Query performance degrading over time due to stale statistics

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performanceUpdated Mar 24, 2026

Sources

How to maintain your Prefect database - Prefectdocs-3.prefect.io

Technologies:

Prefectsubject

PostgreSQLThe root cause of this issue originates in PostgreSQL

How to detect:

Database queries getting slower over time, indicating outdated table statistics affecting query planner decisions or missing indexes on high-traffic tables.

Recommended action:

Update table statistics by running ANALYZE command on all tables. Review query plans with EXPLAIN ANALYZE to identify inefficient operations. Check for missing indexes using pg_stat_user_tables. Check index usage and bloat with pg_stat_user_indexes. Consider tuning autovacuum_analyze_scale_factor for frequently updated tables.