Window to Success: Mastering SQL Server Window Functions

You’re a SQL Server DBA or developer. You’ve inherited a mess of undecipherable self-joins and temp tables with identity columns, and you have this dream that you could simplify it all - using a simple, elegant one-liner.

In this session, we'll dive into the amazing world of window functions in SQL Server. We'll start with the basics, explaining what window functions are and why they're so powerful. Then we'll explore the different types of window functions - ranking, aggregate, and offset - and when to use each one.

We'll cover practical examples on how window functions can simplify your queries, dramatically improve performance, and make your T-SQL code so much easier to read and maintain.

After this session, you'll be able to write more efficient queries, solve complex problems with a few lines of code, and your colleagues will throw glorious parties in celebration of your brilliance.

On a serious note, though, window functions are so much better than my ability to write abstracts - once you’ve tried them, you’ll never want to go back.

Understanding what window functions are. Understanding how window functions optimize your code, and how they work with indexing. Understanding slightly more advanced window function patterns, like gaps-and-islands.