After completing the discussion of general-purpose tuning parameters, this chapter devotes attention to MyISAM-specific performance enhancement. This chapter is divided into three main sections:
Optimal MyISAM data storage Administrators have significant opportunities to squeeze more speed from MyISAM's use of data storage. This section begins by examining how to interpret some important statistics from the myisamchk utility, as well as improve its performance during table repair. Next, it looks at how to customize several key MyISAM settings to tune sort performance.
Taking advantage of memory for better MyISAM performance MyISAM offers a memory-based cache to hold index key values. Known as the key cache, this structure can have a dramatic impact on database speed, so this section spends a significant amount of time exploring its configuration, monitoring, and tuning.
Improving MyISAM operations After constructing the right data storage and memory caching strategy, your next goal is to manage how your applications make use of the MyISAM storage engine. The chapter closes by examining how to improve large-scale data operations, enhance concurrency, and get the most out of MyISAM's unique FULLTEXT search capabilities.