Best Practices for Optimizing Queries in Neo4j?

Neo4j Graph Platform Visualization
1

Hey everyone,

Ihave been working with Neo4j for a while now, and I am loving the graph approach to data. However, as my dataset is growing, I am starting to notice some performance issues with my queries, especially with more complex patterns. :sweat_smile:

I’m wondering if anyone has tips or best practices for optimizing queries in Neo4j? Are there any specific strategies you follow for indexing, query planning, or avoiding certain pitfalls?

Any advice would be super helpful! :raised_hands:

Thanks in advance! :blush:

2

This is a challenging question that will depend on your model and the types of queries you are trying to run....

Generally, I would look for a couple of common pitfalls:

  1. If your queries are filtering specific property values a lot, then might need to adjust model to have a separate node or at least add an index to that property.
  2. Try to be as specific as possible early on in the query (add values, filters, etc) so that you get the fewest results possible. The more generic your queries, the more data it has to search through.
  3. Run queries with the EXPLAIN or PROFILE prefix to see what the planner is doing and where it might be sucking in too much data (or if it isn't hitting an index where it should be).

If you'd like to send problematic queries and sample data model along, happy to help optimize. Otherwise, I hope these general hints can help!

Cheers,
Jennifer