Challenges of Big Databases with MySQL(tokutek.com)
tokutek.com
Challenges of Big Databases with MySQL
http://www.tokutek.com/2011/10/challenges-of-big-databases-with-mysql-oow11-presentation/#.TqcF72y5QoI.hackernews
1 comments
Good insight. As to your point -- keeping up many indexes with MyISAM or InnoDB is definitely a problem, especially if the indexes grow too big for RAM. In these cases, TokuDB (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TokuDB), a drop in storage engine replacement for MySQL, can help by replacing dated B-tree technology with more modern Fractal Tree indexes, since B-trees suffer in performance with high insertion rates (especially random insertions) into disk. By allowing for faster write performance, Fractal Tree engines allow for more indexes to be maintained, and hence better query performance can be obtained.
I had to use mysql to build a 200 million row 200gb database. The trick was using myisam and indexing it as little as possible (just the pk). I used sphinx to handle full text searching. Searching and retrieving records was very fast.