slow query with joins - mysql

Question

Please am having difficulty in optimizing this query. What am trying to achieve is to join about 8 tables, of which only about 3 of the tables contains large data (1.5m records). This query returns expected records but is taking 1min to run which is bad.
I know it can be optimized to perform far better, pls i need assistance from you experts. I have index on the fields used for join already.
SELECT topic_id,
topic_title,
unit_name_abbrev,
sch_name_abbrev,
picture_small_url AS thumbnail,
profile_pix_upload_path,
first_name,
last_name,
topic_poster,
topic_replies,
topic_views,
topic_last_post_time AS topic_post_time,
sch_sub_forum_id
FROM (_sch_forum_topics
INNER JOIN _users
ON ( _users.userid = _sch_forum_topics.topic_poster )
INNER JOIN _profile
ON _profile.userid = _users.userid
INNER JOIN _class
ON _users.classid = _class.classid
INNER JOIN _level
ON _class.level_id = _level.id
INNER JOIN _unit
ON _class.unitid = _unit.unitid
INNER JOIN _department
ON _unit.deptid = _department.deptid
INNER JOIN _faculty
ON _department.facid = _faculty.facid
INNER JOIN _university
ON _faculty.schid = _university.schid)
WHERE _sch_forum_topics.sch_sub_forum_id = 4
ORDER BY _sch_forum_topics.topic_last_post_time DESC
LIMIT 0, 15

Answer 1

Try to filter before making JOIN's.
SELECT topic_id,
topic_title,
unit_name_abbrev,
sch_name_abbrev,
picture_small_url AS thumbnail,
profile_pix_upload_path,
first_name,
last_name,
topic_poster,
topic_replies,
topic_views,
topic_last_post_time AS topic_post_time,
sch_sub_forum_id
FROM
( select * FROM sch_forum_topics WHERE sch_sub_forum_id = 4
ORDER BY topic_last_post_time DESC
LIMIT 0, 15 ) main
INNER JOIN _users
ON ( _users.userid = main.topic_poster )
INNER JOIN _profile
ON _profile.userid = _users.userid
INNER JOIN _class
ON _users.classid = _class.classid
INNER JOIN _level
ON _class.level_id = _level.id
INNER JOIN _unit
ON _class.unitid = _unit.unitid
INNER JOIN _department
ON _unit.deptid = _department.deptid
INNER JOIN _faculty
ON _department.facid = _faculty.facid
INNER JOIN _university
ON _faculty.schid = _university.schid);