Which of the following are typical database maintenance best practices for NPM?

• A. Regular index optimization and cleaning up old data using retention settings
• B. Disabling backups and relying on cache
• C. Storing data only in memory
• D. Never monitoring query performance

Answer: (A)

Database maintenance for NPM focuses on keeping queries fast and storage manageable. Regularly optimizing indexes helps the database locate and sort data quickly, reducing query response times. Over time, indexes can become fragmented, which slows down reads and writes; rebuilding or reorganizing them as part of routine maintenance restores efficiency. Pairing this with cleaning up old data using retention settings prevents the database from growing uncontrollably, which would otherwise degrade performance and waste resources. By defining how long data should be kept and automatically pruning older records, you maintain a healthy balance between useful historical information and system performance.

Other approaches undermine reliability and durability. Relying on cache while disabling backups sacrifices data persistence; caches are fast but not durable, and losing the cache or a failure means data loss. Storing data only in memory further compounds the risk, as memory is volatile and cannot survive reboots or outages. Never monitoring query performance means you’ll miss slow queries and misconfigurations that could degrade the entire system over time. Regularly checking performance and tuning as needed is a core part of keeping NPM databases responsive.