of activities involved in
extracting data from a database.
• A database query is the vehicle for instructing a
DBMS to update or retrieve specific data to/from
the physically stored medium.
• The actual updating and retrieval of data is
performed through various “low- level” operations-
Such as project, join, select, Cartesian product..

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 Cont…
• The component of database management system
responsible for generating this strategy is known as
query processor.
• This is a stepwise process.
• The first step transforms the query into a standard
form.
• The next step generates a number of strategies
known as access plans to evaluate the transformed
query.

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 Cont…
• The main goal to create a database is to keep the
related data at one place, retrieve, access and
manipulate them when it is required.
• But as we know the database and the users both are
systems.
• The user can request data in its preferred language
but database management system has its own
language(which is SQL).
• In RDBMS (Relational Database Management System) the
data is stored in the form of tables (rows and columns).

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 Cont…
• The users can select, insert, update, delete and
manipulate the data without violating the
constraints.
• If we want to search the list of employee who have
salary more than 10,000 then
» SELECT EMP-NAME
» FROM EMPLOYEE WHERE SALARY>10,000;
• Database Management System cannot understand this statement.
So for that we have structured query language.
» The Structured Query language is a high- level language which is
used as a bridge between the users and the Database Management
System.

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 Cont…
• Normally any query written in structured query
language (SQL) is translated into low-level
language which the system can understand.
• But to write relational algebra kind of queries will
be difficult for any user.
• Therefore DBMS asks its users to write queries in
SQL.

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 Cont…
• The DBMS verifies the code and convert them into
low-level languages.
• It then adopts the best execution path to execute the
query.
• All of the process together known as query
processing in Database Management System.

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 Block diagram of Query Processing

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A query processor in DBMS performs this task.

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• The diagram shows the processing of a query in the
database.
• When a query is submitted it is received by the
compiler that scans the query and divides it into
tokens.
• After that the tokens are verified by the parser for
their correctness.
• Then they are transformed into different relational
trees or graphs.

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• The query optimizer then picks the best query plans
and generates different execution plans.
• The command processor uses this plan to retrieve
the data and return the result.

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 Techniques used in Query Processing.
• Parsing and Translation
• Query optimization
• Evaluation
• Execution Engine

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 Parsing and Translation
• Parsing and translation is the first step to be performed.
• In this step the user writes its request in (SQL) and the
DBMS convert it into machine understandable low level
language.
• The query is first picked by the query processor which scans
the queries and parses them into individual tokens.
• After that it examines the correctness of the query, and then
it converts the tokens into trees, graphs and relational
expressions.
• These are the following checks performed in parsing phase:

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 Cont…
» Syntax check
» Semantic check
» Shared pool check

• When a query is found already processed by any

session using shared pool check the database skips
next two steps i.e. optimization and row source
generation, this is known as soft parsing.
• If the query is not found in already processed pool it
is known as hard parsing.

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 Cont…
• Example: Suppose a user wants to know the details of
employees who are working in PROCESS_1. If it says
‘Retrieve Employees details that are in PROCESS_1’,
DBMS can never understand. Hence it provides a language
i.e. SQL to communicate and both user and DBMS can
understand. So the request could be written as:
» SELECT EMP_NAME, ADDRESS, DOB FROM EMPLOYEE E,
PROCESS P WHERE E.EMP_ID = P.EMP_ID AND PROCESS_NAME =
‘PROCESS_1’;
• The DBMS reads it and convert it for further process and synthesis it.
This phase is known as parsing and translation. Query processor
scans the query and divides it into tokens. In our example
– ‘SELECT * FROM’, ‘EMPLOYEE E’, ‘PROCESS P’, ‘WHERE’, ‘E.EMP_ID
= P.EMP_ID’, ‘AND’, ‘PROCESS NAME = ‘PROCESS_1’’
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 1. Parsing and Translation
• A query expressed in a high-level query language
such as SQL must first be scanned, parsed, and
validated.
Scanner Identifies the language tokens—such as SQL keywords,
attribute names, and relation names—that appear in the text
of the query.
Parser Checks the query syntax to determine whether it is
formulated according to the syntax rules (rules of
grammar) of the query language.
Validate Validated by checking that all attribute and relation
names are valid and semantically meaningful names
in the schema of the particular database being
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 Parsing and Translation
• An internal representation of the query is then
created, usually as a tree data structure called a
query tree or a graph data structure called a query
graph.
• The DBMS must then devise an execution strategy
or query plan for retrieving the results of the query
from the database files depending on the statistics
available.

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 Optimization
• Query processor applies rules to the internal data
structures of the query to transform these structures
into equivalent, but more efficient representations.
• The rules can be based upon mathematical models
of the relational algebra expression and tree
(heuristics), upon cost estimates of different
algorithms applied to operations or upon the
semantics within the query and the relations it
involves.

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 Optimization
• Selecting the proper rules to apply, when to apply
them and how they are applied is the function of the
query optimization engine.
• A query typically has many possible execution
strategies, and the process of choosing a suitable
one for processing a query is known as query
optimization.

