Comments on: InnoDB vs MyISAM performance in Zen Cart. Which is better? http://www.data-diggers.com/index.php/2009/01/innodb-vs-myisam-performance-in-zen-cart-which-is-better/ Zen Cart Optimization, Performance and A/B Split Testing Modules for Zen Cart Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:57:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: admin http://www.data-diggers.com/index.php/2009/01/innodb-vs-myisam-performance-in-zen-cart-which-is-better/comment-page-1/#comment-55 admin Tue, 08 Mar 2011 20:19:10 +0000 http://www.data-diggers.eu/?p=31#comment-55 Sorry for late reply. I don't see how my update nullifies my advice. Can You elaborate on trade-offs? What exactly average zen cart store owner has to keep in mind when moving from MyISAM to InnoDB? Sure that InnoDB tables do not support full text search, but Zen Cart does not use it anyway. Also keep in mind that the script ignores any tables with existing full text index. And yes, changing storage engine may take considerable amount of time but only in case of very large tables. Any store with as large database most probably already uses InnoDB or is maintained by someone with mysql experience (who knows what to expect when changing storage engine). I also don't know where You have read that I recommend doing this on production server? And You state that changing storage engine to InnoDB is a bad idea, but You do not write WHY it is a bad idea. "Store owners, I would definitely think twice before you do this." I agree with that. Actually, You (store owners) should think twice before making ANY changes to Your store. And You always should do backups etc. Sorry for late reply.
I don’t see how my update nullifies my advice. Can You elaborate on trade-offs? What exactly average zen cart store owner has to keep in mind when moving from MyISAM to InnoDB?

Sure that InnoDB tables do not support full text search, but Zen Cart does not use it anyway. Also keep in mind that the script ignores any tables with existing full text index.

And yes, changing storage engine may take considerable amount of time but only in case of very large tables. Any store with as large database most probably already uses InnoDB or is maintained by someone with mysql experience (who knows what to expect when changing storage engine).

I also don’t know where You have read that I recommend doing this on production server? And You state that changing storage engine to InnoDB is a bad idea, but You do not write WHY it is a bad idea.

“Store owners, I would definitely think twice before you do this.”
I agree with that. Actually, You (store owners) should think twice before making ANY changes to Your store. And You always should do backups etc.

]]> By: mark http://www.data-diggers.com/index.php/2009/01/innodb-vs-myisam-performance-in-zen-cart-which-is-better/comment-page-1/#comment-52 mark Mon, 21 Feb 2011 08:24:25 +0000 http://www.data-diggers.eu/?p=31#comment-52 Um, your update basically nullified your advice. Why not just admit this is a bad idea? The truth of the matter is different storage engines have different features. Your test is only looking at a join, which maybe true that it's faster in certain instances, but you're leaving out some very important trade-offs. By converting tables to innodb, you may want to inform store owners that they'll lose the ability for full text searches, which is critical for the advanced search later on. And just to clarify, the most important aspect of the innodb storage engine is for transaction support. Also, I cringe that you would recommend people run an ALTER TABLE command on production database like that. You realize how long that may take depending on the size of the database and the tables they may have in there? Store owners, I would definitely think twice before you do this. Um, your update basically nullified your advice. Why not just admit this is a bad idea? The truth of the matter is different storage engines have different features.

Your test is only looking at a join, which maybe true that it’s faster in certain instances, but you’re leaving out some very important trade-offs.

By converting tables to innodb, you may want to inform store owners that they’ll lose the ability for full text searches, which is critical for the advanced search later on.

And just to clarify, the most important aspect of the innodb storage engine is for transaction support.

Also, I cringe that you would recommend people run an ALTER TABLE command on production database like that. You realize how long that may take depending on the size of the database and the tables they may have in there?

Store owners, I would definitely think twice before you do this.

]]> By: BlackCat http://www.data-diggers.com/index.php/2009/01/innodb-vs-myisam-performance-in-zen-cart-which-is-better/comment-page-1/#comment-49 BlackCat Tue, 04 Jan 2011 08:50:18 +0000 http://www.data-diggers.eu/?p=31#comment-49 @mark: actually, myisam is not the default engine for mysql 5.5 anymore. InnoDB is. MySQL reports that InnoDB permormance was improved up to 3.5 times for linux and up to 15 times for windows. Even in the old days, InnoDB was a rival of myisam. Today, it's more secure, faster and advanced engine. @mark: actually, myisam is not the default engine for mysql 5.5 anymore. InnoDB is. MySQL reports that InnoDB permormance was improved up to 3.5 times for linux and up to 15 times for windows.

