An Overview of Query Optimization in Relational Systems

Summary: Survey of SQL query optimization in RDBMS: optimizer vs executor, physical operators and execution plans, and why plan selection is performance-critical. Frames optimization as a hard search problem and pinpoints three core tasks—search-space definition, cost estimation, and efficient enumeration. (summarized by gpt-5-mini on Feb 09 2026)

Paper ID: 1127
Venue: PODS
Year: 1998
Pagerank: 0.0002227038
Overall Rank: 290 | 98.02%
DOI: 10.1145/275487.275492

Incoming Non-self Citations Over Time

Authors

1. Surajit Chaudhuri (Microsoft)

BibTeX Citation

@inproceedings{chaudhuri_pods98,
        address = {New York, NY, USA},
        series = {{PODS} '98},
        title = {{An Overview of Query Optimization in Relational Systems}},
        url = {https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/275487.275492},
        doi = {10.1145/275487.275492},
        booktitle = {Proceedings of the {ACM} {SIGMOD} Symposium on {Principles} of {Database} {Systems}},
        publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
        author = {Chaudhuri, Surajit},
        year = {1998}
}

Incoming Citations (Sorted by Pagerank)

Showing 25 of 75 citing papers.

Rank	Citing Paper	Year	Venue	Pagerank
9,112	Towards Enhancing Database Education: Natural Language Generation Meets Query Execution Plans	2021	SIGMOD	5.3218986e-05
9,430	A Theory of Regular Queries	2016	PODS	5.2704983e-05
9,478	Parallel Query Processing: To Separate Communication from Computation	2022	SIGMOD	5.2634238e-05
9,572	PlinyCompute: A Platform for High-Performance, Distributed, Data-Intensive Tool Development	2018	SIGMOD	5.2528121e-05
9,598	Online Optimization and Fair Costing for Dynamic Data Sharing in a Cloud Data Market	2014	SIGMOD	5.2494989e-05
9,756	Efficient Query Re-optimization with Judicious Subquery Selections	2023	SIGMOD	5.2258278e-05
9,840	Distributed Numerical and Machine Learning Computations via Two-Phase Execution of Aggregated Join Trees	2021	VLDB	5.2103367e-05
9,920	Still Asking: How Good Are Query Optimizers, Really?	2025	VLDB	5.1955087e-05
9,945	ParSEval: Plan-aware Test Database Generation for SQL Equivalence Evaluation	2025	VLDB	5.1915905e-05
10,016	Turbo-Charging SPJ Query Plans with Learned Physical Join Operator Selections	2022	VLDB	5.1764556e-05
10,050	Towards the Scheduling of Vertex-constrained Multi Subgraph Matching Query	2020	SIGMOD	5.1685424e-05
10,120	KathDB: Explainable Multimodal Database Management System with Human-AI Collaboration	2026	CIDR	5.093636e-05
10,218	Detecting Join Bugs in Database Engines via Join Implication Reasoning	2026	SIGMOD	5.093636e-05
10,301	Towards Selecting Informative Alternative Relational Query Plans for Database Education	2026	SIGMOD	5.093636e-05
10,873	Unraveling the Impact of Window Semantics: Optimizing Join Order for Efficient Stream Processing	2025	VLDB	5.093636e-05
11,160	Sub-optimal Join Order Identification with L1-error	2024	SIGMOD	5.093636e-05
11,205	Towards a Converged Relational-Graph Optimization Framework	2024	SIGMOD	5.093636e-05
11,234	Window Function Expression: Let the Self-join Enter	2024	VLDB	5.093636e-05
11,261	Efficient Enumeration of Recursive Plans in Transformation-based Query Optimizers	2024	VLDB	5.093636e-05
11,633	Synchronization Schemas	2021	PODS	5.093636e-05
12,082	Parallel Evaluation of Multi-Semi-Joins	2016	VLDB	5.093636e-05
12,461	Ten Thousand SQLs: Parallel Keyword Queries Computing	2010	VLDB	5.093636e-05
12,496	A Framework for Testing Query Transformation Rules	2009	SIGMOD	5.093636e-05
12,503	Ordering, Distinctness, Aggregation, Partitioning and DQP Optimization in Sybase ASE 15	2009	SIGMOD	5.093636e-05
12,799	The NEXT Framework for Logical XQuery Optimization	2004	VLDB	5.093636e-05

Outgoing Citations (Sorted by Pagerank)

Showing 38 of 38 cited papers.

