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

Understanding predicate SARGability

A predicate is a filter that can be used to determine the set of conditions to apply to a query to trim the result set. As we have discussed in previous chapters, these are typically applicable to the following clauses:

  • JOIN clauses, which filter the rows matching the type of join
  • WHERE clauses, which filter source rows from a table or an index
  • HAVING clauses, which filter the results

Most queries will make use of predicates, usually through a WHERE clause. When a predicate is serviceable by an index, it is said the predicate is SARGable, which is an acronym for Search ARGument-able. Having SARGable predicates should be a goal for our T-SQL queries because it can reduce the number of rows that need to be processed by a plan earlier in the execution – that is, when the data is being read by the SQL Database Engine. The implementation of this early row count reduction is called predicate pushdown; it is the action of using...