Vitess is a database proxy that shards databases into multiple MySQL instances, allowing for efficient query execution and aggregation. The system uses a planner to push as much work as possible down to the MySQL layer, but in some cases, it needs to perform operations at the VTGate level, such as joins and aggregations. A recent paper on orthogonal optimization of subqueries and aggregation provided insights into how to improve this process by breaking down aggregations into smaller pieces that can be pushed down under joins. By adapting algorithms from academia, Vitess was able to optimize its query execution plan, allowing for more efficient results and better performance.