How to improve performance, when using LIKE (or any other alternative?)

  • I have a table of several millions of records for flight ticket. One of the indices is Flight Ticket, so when user searches for ticket 1234567 or 123456% all is perfect. Now there is a requirement to also allow %234567 search, which obviously runs for too long (10 - 15 minutes). Is there any suggestion / approach / alternative / documentation what should be done in those cases, please?

    Much obliged.

  • BOR15K (12/5/2016)


    I have a table of several millions of records for flight ticket. One of the indices is Flight Ticket, so when user searches for ticket 1234567 or 123456% all is perfect. Now there is a requirement to also allow %234567 search, which obviously runs for too long (10 - 15 minutes). Is there any suggestion / approach / alternative / documentation what should be done in those cases, please?

    Much obliged.

    One option is to have a reverse copy column, the search would then be "765432%", somewhat simpler than full text indexing.

    😎

  • Eirikur Eiriksson (12/5/2016)


    BOR15K (12/5/2016)


    I have a table of several millions of records for flight ticket. One of the indices is Flight Ticket, so when user searches for ticket 1234567 or 123456% all is perfect. Now there is a requirement to also allow %234567 search, which obviously runs for too long (10 - 15 minutes). Is there any suggestion / approach / alternative / documentation what should be done in those cases, please?

    Much obliged.

    One option is to have a reverse copy column, the search would then be "765432%", somewhat simpler than full text indexing.

    😎

    Sounds good. Make it computed, persisted and indexed and it should work very well.

    The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence
    - Martin Rees
    The absence of consumable DDL, sample data and desired results is, however, evidence of the absence of my response
    - Phil Parkin

  • Thank you. Yet I will need to seek a permission from DBA's to add a new column across all the environments.

  • Have a look at the disparity in reads when using a variable or a literal, and option recompile.

    You could use this trick to make it quicker.

    set statistics io on

    use AdventureWorks2016CTP3

    GO

    declare @var nvarchar(20)=N'%ith'

    select * from person.person where lastname like @var

    --Table 'Person'. Scan count 1, logical reads 3895

    select * from person.person where lastname like @var option(recompile)

    --Table 'Person'. Scan count 1, logical reads 441

    select * from person.person where lastname like N'%ith'

    --Table 'Person'. Scan count 1, logical reads 441

    But Eirikur's method is probably the best for a highly transactional environment.

    Catch-all queries done right [/url]
    Gail Shaw's Performance Blog[/url]

  • Eirikur's idea is a really good one. The only thing I'd add is that if you're going to define a column to store the reverse of the string, I'd do it as a persisted computed column. Then, when a row is INSERTed or UPDATEd, you won't have to worry about the new column - it'll be populated for you.

    If you intend to use it in WHERE clauses, you could add a nonclustered index on it to cover your search queries. If it's the leading column in the index, you should be able to get index seeks.

  • BOR15K (12/5/2016)


    Thank you. Yet I will need to seek a permission from DBA's to add a new column across all the environments.

    Write a script to do it and submit the script to them. They'll like you a whole lot more, especially if the script is properly documented and provides success/failure notifications and will survive and accidental rerun.

    --Jeff Moden


    RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
    First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
    ________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

    Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.


    Helpful Links:
    How to post code problems
    How to Post Performance Problems
    Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

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