Don’t use DISTINCT as a “join-fixer”

I’ve quietly resolved performance issues by re-writing slow queries to avoid DISTINCT. Often, the DISTINCT is there only to serve as a “join-fixer,” and I can explain what that means using an example.

Improve Query Performance when SQL Server Ignores Nonclustered Index

In this article, we look at why SQL Server may not use a non-clustered index over the clustered index and what you can do to improve performance.

Explore Natively Compiled SQL Server Stored Procedure Execution Plans

In this article, we look at execution plans and performance of a natively compiled stored procedure versus a traditional stored procedure.

Get the Most Current Row From a Detail Table

This article compares the performance of finding the most recent row in a child table for updates, looking at four possible solutions.

How to Avoid N+1 Queries: Comprehensive Guide and Python Code Examples

This article describes the N+1 problem that we often find when developers use row by row solutions for querying related data in a database.

The Complexity of Metrics

We need to monitor our servers, but individual metrics have more complexity than just setting simple limits for their readings.

Query Tuning, Why Bother?

Today Grant wonders why we spend so much time trying to learn about query tuning.

The Plan Cache Plan

Diagnose and resolve latch contention on SQL Server

This guide describes how to identify and resolve latch contention issues observed when running SQL Server applications on high concurrency systems with certain workloads.

More on Column Choice and Order for Multi-column Non-Clustered Indexes

In the last year I’ve published articles on indexes to include Indexes: When Column Selectivity Is Not Always A Requirement – SQLServerCentral and Query Optimizer Suggests Wrong Index and Query Plan -- Why? – SQLServerCentral. This article is a continuation of just how the optimizer interacts with the index wizard. We’ve all heard and read […]