Understanding Big Data Scalability: Big Data Scalability Series, Part I

2. Why Databases Slow Down

Database growth can be considered in terms of transaction volume and/or database size; one or both can cause a monolithic database to become overloaded and slow down dramatically. It’s a well-known fact that as a database grows, it slows down—often dramatically so. In this chapter I will explore the common reasons for database slowdown so you will know what to look for in your own database environment and respond accordingly.

The Database Slowdown Curve

While it’s certainly no secret that databases slow down as they grow in size, what isn’t always obvious is the rapidity with which you can run into a performance problem. Typically, databases do not slow down in a nice, linear fashion—in fact, performance degradation ...