Chapter 15. Improving Import and Export Operations

MySQL's import and export functionality offer tremendous convenience and reliability for the database administrator, especially for those faced with maintaining sizable databases. However, they are also unparalleled in their ability to be both painfully slow for the administrator as well as an aggravating source of widespread system sluggishness for all users. Fortunately, MySQL lets you have more control than you might realize when it comes to these types of activities.

This chapter investigates the most optimal procedures to follow when performing any kind of large data movement operation. This chapter begins by researching how to make exports as fast as possible. Next, it reviews the flip side of the export process: speedily importing copious volumes of information into a MySQL server.