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• This step analyses SQL queries and determines
effective execution mechanisms in query
processing.
• Optimizer uses the statistical data i.e. information
about the length of records, size of the table, the
indexes created on the table etc, stored as part of
data dictionary.
• The query optimizer produces one or more query
plans and the most efficient is selected and used to
execute the query.
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• The next step is Row source generation.
• The optimal plan is received by the Row source
generator from the optimizer and the execution
plan for sql query is the output of this step.
• A collection of row sources is known as Execution
plan and they are structured in the form of a tree.
• A row source processes a set of rows, one at a time
in an iterated manner.
• It is an iterative control manner that produces a row
set.
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• The above example can be represented in relational
structures like tree/graphs as below:

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 Evaluation
• We got many execution plans through query
optimization.
• Although they give the same output but differ in
terms of space and time consumption.
• Evaluation helps us to choose effective and less
cost consuming execution plan to give the final
result by accessing the data from the database.
It can also be written as
• σSALARY>90 (πEMP_NAME (EMPLOYEE))

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 Cont…
• In SQL Some of the factors considered to calculate
the cost of evaluation plan by the optimizer are:
» CPU time
» Number of operations
» Number of tuples to be scanned and
» Disk access time

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 Execution Engine
• Execution engine is responsible for producing the
output of the given query.
• It executes the query execution plan which is chosen
from the previous step i.e. Evaluation and the output
is finally displayed to the user.

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 Summary
• The step wise process of translating high level queries into
low level expressions is known as Query Processing.
• This technique is used at the physical level (file system),
query optimization and actual execution by using steps like
parsing, translation, optimization and evaluation.
• After summarising query processing involves two steps:
» Compile time - Parsing and Translation, Optimization and Query
generation
» Runtime - Evaluate and Execute

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 Steps in Processing a Query

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 Query processing

Data Statistics

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 Database Statistics
• Refers to a number of measurements about database objects,
such as number of processors used, processor speed, and
temporary space available.
• The DBMS uses these statistics to make critical decisions
about improving query processing efficiency.

• Database statistics can be gathered manually by the DBA or

automatically by the DBMS.

• If the object statistics exist, the DBMS will use them in

query processing.
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 QUERY PROCESSING
• Translating SQL Queries into Relational Algebra
• 1.SQL queries are decomposed into query blocks,
(Query block - basic units that can be translated
into the algebraic operators and optimized. )
• 2.A query block contains a single SELECT-FROM-
WHERE expression, as well as GROUP BY and
HAVING clauses, aggregate functions etc..)
• 3.Nested(inner) queries within a query are identified
as separate query block.

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 Cont…
• We first concentrate the first step: finding
efficient relational algebra expressions.
• For the second step, we need to know how data
is stored, and how it is accessed

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 Cont…
• A query expressed in a high-level query language
such as SQL must be scanned, parsed, and validate.
• Scanner: identify the language tokens.
• Parser: check query syntax.
• Validate: check all attribute and relation names are
valid.

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 Conceptual Evaluation Strategy
SELECT S.name, E.name
FROM Student S, Enrolls E
WHERE S.sid=E.sid AND E.term=10-2;
Semantics of an SQL query defined in terms of the
following conceptual evaluation strategy:
1.Compute the cross-product of from-list
2.Discard resulting tuples that fail qualifications
3.Delete attributes that are not in select-list
4.If DISTINCT is specified, eliminate duplicate
rows
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 Cont…
• This strategy is probably the least efficient way to
compute a query!
• An “optimizer” will find more efficient strategies to
compute the same answers.
• An SQL query is translated into equivalent:
– Relational Algebra Expression
• Represented as a:
– Query Tree

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 Intermediate Query Form
• An SQL query is translated into equivalent:
Relational Algebra Expression
• Represented as a:
– Query Tree

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 Notation for Query Tree
• Query tree: a data structure that corresponds to a
relational algebra expression
• Input relations of the query as leaf nodes
• Relational algebra operations as internal nodes
• An execution of the query tree consists of executing
internal node operations.

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 Notation for Query Graph
• Query Graph : used to represent a relational
calculus expression.
• Relations in the query are represented by relation
nodes, which are displayed as single circles.
• Constant values are represented by constant nodes,
which are displayed as double circles or ovals.
• Selection and join conditions are represented by the
graph edges.
• Attributes to be retrieved from each relation are
displayed in square brackets above each relation.
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 Query Tree & Query Graph

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 Draw Query Tree
• 1. List the name of students and the Courses
taken by them.
» SELECT NAME,CNAME FROM
STUDENT ,COURSE WHERE CID=CNO
• 2. List the name of students and Course who
are taking the course given by Department 1?
» SELECT NAME,CNAME FROM
STUDENT ,COURSE WHERE CID=CNO and
DNO=1

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 Cont…
• 3.List name of students ,course taken by them and
name of the department giving the course for all
those whose cgpa>3.
» select name,cname,dname from
student ,course,department where cid=cno and
did=dno and cgpa>3 ;

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• 4. List name of students and course name who is
taking courses provided by CS&IT
» SELECT NAME,CNAME FROM
STUDENT ,COURSE,DEPARTMENT WHERE CID=CNO and
DID=DNO and DNAME=‘CS&IT’

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 Query Tree & Query Graph

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 Query Processing: Selections
• Example Selection Queries:#
• 1. σ salary>25000 (Employee)
• 2. σ ssn=123456789 (Employee)
• 3. σ dnum=6 (Employee)
• 4. σ gender=ʻmʼ (Employee)#
• 5. σ dnum=6 AND salary>25000 AND gender=ʻfʼ
(Employee)
• 6. σ salary>25000 AND salary25000 (Employee)

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 Cont…

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 Cont…
• Select Fname,Dname from Deptarment ,employee
Where Did=100 and Did=dno

• Part II
• Heuristics Optimization

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