Data & performance
Reliable data behind useful applications.
I work on database design and query optimisation for PHP and Laravel web applications, using MySQL, PostgreSQL and Redis where they fit the product.
For an existing application, share the slow workflow, current stack and expected behaviour. I can review query patterns, indexing and caching as part of a scoped backend development project.
- MySQL and PostgreSQL with structured models and ORM workflows.
- Redis-backed caching for application performance.
- Query patterns and indexes refined to reduce unnecessary work.
01 / A CLOSER LOOK
Model the relationships before adding screens
A relational model should reflect the relationship between the records people work with. A client may have several projects, a project may contain tasks and an invoice may refer to a service or a customer. Explicit relationships help the application answer questions consistently and reduce the need to copy the same information into unrelated places.
The model also needs rules for change. What happens to linked history when a record is archived? Can two users create the same external reference? Which fields represent the current state and which preserve an event that already occurred? These decisions influence validation, reporting and deletion behaviour. A diagram is useful when it clarifies those questions; a list of tables alone does not explain the business process.
02 / A CLOSER LOOK
Measure a query before changing it
A slow screen can involve several causes: too many database requests, a query that scans unnecessary rows, a large response or repeated work after the query completes. The first step is to identify the actual request and the data volume involved. A measured example provides a baseline for deciding whether an index, a different query or a smaller result is useful.
An index should follow a real access pattern, including filters and ordering. Loading related data deliberately can avoid repeated lookups, while selecting only necessary fields can reduce transfer and processing. Changes should be checked against the result that the screen still needs to display. Performance figures shown in the experience section remain tied to their documented roles; this explanation does not add a new benchmark or guarantee.
03 / A CLOSER LOOK
Caching needs a rule for freshness
A cache can reduce repeated work when the application can safely reuse a result. In a cache-aside approach, the application checks for a stored result, reads the underlying data on a miss and stores a reusable value. The difficult part is deciding when that value becomes stale and which users are allowed to share it.
Cache keys should reflect the context that changes the answer, such as a tenant, user, filter or version of the data. An update needs an expiry or invalidation strategy so that a faster response does not display the wrong information. Redis appears in the documented toolkit, but caching should be selected around measured behaviour and freshness requirements. It is not a substitute for understanding an inefficient query or a missing access check.
04 / A CLOSER LOOK
Change existing systems deliberately
An existing application brings records, users and assumptions that cannot be ignored during a change. A migration should start by identifying the current schema and the operations that depend on it. Adding a field, changing a relationship or moving to a different runtime can affect reports, imports, integrations and earlier records as well as the screen currently being edited.
A useful migration plan explains the intended mapping, the checks that confirm it and the behaviour if some input does not fit the new structure. Representative data and relationship checks help reveal problems before the change reaches ordinary users. Existing private data should be handled only within the authorised environment. A public case study can explain the approach without publishing credentials, password hashes or customer information.
05 / A CLOSER LOOK
Make operational state understandable
Business software is useful when people can tell what needs attention. A lead, task, invoice or learning activity should have a state that means something to the people using it. Ownership, timestamps and linked records help explain who is responsible and why a record appears in a particular list.
Reports should follow those definitions so that a total has an understandable meaning. A dashboard number is less useful if users cannot tell which records it includes or how recent they are. Exports and bulk actions also need access rules and validation, because they can affect many records at once. The relevant case studies describe documented workflows; sample explanations on this page are not live customer data or a claim about current business activity.
06 / A CLOSER LOOK
Review the complete journey
A screen can appear correct while the underlying workflow is incomplete. A useful review follows a record from its first creation through validation, persistence, reload, later edits and any linked action. It also checks what happens when a field is missing, an external service fails or a user attempts an action that their role does not permit.
The depth of testing should match the consequence of a mistake. An informational layout needs readable content and working navigation; a payment or permission change needs closer checks around state and access. Review notes should make the expected result visible, explain the conditions used and distinguish a verified outcome from a limitation that still needs attention. This is a review approach, not a claim that every historical project has identical test coverage.
07 / A CLOSER LOOK
Performance is part of the user journey
A page feels responsive when useful content appears promptly and controls react without unnecessary waiting. Large images, repeated network work and expensive interface updates can each affect that experience. It helps to separate the initial page load from later interactions, because an improvement to one does not automatically improve the other.
Images should have appropriate dimensions and be compressed for their display size. Content outside the initial view can load later where that does not hide information the visitor needs. Layout should reserve space for media to reduce unexpected movement. A measured review needs a specific page, device and network condition; a fast development machine is not evidence that every visitor receives the same performance.
08 / A CLOSER LOOK
Make the next step understandable
A useful delivery includes enough context for the next person to operate the result. That can mean a short explanation of a workflow, where configuration belongs, how a record is managed or which external service is responsible for a particular result. Documentation should describe the application as it is delivered, including anything that remains outside the agreed scope.
Ongoing work may include content changes, bug fixes, performance reviews or new requirements after real use. Those are easier to discuss when the original boundaries and known limitations are recorded. Source access, hosting responsibilities, credentials and support arrangements should be agreed directly for the engagement; the presence of a public project link does not imply permission to access its private administration area.