Understanding Execution Plans

For troubleshooting long running queries, looking at the execution plan is often a good starting point. Once you know how the query is executed, you know why it's slow and what you can do to speed it up.

But what if the execution plan is just beyond your understanding? What if it uses operators you have seen before, but do not really understand? What if you look at the execution plan, but just don't see the problem?

In this full-day seminar, you will learn everything you need to be able to read and understand any execution plan. We'll start with an overview of execution plans as a whole, and then dive in and look at all the components, and how they fit together. This will increase your understanding on why the optimizer picks a plan, and what you can do to make it pick a better plan.

Whether you have read your share of execution plans or whether you wouldn't know where to find them, this seminar will teach you everything you need to know about execution plans. Attend this seminar if you want to hone your tuning skills!

Throughout the day, we will have exercises to help you get an even better understanding of the theory. In order to get the most out of the day, attendees are encouraged to bring their own laptop, with SQL Server (any version), Management Studio, and the AdventureWorks sample database installed.


Note: I have preeviously presented this pre-con in Exeter; all attendees gave me 5 out of 5 possible points on the evaluation forms. I have also presented this pre-con in Copenhagen and Zagreb (no evaluations received) and I will present it on Oct 31 in Portland, OR