SSP Documentation
SSP Database Optimizer Pro
Overview
SSP Database Optimizer Pro automatically cleans and optimizes your WordPress database for peak performance. Remove revisions, spam, transients, orphaned data, and optimize tables with smart scheduling and one-click optimization.
Set it and forget it: Configure automatic optimization to run daily, weekly, or monthly during low-traffic hours. Your database stays clean without manual intervention.
| Admin Location | Dashboard → DB Optimizer (top-level menu) |
|---|---|
| Requirements | WordPress 5.8+, PHP 7.4+ |
| Database Support | MySQL / MariaDB (InnoDB and MyISAM tables) |
Dashboard
The main dashboard provides a quick overview of your database health and optimization history.
Quick Stats
| Database Size | Total size of all WordPress tables. |
|---|---|
| Optimizations | Total number of optimization runs. |
| Space Saved | Cumulative space reclaimed from all optimizations. |
| Items Cleaned | Total bloat items removed (revisions, spam, etc.). |
| Overhead | Current table fragmentation that can be reclaimed. |
| Last Optimized | Time since last optimization run. |
One-Click Optimize
Click Optimize Now or One-Click Optimize to run a full database cleanup using your configured settings. Progress is displayed in real-time with a detailed log.
Tip: Run optimization during low-traffic periods. Large databases may take a few minutes to process.
Health Grade
The health grade banner shows your database’s overall condition at a glance.
Grade Scale
| A — Excellent | Score 90-100. Database is in fantastic shape. Regular maintenance is paying off. |
|---|---|
| B — Good | Score 80-89. Database is healthy with some room for improvement. |
| C — Fair | Score 60-79. Database has accumulated bloat. Consider running optimization. |
| D — Needs Work | Score below 60. Database needs attention. Run optimization to improve performance. |
Score Factors
- Post Revisions — Excess revisions reduce score by 5-15 points.
- Auto-Drafts — Accumulated auto-drafts reduce score by 5-10 points.
- Spam Comments — Spam buildup reduces score by 5-15 points.
- Expired Transients — Stale transients reduce score by 5-15 points.
- Orphaned Meta — Orphaned post metadata reduces score by 5-15 points.
- Table Overhead — Fragmentation over 5MB reduces score by 5-10 points.
Recommendations
The Recommendations panel shows specific issues detected in your database with Fix Now buttons for one-click resolution.
Pro tip: Address urgent (red) recommendations first, then warnings (orange). Click Refresh after fixes to update the health grade.
Cleanup Analysis
The Cleanup tab provides detailed analysis of removable items in your database.
Analyzable Items
| Post Revisions | Old versions of posts/pages beyond your keep limit. |
|---|---|
| Auto Drafts | Automatic draft saves that were never published. |
| Trashed Posts | Posts/pages in the trash. |
| Spam Comments | Comments marked as spam. |
| Trashed Comments | Comments in the trash. |
| Pingbacks | Pingback and trackback comments. |
| Expired Transients | Temporary cached data that has expired. |
| oEmbed Cache | Cached embed data for videos, tweets, etc. |
| Orphaned Post Meta | Metadata for posts that no longer exist. |
| Orphaned Comment Meta | Metadata for deleted comments. |
| Orphaned User Meta | Metadata for deleted users. |
| Orphaned Term Meta | Metadata for deleted taxonomy terms. |
How to Use
- Go to the Cleanup tab.
- Click Analyze Now to scan your database.
- Review the counts for each category.
- Click Clean Everything to remove all detected items.
Note: Items highlighted in yellow/orange have significant counts that should be addressed.
Database Tables
The Tables tab shows detailed information about every WordPress database table.
Table Summary
- Total Tables — Number of WordPress tables in your database.
- Total Size — Combined size of all tables (data + indexes).
- Total Rows — Total number of rows across all tables.
- Overhead — Total fragmented space that can be reclaimed.
Table Details
| Table Name | The database table name (e.g., wp_posts, wp_options). |
|---|---|
| Rows | Number of records in the table. |
| Size | Data size plus index size with visual bar. |
| Overhead | Fragmented space. Green = OK, Yellow = Warning, Red = High. |
| Engine | Storage engine (typically InnoDB or MyISAM). |
Overhead Levels
- Green (OK) — Under 100KB overhead. No action needed.
