Everybody knows NOLOCK, but not everyone knows NOWAIT. A question at a Bangalore User Group session led me to explain how NOWAIT skips waiting on a lock.
SQL SERVER – Introduction of Showplan Warning
SQL Server can be your performance tuning teacher. Vinod Kumar explains the Showplan Warning in execution plans and what each warning is telling you.
Making SSIS Packages Faster
Make SSIS packages faster by measuring each flow, using fast load, sizing buffers from row width, and replacing row-by-row work.
Redundant Indexes: Index on Col1, Col2 vs Col1, Col2, Col3
Redundant indexes cost space and slow every write, but not every one can go. This post measures an index on Col1, Col2 next to an index on Col1, Col2, Col3 on SQL Server 2025: size, plan, reads and log bytes. It ends with a safe way to remove one.
Performance Baseline in SQL Server: Measure Before You Tune
Build a performance baseline in SQL Server with saved waits, file latency, query CPU, and counters before judging a tuning change.
Disabling Nonclustered Indexes Before a Large Load, Then Rebuilding
Test disabling nonclustered indexes before a large load, rebuilding them afterward, and measuring total time and log use.
MERGE Performance for Large Upserts: UPDATE Then INSERT Instead
Is MERGE really slow, or did the rewrite just run on a quiet night? Here is a fair test you can run yourself.