Optimizing SQL queries for Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Management Information Base (MIB) tables. An SNMP client receives a source query defined in structured query language to access data stored in one or more MIB tables. The SNMP client parses the source query into one or more queries and sub-queries and applies sets of optimization rules and heuristics to the source query to generate a query execution plan for each set of optimization rules and heuristics applied to the source query. The SNMP client selects an optimal query execution plan from the generated query execution plans and rewrites the source query as a SNMP-based query using the optimization rules and heuristics specified in the optimal query execution plan. The SNMP-based query may then be used to retrieve the data requested by the source query without performing a full query scan of the MIB tables.