- Yellow (Warning) — 100KB to 1MB overhead. Consider optimizing.
- Red (Danger) — Over 1MB overhead. Should be optimized.
How overhead is reclaimed: When “Optimize Tables” is enabled in settings, running optimization defragments tables and reclaims overhead space.
Auto-Optimization
Schedule automatic database cleanup to run unattended at regular intervals.
Setting Up Auto-Optimization
- Go to the Settings tab.
- Enable Enable Auto-Optimization toggle.
- Select a Schedule: Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.
- Choose Run at (hour) — select a low-traffic time.
- Click Save Settings.
| Daily | Best for high-traffic sites with lots of content changes. |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Good balance for most sites. Recommended default. |
| Monthly | Suitable for low-traffic or static sites. |
Best practice: Schedule optimization between 2:00 AM and 5:00 AM when traffic is typically lowest.
Cleanup Settings
Configure which items are cleaned during optimization runs.
Post Cleanup
| Post Revisions | Remove old revisions. Set “Keep last X revisions per post” (default: 5). |
|---|---|
| Auto-Drafts | Remove auto-draft posts created by the editor. |
| Trashed Posts | Permanently delete posts in trash. Set minimum days in trash (default: 30). |
Comment Cleanup
| Spam Comments | Remove all comments marked as spam. |
|---|---|
| Trashed Comments | Remove comments in the trash. |
| Pingbacks & Trackbacks | Remove all pingback and trackback comments. |
Database Cleanup
| Expired Transients | Remove temporary data that has expired. |
|---|---|
| All Transients | Remove ALL transients including active ones. Use with caution. |
| oEmbed Cache | Remove cached embed data. Embeds will re-fetch when viewed. |
Orphaned Data
| Orphaned Post Meta | Metadata for posts that no longer exist. |
|---|---|
| Orphaned Comment Meta | Metadata for deleted comments. |
| Orphaned User Meta | Metadata for deleted users. |
| Orphaned Term Meta | Metadata for deleted taxonomy terms. |
| Orphaned Relationships | Term relationships for deleted posts. |
| Optimize Tables | Defragment tables and reclaim overhead space. |
Caution: Enabling “All Transients” will remove active caches, which may temporarily slow your site as caches rebuild. Only use if you understand the impact.
Email Reports
Receive email notifications after each optimization run.
Setting Up Reports
- Go to the Settings tab.
- Enable Send Email Reports toggle.
- Enter your Email Address (defaults to admin email).
- Click Save Settings.
Report Contents
- Date and time of optimization
- Site name and URL
- Total items cleaned
- Space saved
- Breakdown by category (revisions, spam, transients, etc.)
- Link to admin dashboard
Tip: Email reports help you monitor scheduled optimizations without logging into the admin.
History
The History tab shows a log of all optimization runs.
History Entry Details
- Date & Time — When the optimization ran.
- Type — Manual or Scheduled optimization.
- Items Cleaned — Number of items removed.
- Space Saved — Amount of space reclaimed.
| History Limit | Last 50 optimization runs are stored. |
|---|---|
| Green Icon | Successful optimization with items cleaned. |
| Yellow Icon | Optimization ran but no items needed cleaning. |
FAQ & Troubleshooting
Is it safe to run optimization?
- Yes, the plugin only removes genuinely unnecessary data.
- Revisions beyond your keep limit are safely deletable.
- Orphaned metadata has no parent records to reference.
- Always maintain regular backups as best practice.
Will optimization affect my site?
- Running during low-traffic hours minimizes impact.
- Large databases may cause brief slowdowns during table optimization.
- Normal site operation is not interrupted.
How many revisions should I keep?
- 5 revisions — Good for most sites (default).
- 2-3 revisions — Aggressive cleanup for large sites.
- 10+ revisions — For sites needing extensive revision history.
Scheduled optimization not running?
- WordPress cron requires site traffic to trigger.
- Consider setting up a real cron job for reliability.
- Check that auto-optimization is enabled in Settings.
What are transients?
Transients are temporary cached data stored by WordPress and plugins. Expired transients are safe to remove. Active transients should generally be left alone unless you understand the impact — they’ll be regenerated but may briefly slow your site.
What is table overhead?
Overhead (also called fragmentation) is wasted space within database tables caused by deleted and updated rows. The “Optimize Tables” option defragments tables and reclaims this space, similar to defragmenting a hard drive.