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name: database-analyzer description: Analyze and optimize database schemas, identify performance issues, and suggest improvements. Use when working with database structure, indexes, or query performance.

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:

Copy-- 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:

Copy-- 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:

Copy-- 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