Answer
Delete in batches, drop partitions instead of deleting rows, or disable constraints if safe. This avoids long locks and table bloat.
Quick Answer
Large DELETE operations lock rows (InnoDB row-level locks) and generate undo log entries. Delete millions of rows at once = huge lock contention and slow rollback if something fails. Best practice: delete in batches with a loop: DELETE FROM logs WHERE created_at < cutoff LIMIT 1000; repeat until 0 rows affected. Use pt-archiver for efficient large-scale deletion. Schedule during off-peak hours.
S
SugharaIQ Editorial Team
Verified Answer
This answer has been peer-reviewed by industry experts holding senior engineering roles to ensure technical accuracy and relevance for modern interview standards.
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Source: SugharaIQ