MARIADB Optimise and control your databases

Databases and their management can often seem like a black art to those who don’t need or perhaps want to understand them. For most administrators, databases are a setup task – configured only when an application is installed and then left alone, forever. This is not good practice. In this article we’ll look at some basic database administration while trying to understand what goes into the database in terms of components and language – and learn how to keep them in tip-top condition, along with some tips and tricks to make life easier. A well-maintained database server makes for happy administrators.

First, a quick overview of what databases are. As the name implies, databases hold masses of structured data. For the uninitiated, a simple example of structured data could be thought of as a spreadsheet of names and addresses in a consistent format, with each column heading having a unique name (field name) and each row being a record of the data – akin to an index card with all the bits of data required. In the SQL world, these datasets are kept in tables. This is often why we see people using Excel when they should really be using a proper database.

Each database row is consistent and structured, hence the word structured in the name SQL (Structured Query Language). Structure is also a recurring theme throughout the entire SQL world. While this may all sound very useful, what’s to stop someone accidentally putting in wildly incorrect data or leaving an important column blank? There are two ways (at a low level) that