SQL_ME_RICH (11/22/2012)
Is there any good reason you can think of to always be using the WITH(NOLOCK) hint in all queries?
None whatsoever
Wouldn't the WITH(NOLOCK) defeat the whole purpose of discouraging against dirty reads?
Yup
Or is it such a performance increase that it's worth it to be used indiscriminately?
Nolock is not a performance tuning technique. It's used when it does not matter if the data returned is slightly wrong.
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability