Skip to content

Slow query log variables

This feature adds microsecond time resolution and additional statistics to the slow query log output. It lets you enable or disable the slow query log at runtime, adds logging for the replica SQL thread, and adds fine-grained control over what and how much to log into the slow query log.

System Variables

log_slow_filter

Option Description
Command-line Yes
Config file Yes
Scope Global, Session
Dynamic Yes

Controls which slow queries are recorded in the slow query log based on any combination of the following values:

Option Description
filesort Logs when a query requires sorting.
filesort_on_disk Records queries that sort results using temporary tables on disk.
full_join Records queries that join tables without using indexes.
full_scan Records queries that scan the entire table.
qc_miss Logs queries that could not be served from the query cache.
tmp_table Records queries that create temporary tables in memory.
tmp_table_on_disk Records queries that create temporary tables on disk.

Multiple values are separated by commas. For example: full_scan,tmp_table_on_disk

If no values are specified, the filter is disabled and all queries are logged.

log_slow_rate_type

Option Description
Command-line Yes
Config file Yes
Scope Global
Dynamic yes
Data type Enumerated
Default session, query

Determines the context of log_slow_rate_limit.

Value Description
session The rate limit applies to the entire server session. The maximum number of slow queries allowed per second is counted across all queries executed within that session.
query The rate limit applies to each individual query. This means that each query can be logged as slow if it exceeds the specified limit, regardless of the overall session activity.

log_slow_rate_limit

Option Description
Command-line Yes
Config file Yes
Scope Global, session
Dynamic yes
Default 1
Range 1-1000

The log_slow_rate_limit variable controls how often queries are logged in the slow query log. Instead of logging every query, it only logs one out of every n queries, where n is the value of log_slow_rate_limit.

By default, n is 1, so all queries are logged. This setting helps reduce the amount of information in the slow query log, which is useful during debugging to avoid overwhelming the log file.

Please note: when log_slow_rate_type is session rate limiting is disabled for the replication thread.

Logging all queries might consume I/O bandwidth and cause the log file to grow large.

  • When log_slow_rate_type is session, this option lets you log full sessions, so you have complete records of sessions for later analysis; but you can rate-limit the number of sessions that are logged. Note that this feature will not work well if your application uses any type of connection pooling or persistent connections. Note that you change log_slow_rate_limit in session mode, you should reconnect for get effect.

  • When log_slow_rate_type is query, this option lets you log just some queries for later analysis. For example, if you set the value to 100, then one percent of queries will be logged.

Note that every query has global unique query_id and every connection can has it own (session) log_slow_rate_limit. Decision “log or no” calculated in following manner:

  • if log_slow_rate_limit = 1 - log every query

  • If log_slow_rate_limit > 1 - log every 1/log_slow_rate_limit query.

This allows flexible setup logging behavior.

For example, if you set the value to 100, then 1 query for every 100 queries of sessions/queries is logged.

In Percona Server for MySQL information about the log_slow_rate_limit has been added to the slow query log. This means that if the log_slow_rate_limit is effective it will be reflected in the slow query log for each written query.

Expected output
Log_slow_rate_type: query  Log_slow_rate_limit: 10

log_slow_sp_statements

Option Description
Command-line Yes
Config file Yes
Scope Global
Dynamic Yes
Data type Enumerated
Default session
Range session, query

If TRUE, statements executed by stored procedures are logged to the slow if it is open.

Percona Server for MySQL implemented improvements for logging of stored procedures to the slow query log:

  • Each query from a stored procedure is now logged to the slow query log individually

  • CALL itself isn’t logged to the slow query log anymore as this would be counting twice for the same query which would lead to incorrect results

  • Queries that were called inside of stored procedures are annotated in the slow query log with the stored procedure name in which they run.

