Book Image

Learn T-SQL Querying - Second Edition

By : Pedro Lopes, Pam Lahoud
Book Image

Learn T-SQL Querying - Second Edition

By: Pedro Lopes, Pam Lahoud

Overview of this book

Data professionals seeking to excel in Transact-SQL (T-SQL) for Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL Database often lack comprehensive resources. This updated second edition of Learn T-SQL Querying focuses on indexing queries and crafting elegant T-SQL code, catering to all data professionals seeking mastery in modern SQL Server versions and Azure SQL Database. Starting with query processing fundamentals, this book lays a solid foundation for writing performant T-SQL queries. You’ll explore the mechanics of the Query Optimizer and Query Execution Plans, learning how to analyze execution plans for insights into current performance and scalability. Through dynamic management views (DMVs) and dynamic management functions (DMFs), you’ll build diagnostic queries. This book thoroughly covers indexing for T-SQL performance and provides insights into SQL Server’s built-in tools for expedited resolution of query performance and scalability issues. Further, hands-on examples will guide you through implementing features such as avoiding UDF pitfalls, understanding predicate SARGability, Query Store, and Query Tuning Assistant. By the end of this book, you‘ll have developed the ability to identify query performance bottlenecks, recognize anti-patterns, and skillfully avoid such pitfalls.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
1
Part 1: Query Processing Fundamentals
4
Part 2: Dos and Don’ts of T-SQL
9
Part 3: Assembling Our Query Troubleshooting Toolbox

Indexing for T-SQL Performance

In the previous chapter, we explored execution plans and the various operators that the SQL Database Engine uses to retrieve the data requested by a query. While the Query Optimizer does most of the heavy lifting when choosing the best way to retrieve the data required to satisfy the query, it can only do so efficiently if the proper indexes are in place.

An index is a structure in the database that speeds up access to data by organizing it in a specific way based on the type of index. The data structure that works best for your application will depend on many factors, including the type of data being stored, the volatility of the data, and the data access patterns that will be used to retrieve the data. The SQL Database Engine offers a few different index types, such as rowstore, columnstore, XML, and others. Rowstore indexes are the most common indexes in the SQL Database Engine and are what most people think of when considering indexes for query...