The MySQL database server features a distinctive modular architecture. The core "upper level" features of the server, such as the network layer, SQL parser, and query optimizer, are separated from the underlying data storage by a well-defined interface. Adding a storage engine to MySQL is a fairly straightforward task, and in this article John David Duncan explains how to get started with your own storage engine.(2004-12-09)

Timour Katchaounov explains the inner workings of the MySQL Optimizer.

Sergey from the MySQL Optimizer team talks about recent developments in the MySQL Optimizer, including: What's new in MySQL 5.1 optimizer, Overview of known optimizer problems in MySQL 5.1, State of new optimizations in MySQL 6.0, Optimizer development beyond 6.0

Interaction Between Optimizer and Storage Engine

This is a query optimization troubleshooting roadmap, presented by one of the MySQL optimizer developers. First, we'll give an overview of available query execution strategies and how they are (or aren't) shown in the EXPLAIN output. Second, we'll show how one can find out what the optimizer got wrong. Third, we'll discuss what means one can use to make the optimizer pick the right query plan.

Everybody knows that indexes can boost SELECT performance, but how do you verify that you are using index correctly? In this session, I'll explain detailed mechanism of traditional MySQL B+Tree indexes, optimizer plans, and how to boost performance. Not only speeding up SELECT, but also speeding INSERT are covered.