Query optimization is the process of improving the efficiency of SQL queries to minimize execution time and resource usage.

Optimizing queries helps improve database performance by using techniques like:

• Using indexes to speed up searches.
• **Avoiding SELECT *** to fetch only required columns.
• Using Joins efficiently (e.g., INNER JOIN instead of OUTER JOIN when possible).
• Using EXPLAIN ANALYZE to examine query execution plans.

Example SQL Optimization:

Instead of:

sqlCopyEditSELECT * FROM Orders WHERE customer_name = 'Alice';

Use an indexed column:

sqlCopyEditSELECT * FROM Orders WHERE customer_id = 1;

This is faster if customer_id is indexed.