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

Complex expressions

Search predicates should not use complex expressions. Much like the deterministic function calls we discussed in the Functions in our predicate section, complex expressions can also cause unnecessary scans.

As was discussed in previous chapters, the Query Optimizer uses statistics, internal transformation rules, and heuristics at compile time to determine a good enough plan to execute a query. This includes the ability to fold expressions, which is the process of simplifying constant expressions at compile time. For example, a predicate such as WHERE Column = 320 * 200 * 32 is computed at compile time to its arithmetic result and, internally, the predicate is evaluated as WHERE Column = 2048000. But unlike constants, calculations that involve column values, parameters, non-deterministic functions, or variables are only evaluated at runtime – this is another example of how the Query Optimizer can’t accurately estimate row counts beforehand, resulting...