sorry, I'm not going to post my actual query, Jeff.

In my query, there are 2 tables, 1 is from linked server, no other special.

And Pam, re-run won't get better...

Yes, Pam. I did so.

Looks like SQL server has a 'short-cut' optimization for '*=' than Left outer join, or there is something we don't know?

thanks, guys. I guessed so.

However, in my case, the performance difference is huge -- when I use Left join to replace it, an immediate execution becomes 6 minutes!

Interesting...

Nice question, will help a lot in the future.

The question should be changed to:

What do you need to ensure SQL server running correctly?

Otherwise I choose NONE. I have just done a real case of renaming computer name, SQL server...

I worked around the weird.

Couldn't find anything valuable on options of SQL Server, ODBC, NT and CR.

I put all those 10 big strings on CR while only showing one every...