simonw/datasette

Research: demonstrate if parallel SQL queries are worthwhile

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#1,727 opened on Apr 27, 2022

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Description

I added parallel SQL query execution here:

My hunch is that this will take advantage of multiple cores, since Python's sqlite3 module releases the GIL once a query is passed to SQLite.

I'd really like to prove this is the case though. Just not sure how to do it!

Larger question: is this performance optimization actually improving performance at all? Under what circumstances is it worthwhile?

Contributor guide

Research direction
Design a benchmark that compares query execution times with and without parallelism. Use SQLite's threading model and measure CPU utilization to confirm GIL release. Test with different query types (e.g., simple SELECT, complex JOIN) and database sizes. Document findings to guide optimization decisions.
Tech stack
python
Domain
backend
Issue type
Research
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
Half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Mostly clear
Prerequisites
PythonSQLPerformance testing
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60