Example of the improved stored procedure slow query log entry:

mysqlDELIMITER //
mysqlCREATE PROCEDURE improved_sp_log()
       BEGIN
        SELECT * FROM City;
        SELECT * FROM Country;
       END//
mysqlDELIMITER ;
mysqlCALL improved_sp_log();

When we check the slow query log after running the stored procedure, with log_slow_sp_statements set to TRUE, it should look like this:

Expected output
# Time: 150109 11:38:55
# User@Host: root[root] @ localhost []
# Thread_id: 40  Schema: world  Last_errno: 0  Killed: 0
# Query_time: 0.012989  Lock_time: 0.000033  Rows_sent: 4079  Rows_examined: 4079  Rows_affected: 0  Rows_read: 4079
# Bytes_sent: 161085
# Stored routine: world.improved_sp_log
SET timestamp=1420803535;
SELECT * FROM City;
# User@Host: root[root] @ localhost []
# Thread_id: 40  Schema: world  Last_errno: 0  Killed: 0
# Query_time: 0.001413  Lock_time: 0.000017  Rows_sent: 4318  Rows_examined: 4318  Rows_affected: 0  Rows_read: 4318
# Bytes_sent: 194601
# Stored routine: world.improved_sp_log
SET timestamp=1420803535;

If variable log_slow_sp_statements is set to FALSE:

  • Entry is added to a slow-log for a CALL statement only and not for any of the individual statements run in that stored procedure

  • Execution time is reported for the CALL statement as the total execution time of the CALL including all its statements

If we run the same stored procedure with the log_slow_sp_statements is set to FALSE slow query log should look like this:

Expected output
# Time: 150109 11:51:42
# User@Host: root[root] @ localhost []
# Thread_id: 40  Schema: world  Last_errno: 0  Killed: 0
# Query_time: 0.013947  Lock_time: 0.000000  Rows_sent: 4318  Rows_examined: 4318  Rows_affected: 0  Rows_read: 4318
# Bytes_sent: 194612
SET timestamp=1420804302;
CALL improved_sp_log();

Note

Support for logging stored procedures doesn’t involve triggers, so they won’t be logged even if this feature is enabled.

log_slow_verbosity

Option Description
Command-line Yes
Config file Yes
Scope Global, session
Dynamic Yes

Specifies how much information to include in your slow log. The value is a comma-delimited string, and can contain any combination of the following values:

  • microtime: Log queries with microsecond precision.

  • query_plan: Log information about the query’s execution plan.

  • innodb: Log InnoDB statistics.

  • minimal: Equivalent to enabling just microtime.

  • standard: Equivalent to enabling microtime,query_plan.

  • full: Equivalent to microtime,query_plan,innodb.

  • profiling: Enables profiling of all queries in all connections.

  • profiling_use_getrusage: Enables usage of the getrusage function.

  • query_info: Enables printing Query_tables and Query_digest into the slow query log. These fields are disabled by default.

You can combine the options. For example, to enable microsecond query timing and InnoDB statistics, set this option to microtime,innodb or standard.

slow_query_log_use_global_control

Option Description
Command-line Yes
Config file Yes
Scope Global
Dynamic Yes
Default None

Specifies which variables have global scope instead of local. For such variables, the global variable value is used in the current session, but without copying this value to the session value. Value is a “flag” variable - you can specify multiple values separated by commas

  • none: All variables use local scope

  • log_slow_filter: Global variable log_slow_filter has effect (instead of local)

  • log_slow_rate_limit: Global variable log_slow_rate_limit has effect (instead of local)

  • log_slow_verbosity: Global variable log_slow_verbosity has effect (instead of local)

  • long_query_time: Global variable long_query_time has effect (instead of local)

  • min_examined_row_limit: Global variable min_examined_row_limit has effect (instead of local)

  • all Global variables has effect (instead of local)

slow_query_log_always_write_time

Option Description
Command-line Yes
Config file Yes
Scope Global
Dynamic Yes
Default 10

This variable can be used to specify the query execution time after which the query will be written to the slow query log. It can be used to specify an additional execution time threshold for the slow query log, that, when exceeded, will cause a query to be logged unconditionally, that is, log_slow_rate_limit will not apply to it.

Get expert help

If you need assistance, visit the community forum for comprehensive and free database knowledge, or contact our Percona Database Experts for professional support and services.


Last update: 2024-11-15