Database caching saves commonly used functions in memory for faster recall, reducing load time. Unlike automatic caching, administrators must manually choose what information to cache. This technique reduces CPU and disk usage, sacrificing RAM. It’s useful for large user bases and commonly used functions.
Databases, especially those used by businesses or accessed from websites, can be opened and used hundreds of times a day. While databases have a variety of functions, there are usually only a few that are commonly used. Using database caching, the most commonly used function or functions are saved in memory so that they can be recalled with ease. This makes calling the function on the computer much easier and drastically reduces the time it takes for the computer to load the database function. Unlike regular caching, which is done automatically, an administrator must perform database caching manually.
Caching is used in computers for a variety of reasons. It can be used for database, memory, CPU (Central Processing Unit) and many other functions. No matter which program or function you use, caching is the same. It means that a chunk of the random access memory (RAM) is used to cache or store data. By using this temporary storage technique, the data is easily recoverable and the computer has to work much less to recall the previous information.
Database caching uses a similar principle, but with some differences. Normal computer caching is done automatically recognizing popular information or just storing everything temporarily. In database caching, the administrator must choose exactly what information to cache.
The information in the cache is usually not part of the database but, rather, a function used on the database. For example, if people accessing your database typically use a function to select data or enter information, these functions will be cached. Information that is actually accessible cannot be cached in the database. After caching the database, these functions require much less work on your computer.
When the administrator chooses to create a database cache, fewer hardware components are used than would normally be used. When the cache is created, the CPU no longer has to work on the computation and disk access is greatly reduced. At the same time, RAM usage is sacrificed, which can be difficult if several computations are needed, but database caching is usually worth having slightly less RAM.
Database caching won’t help individual users much, because there is very little memory used on a user. If hundreds of website visitors or employees access the database, the memory savings will become apparent. While this works best for a large user base, it’s always a good practice to cache any functions that are used often to help your computer run more smoothly.
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