Free Learning Videos
Learn SQL Server performance tuning, one short video at a time.
Most of these come from SQL in Sixty Seconds: one idea, about a minute, perfect for the coffee line or the elevator. Talking about anything in sixty seconds is nearly impossible, which is exactly what makes it fun.
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If you watch only one, make it this one. An hour-long session from the GroupBy Conference, and the online presentation I am most proud of: 3 Common Mistakes to Kill SQL Server Performance.
Why I am proud of this talk
Most Loved: The Top 5
The five SQL in Sixty Seconds episodes viewers loved most, from my Top 5 list.
Top 5 · #140
Write Efficient Queries
What an efficient query really means, with a story from real client work.
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Top 5 · #105
Can You Roll Back a TRUNCATE?
If you already know the answer, skip this one.
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Top 5 · #099
JOIN or INNER JOIN?
Same thing or different? And if different, how?
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Top 5 · #157
Wait Stats for Performance
Three ways to analyze wait stats, starting with the first script I send to Health Check clients.
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Top 5 · #110
Dirty Read with NOLOCK
Does NOLOCK really help performance? And what is a dirty read, exactly?
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Performance Tuning
Slow server? Start with these.
#168
9 SQL Server Performance Tuning Tips
Nine tips in one longer episode, built from the questions I get asked most.
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#185
CPU Running at 100%
Three steps to find the process that is pushing your CPU to the limit.
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#208
Performance and TempDB Spills
Why big sorts spill into TempDB, how to spot it, and quick ways to avoid it.
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Indexes and Query Plans
Indexes are not a silver bullet. These three show why.
Indexes
An Index Can Slow Down SELECT Queries
Even an index that no query ever uses. Watch why.
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#204
Functions and Missing Indexes
What a function in the WHERE clause does to performance and to missing index hints.
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#194
Remove the Key Lookup
One more trick from the Health Check playbook to make a slow query fast.
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AI and Rescue Missions
Tune with AI, and recover when someone makes a mistake.
AI · #203
3 ChatGPT Tricks to Tune SQL Server
Three quick ways to use AI on your queries and execution plans.
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#109
Undo Human Errors
Dropped a table or ran an UPDATE without a WHERE? Point in time restore to the rescue.
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#112
Who Dropped Your Table?
How to find out, from a question that came up in a real Health Check.
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