Test splitting OR conditions into disjoint UNION ALL branches, preserve NULL behavior and row identity, and compare actual index access.
TOP N Sort: Why a Small TOP Still Reads the Whole Table
Explain TOP N Sort, compare an indexed ordered access path, and align filter and sort keys before adding indexes for frequent requests.
SQL SERVER – Measure Index Performance
I measure index performance against the same workload before and after a change. A customer wanted to assess a new index.
A Unique Constraint That Allows Many NULLs
Allow many NULLs while enforcing unique non-NULL values with a filtered SQL Server index, required SET options, and tested queries.
SQL SERVER – Rebuilding Index with Compression
To rebuild an Index with Compression, I target its own settings and partitions. Customer ROW and PAGE results need separate evaluation.
Trigger Blocks Index Maintenance: How to Let Rebuilds Pass
A trigger blocks index maintenance when it guards every index event, because a rebuild is an index event too. This post shows the failure, then a trigger that reads EVENTDATA and lets rebuilds through while it still blocks create, drop and disable.
Prevent Index Changes in SQL Server With a DDL Trigger
To prevent index changes in one database, create a DDL trigger on the index events that rolls back the statement and says why. This post tests the trigger, shows what it blocks, and lists the index changes that slip past it.