Database Cleanup 2023

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Glasses sitting in front of computer screens displaying code

I’m presenting again on WooCommerce and WordPress database cleanup. This time my presentation is for our WooCommerce and WordPress Meetup group event.

I’ve previously covered this topic in my WordCamp Los Angeles 2020 presentation and I posted on it in my blog post Cleaning up your WooCommerce database. This is a popular topic with evolving content.

Following is an outline for my 2023 presentation. Please refer to a WP Engine post on WordPress Database Optimization for detailed explanations in some areas.

Pillar One – WordPress environment cleanups

  • MyISAM to InnoDB table storage engine
  • Post revisions and auto drafts
  • Orphaned or duplicated postmeta
  • Orphaned or duplicated usermeta
  • Unused terms and relationships
  • Orphaned or duplicated terms / relationships
  • Unused terms
  • SPAM comments
  • Failed orders, old or from CC guessing attacks
  • Other order status retention policies
  • Action Scheduler histories
  • WooCommerce cart sessions
  • Blog pingbacks and trackbacks
  • Outdated Media Library items
  • Outdated navigation menu items

Open-source plugins to clean these:

Pillar Two – Past experiment cleanups

  • Plugin and theme settings
  • Plugin and theme post types
  • Plugin and theme custom tables
  • Theme modifications (WP Customizer) thememods_%
  • Block Theme templates, parts, styles, terms / relationships

Pillar Three – Plugin or hosting bug cleanups

  • Oversized and/or autoload wp_options settings
  • Action Scheduler failures and choke-ups
  • Transients that aren’t garbage collecting
  • WooCommerce coupon_data oversized order item metadata bug
  • Earlier Facebook for WooCommerce bug thousands of wp_option rows
  • Earlier JetPack bug thousands of wp_option rows
  • WordPress sessions _wp_session_% and WP-CRON failures
  • Theme object caches (Avada example)

Sean D. Conklin

I have been a full-stack CSS, HTML, JavaScript, PHP website developer since 2002. My current specialties have been in WordPress powered sites since 2010, WooCommerce powered online stores since 2017, adding Shopify in 2023. I support dozens of store owners and managers, customizing and growing their businesses quickly, efficiently, in support of open-source citizenship and standards.

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