So… it’s Saturday night and I missed getting this out on Friday morning…
But, in past three weeks’ posts (1, 2, 3), I talked about how I’ve got a few copies of Expert Performance Indexing for SQL Server to give away. This is a book that I co-wrote with Grant Fritchey (Blog | @gfritchey) last summer, which I think can be a valuable resource to anyone building indexes on SQL Server. To give away these books, I’m asking a set of questions each week and sending out a book to someone based on comments left on this post.
The Question
For week four, the questions will focus on chapters four through five, which cover XML and spatial indexes, respectively. The topic for discussion in the comments this time is…
How have XML and spatial indexes helped in your databases? Have you had a use for these yet? Are you using any XML or spatial data without using any indexes? Any brilliant stories when XML or spatial indexes have saved the day?
If you have a story to share in this area, leave it in a comment below. At the end of a week, I’ll select one of the comments and send that author a copy of the book.
July 1 Update
The winner for the book this week is Jason Horner. He shared a story of improving performance on tables with spatial columns with dramatic effect. I’ve worked with Horner in the past and have heard him talk about spatial indexes in a number of situations. I’ve always been impressed with the effectiveness of these types of indexes and Horner’s skill in applying the spatial indexes. Learn more about spatial indexes in chapter five of Expert Performance Indexing for SQL Server.
