Old school SQL performance tuning, for your old school city database

Training presented at NYC Analytics Exchange, 2025.

Set up the sample database with Docker

The sample SQL and exercises in this database are run against a version of New York City Open Data For Hire Vehicles (FHV) - Active with some additional made up random data about fake rides in each of the vehicles.

To run the samples, you'll need to download this github repository, and install Docker Desktop. Once you have started up docker desktop, at the command line from the same directory where you have saved this README file, type the following commands.

• To start up the database and load sample data: docker-compose up

• To access the database with a simple command line sql runner (psql): docker run -it --rm --network analytics-exchange-sql-tuning_default postgres psql -h analytics-exchange-sql-tuning-database-1 -U training

And on to the training!

Powerpoint slides are here, and there is content in the practice sql files as well:

• Less is More
• Once and Done
• Simple is Best