What is the primary purpose of query optimization in Databricks SQL?

The primary purpose of query optimization in Databricks SQL is to improve the execution speed and efficiency of SQL queries. Query optimization involves analyzing SQL statements to determine the most efficient way to execute them. This can include restructuring queries, rearranging the order of operations, and applying various algorithms to minimize resource usage and execution time.

Optimizing queries leads to faster response times and lower resource consumption, enabling users to gain insights from the data more quickly. This is especially important in a big data environment where large datasets are common, and efficient processing is crucial for performance.

Other choices do not directly capture the central aim of query optimization. For example, while increasing the number of simultaneous queries can be a desirable feature of a database system, it is not the main goal of query optimization itself. Storing queries in a compact format may help with storage efficiency but does not contribute to the execution performance. Ensuring that all queries run without errors is a basic requirement of a SQL engine, but it does not specifically relate to the optimization process, which focuses more on performance enhancement.