The Power of Simplicity: How a random iterator saved the day
…and my database. How many times has something so simple saved the day? Sometimes, the simplest solutions can have a significant impact on a problematic situation. In this blog post, we'll explore one such scenario where a small algorithm change led to substantial performance improvements in an existing system. The problem The issue at hand involved a component in a system using a database table as a makeshift queue for processing updated rows. Multiple processor instances read from the same table, with Redis locking in place to prevent concurrent processing of the same row. However, the processors working in the same order led to numerous collisions and timeouts, causing the system to slow down. As illustrated in the image, the processors were interfering with one another; while they ultimately completed the work, excessive time was consumed in fruitless attempts to lock records, which consequently increased the strain on the database. The solution: A Random Iterator ...