Get Performance Tips Directly From SQL Server

This article describes a utility that allows you to inspect cached plans and extract information that can be useful in improving the performance of your SQL.

SQL Server Optimization

This article describes different ways of improving the performance of SQL Server queries, with a focus on index optimization.

Finding the causes of poor performance in SQL Server, Part 2

In the first part of this series of articles, Gail showed how to find the procedures that contributed most to performance problems. In this final part, she shows how to use query statistics to pinpoint the queries that are causing the biggest problems, and then use the query execution plans to find out which operations are the root cause.

Convert Implicit and the related performance issues with SQL Server

I was a running a routine query using an equal operator on the only column of the primary key for a table and I noticed that the performance was terrible. These queries should have been flying because all I was doing was retrieving one row of data which should have been doing an index seek. When I looked at the query plan it was doing a scan instead. This tip shows you what I found and how to resolve the problem.

Finding the Causes of Poor Performance in SQL Server, Part 1

To tackle performance problems with applications, first use SQL Profiler to find the queries that constitute a typical workload: From the trace, spot the queries or stored procedures that are having the most impact. Then it's down to examining the execution plans and query statistics. You then see what effects you've had and maybe repeat the process. Gail explains all, in a two-part article.

Query Hints

Using SQL Server DMVs to Identify Missing Indexes

I can run the Database Tuning Advisor or examine the query plans, but is there any easier way to determine which indexes may be needed?

New component in SQL server 2005

Tips for tuning SQL Server 2005 to improve reporting performance

We are required to report from our SQL Server 2005 database. There are five or six tables regularly used for holding the reporting data, but these tables have five-to-seven million rows of data in them already. We need to use these tables consistently and our performance involving reporting is struggling. Do you have any tips to help improve it?

SQL errors and other failures fixed from the trenches

Solve your SQL Server error, problem or installation failure with this advice. Learn how to fix SQL performance errors and suspect data recovery problems.