Methods and systems for joining indexes for query optimization in a multi-tenant database

A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing program code executable by a processor in a computer configurable to cause the computer to improve a query in a multi-tenant database system, the program code including instructions to:

• receiving at a network interface of a server an original query transmitted by a user, wherein the original query is associated with data within a database, and wherein the database includes at least a first index and a second index;
• retrieving, using a processor of the server, metadata associated with the data, wherein at least a portion of the data is stored in a common table within the database system;
• determining, using the processor, a tenant-selective query syntax, wherein determining comprises analyzing at least one of metadata generated from information about a tenant of an on demand services environment or metadata generated from the data accessible by the tenant;
• and
• generating, using the processor, an improved query using the query syntax, wherein the improved query is based at least in part upon the original query and a result of a join between a first number of rows associated with the first index and a second number of rows associated with the second index.

A system for improving a query in a multi-tenant database system, the system comprising:

• a processor;
• a network interface;
• and
• a computer-readable medium tangibly embodied with instructions capable of configuring the processor to:
• receive at a network interface of a server an original query transmitted by a user, wherein the original query is associated with data within a database, and wherein the database includes at least a first index and a second index;
• retrieve, using a processor of the server, metadata associated with the data, wherein at least a portion of the data is stored in a common table within the database system;
• determine, using the processor, a tenant-selective query syntax, wherein determining comprises analyzing at least one of metadata generated from information about a tenant of an on demand services environment or metadata generated from the data accessible by the tenant;
• and
• generate, using the processor, an improved query using the query syntax, wherein the improved query is based at least in part upon the original query and a result of a join between a first number of rows associated with the first index and a second number of rows associated with the second index.

A computer-implemented method of improving a query, the method comprising:

• receiving at a network interface of a server in a multi-tenant database system an original query transmitted to the multi-tenant database system by a user associated with a tenant, wherein the original query is associated with data accessible by the tenant, and wherein the multi-tenant database system includes at least a first index and a second index;
• retrieving metadata associated with the data accessible by the tenant in a multi-tenant database system, wherein at least a portion of the data accessible by the tenant is stored in a common table within the multi-tenant database system;
• scanning, using a processor of the server, a first index column to identify a first set of rows, wherein the first index column is selected based on the original query;
• scanning, using the processor, a second index column to identify a second set of rows, wherein the second index column is selected based on the original query;
• determining, using the processor, an intersection of the first set of rows and the second set of rows to identify a third set of rows;
• determining, using the processor, a query syntax, wherein determining comprises analyzing at least one of the group consisting of metadata generated from information about the tenant and metadata generated from the data accessible by the tenant;
• and
• generating, using the processor, an improved query using the query syntax, wherein the improved query is based at least in part upon the original query and the third set of rows.