Citations counted here include only citations to other VLDB/SIGMOD/CIDR/PODS papers in this database.

Rank	Cited Paper	Year	Venue	Pagerank
1	Access Path Selection in a Relational Database Management System	1979	SIGMOD	0.0024089429
16	MAGIC SETS AND OTHER STRANGE WAYS TO IMPLEMENT LOGIC PROGRAMS (Extended Abstract)	1986	PODS	0.00060089598
35	Improved Histograms for Selectivity Estimation of Range Predicates	1996	SIGMOD	0.00048481081
36	Accurate Estimation Of The Number Of Tuples Satisfying A Condition	1984	SIGMOD	0.00048351457
71	Including Group-By in Query Optimization	1994	VLDB	0.00038021159
75	Sampling-Based Estimation of the Number of Distinct Values of an Attribute	1995	VLDB	0.00037277061
95	Of Nests and Trees: A Unified Approach to Processing Queries That Contain Nested Subqueries, Aggregates, and Quantifiers	1987	VLDB	0.00034607909
101	Selectivity Estimation Without the Attribute Value Independence Assumption	1997	VLDB	0.00034376651
110	Extensible/Rule Based Query Rewrite Optimization in Starburst	1992	SIGMOD	0.0003309592
118	Equi-Depth Histograms For Estimating Selectivity Factors For Multi-Dimensional Queries	1988	SIGMOD	0.00031922279
119	The EXODUS Optimizer Generator	1987	SIGMOD	0.0003183602
129	Optimization of Nested SQL Queries Revisited	1987	SIGMOD	0.0003068101
132	Predicate Migration: Optimizing Queries with Expensive Predicates	1993	SIGMOD	0.00030378624
153	Common Expression Analysis in Database Applications	1982	SIGMOD	0.00029032276
166	Query Transformation for PSJ-queries	1987	VLDB	0.00027676268
170	Combining Fuzzy Information from Multiple Systems	1996	PODS	0.00027376361
192	Grammar-like Functional Rules for Representing Query Optimization Alternatives	1988	SIGMOD	0.00026028406
198	Aggregate-Query Processing in Data Warehousing Environments	1995	VLDB	0.00025618616
206	Eager Aggregation and Lazy Aggregation	1995	VLDB	0.00025092273
235	Fast Incremental Maintenance of Approximate Histograms	1997	VLDB	0.00023783792
268	Extensible Query Processing in Starburst	1989	SIGMOD	0.00022788687
316	Measuring the Complexity of Join Enumeration in Query Optimization	1990	VLDB	0.0002141607
396	R* Optimizer Validation and Performance Evaluation for Local Queries	1986	SIGMOD	0.00019287574
474	Dynamic Query Evaluation Plans	1989	SIGMOD	0.00017894953
508	Random Sampling for Histogram Construction: How much is enough?	1998	SIGMOD	0.00017275873
554	Answering Queries with Aggregation Using Views	1996	VLDB	0.00016580778
675	Optimizing Queries over Multimedia Repositories	1996	SIGMOD	0.00015080025
744	Fundamental Techniques for Order Optimization	1996	SIGMOD	0.00014411295
770	Parametric Query Optimization	1992	VLDB	0.00014166811
786	Universality of Serial Histograms	1993	VLDB	0.00014053885
1,012	Improved Unnesting Algorithms for Join Aggregate SQL Queries	1992	VLDB	0.00012682631
1,037	Cost-Based Optimization for Magic: Algebra and Implementation	1996	SIGMOD	0.00012494928
1,052	Query Graphs, Implementing Trees, and Freely-Reorderable Outerjoins	1990	SIGMOD	0.00012405308
1,062	Towards an Open Architecture for LDL	1989	VLDB	0.000123618
1,124	Query Optimization by Predicate Move-Around	1994	VLDB	0.00012087356
1,410	Magic is Relevant	1990	SIGMOD	0.00010853223
2,465	Optimization of Queries with User-defined Predicates	1996	VLDB	8.5428786e-05
3,650	Implementation of Magic-sets in a Relational Database System	1994	SIGMOD	7.2249961e-05

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