Even in the old days, InnoDB was a rival of myisam. Today, it’s more secure, faster and advanced engine.

]]> By: Eric http://www.data-diggers.com/index.php/2009/01/innodb-vs-myisam-performance-in-zen-cart-which-is-better/comment-page-1/#comment-48 Eric Mon, 15 Nov 2010 03:31:55 +0000 http://www.data-diggers.eu/?p=31#comment-48 There's existing patchwork that provides referential integrity on top of InnoDB for Zen Cart. See this thread: http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116479 There’s existing patchwork that provides referential integrity on top of InnoDB for Zen Cart. See this thread:

http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116479

]]> By: admin http://www.data-diggers.com/index.php/2009/01/innodb-vs-myisam-performance-in-zen-cart-which-is-better/comment-page-1/#comment-43 admin Wed, 22 Sep 2010 12:09:53 +0000 http://www.data-diggers.eu/?p=31#comment-43 I assume You have some knowledge about DB, MySQL and query optimization. Therefore You also know that everything depends on particular use case, type of executed queries, context etc. Note that I explicitly titled the article "InnoDB vs MyISAM performance in <strong>Zen Cart</strong>. Which is better?". I didn't state that it was completely serious test on InnoDB vs MyISAM in general. In Zen Cart however my tests show that InnoDB outperforms MyISAM. As for most important aspect of InnoDB - You probably have in mind foreign keys. I didn't mention them here because Zen Cart does not support them. I would say that for Zen Cart community one of biggest advantage of InnoDB is auto repair feature. Average Zen Cart user knows little about SQL and does not know how to repair crashed table. I assume You have some knowledge about DB, MySQL and query optimization. Therefore You also know that everything depends on particular use case, type of executed queries, context etc. Note that I explicitly titled the article “InnoDB vs MyISAM performance in Zen Cart. Which is better?”. I didn’t state that it was completely serious test on InnoDB vs MyISAM in general. In Zen Cart however my tests show that InnoDB outperforms MyISAM.

As for most important aspect of InnoDB – You probably have in mind foreign keys. I didn’t mention them here because Zen Cart does not support them. I would say that for Zen Cart community one of biggest advantage of InnoDB is auto repair feature. Average Zen Cart user knows little about SQL and does not know how to repair crashed table.

]]> By: mark http://www.data-diggers.com/index.php/2009/01/innodb-vs-myisam-performance-in-zen-cart-which-is-better/comment-page-1/#comment-42 mark Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:21:53 +0000 http://www.data-diggers.eu/?p=31#comment-42 "InnoDB is faster then MyISAM engine, it also scales better." If this was true, why would MyISAM be the default storage engine? I suggest you look a little deeper into them so you know the differences and know the proper uses for them. The most important aspect of innoDB wasn't even mentioned in this article. “InnoDB is faster then MyISAM engine, it also scales better.”

If this was true, why would MyISAM be the default storage engine? I suggest you look a little deeper into them so you know the differences and know the proper uses for them.

The most important aspect of innoDB wasn’t even mentioned in this article.

]]> By: Paul http://www.data-diggers.com/index.php/2009/01/innodb-vs-myisam-performance-in-zen-cart-which-is-better/comment-page-1/#comment-13 Paul Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:41:12 +0000 http://www.data-diggers.eu/?p=31#comment-13 I'm glad someone has taken the time to appreciate InnoDB over MyISAM. Coming from an Oracle DB background I find it appalling that a commercial system like Zen Cart would use a non-relational DB engine by default and have the application do the relationship management - that's what a DB is for! The Zen Cart team need to learn proper database design. I’m glad someone has taken the time to appreciate InnoDB over MyISAM. Coming from an Oracle DB background I find it appalling that a commercial system like Zen Cart would use a non-relational DB engine by default and have the application do the relationship management – that’s what a DB is for! The Zen Cart team need to learn proper database design.

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