The answer to that really depends on the query in question. Here's an example where each results in the same data

SELECT a.*

FROM TableA a

WHERE a.ColA IN (SELECT ColA FROM TableB)

SELECT...

Please don't cross-post.

Answering over here: http://www.sqlservercentral.com/Forums/Topic540018-149-1.aspx

As long as you don't have conditional execution of the procedures, you can really go either way. You should get identical plans. This becomes a problem when people put IF...

If you're creating the SSIS packages in 2008, you won't be able to deploy them to 2005. I also strongly recommend you DO NOT install 2008 alongside 2005 just yet....

Interesting Jack, thanks for the info. I was under the impression that it was possible to lose data, regardless of the mechanisms...

So, if I start the service on the server...

Statement complete should have choked you out with information, especially if you're running cursors. So you went into TSQL and turned on SQL:StmtCompleted and into Stored Procedures and enabled SP:StmtCompleted?...

That's either one of two things, your statistics are out of date or, the estimated plan is far off from the actual. It does happen. Try updating your statistics (or...

Make sure you're using exactly the same parameters against exactly the same data set (always compare apples to apples).

Get the statistics IO for the set of queries and the...

That query lists the rows & columns & stuff for the tables in a db, but I think what the OP is asking for is a way to determine the...

to answer that, look at the execution plan.

It really depends on which tables you add, but adding anything can make the optimizer choose different options in its attempts at...

Just a point of detail... You can overflow the buffer even when capturing to file. It just takes a heck of lot more to do that since writing out to...

I agree with Jack. It's been my experience that you're better off loading external data into a temp table and then processing it with everything else. I also agree that...

Getting an estimated execution plan is no big deal. There's a button right there in the query window in Management Studio.

No, what you need is something more. The estimated plan...

There is a way to do this, but you need to be very careful about how you use it. I'd suggest, if possible, only running it against a test system...

It's not really possible to suggest solutions without understanding the problem. You have a query that is running too long. OK. You've got the basic information of duration, CPU and...