Every slow query leaves clues. Sometimes it is blocking. Sometimes it is high CPU. Sometimes it is wait stats quietly waving from the corner. Sometimes it is a poor execution plan doing “creative work” in production. 🙂 That is why performance tuning is not just about fixing one query. It is about following the evidence, reading the plan, asking better questions, and understanding what SQL Server is really trying to do. I am excited to present: SQL Server Performance Survival Kit for the AI Era May 11 Workshop • Techorama Belgium In this workshop, we will explore practical ways to identify performance problems, analyze execution plans, understand wait stats, and use AI-driven insights without losing the human judgment that real production systems still need. Follow the clues. Fix the performance. See you at Techorama Belgium. #SQLServer #PerformanceTuning #QueryTuning #ExecutionPlans #WaitStats #AI #DatabasePerformance #Techorama #PinalDave

My new vlog. First in a series of three on rowgoals. This video explains what they are, what they are used for, and how they work. #SQLServer #ExecutionPlans sqlserverfast.com/blog/hugo/…

🚨 3 Performance Fixes I Made at a Client Site That Changed Everything 🚨 Sometimes ignorance is bliss—until your system crashes during peak load. I recently worked with a client who said, “We just have one slow report.” What we found was much bigger: a set of silent performance killers hiding in plain sight. Here are the three key fixes I made that had an immediate impact: ✅ 1. Replaced Scalar Functions with Inline Table-Valued Functions They had a scalar UDF used in a report that ran 2M times per execution. Issue: It forced serial execution and killed parallelism. Fix: Rewrote it as an inline TVF and used CROSS APPLY. Result: Report runtime dropped from 18 minutes to 34 seconds. 🔍 Root cause: Devs didn’t review execution plans or understand function impact on query optimizer. ✅ 2. Cleaned Up 38 Indexes on One Table (!) One critical table had 38 indexes—many unused or overlapping. Issue: Sluggish writes, bloated storage, poor batch job performance. Fix: Dropped 26 unused indexes, merged others, and added filtered indexes. Result: Write performance improved 3x; update jobs finished in ¼ the time. 🔍 Root cause: No indexing strategy. Indexes were added reactively and never reviewed. ✅ 3. Reconfigured TempDB Properly Yes, they still had one TempDB data file—on a 16-core machine. Issue: Severe allocation contention, frequent deadlocks, high CPU. Fix: Added 8 TempDB data files, enabled trace flag 1118, and balanced sizes. Result: Blocking disappeared, CPU usage dropped, parallelism improved. 🔍 Root cause: “Default settings” from day one were never reviewed or tuned. 💡 Final Thought: Each of these fixes helped—but they also revealed a bigger theme: the real bottleneck was lack of awareness. Performance tuning isn’t black magic—it’s knowing where to look and asking the right questions. 🛠️ If you’ve got reports dragging, batch jobs crawling, or unexplained deadlocks—it’s probably not "just slow code." It's often overlooked defaults or forgotten decisions. If you’re facing similar issues, let’s talk. Drop your toughest tuning story in the comments—what did you fix that changed everything? #SQLServer #PerformanceTuning #DatabaseOptimization #TempDB #Indexing #ExecutionPlans #Consulting #PinalDave

Are you frustrated that your #SQLServer queries are slow? Are you tired of using guesswork to try to make them faster? Come to Utrecht, October 9, for a full-day workshop that teaches you all about #ExecutionPlans! techorama.nl/workshops/execu… #Techorama #TechoramaNL

Start by analyzing query execution plans. Look for inefficient operations, missing indexes, and costly table scans. Optimize queries by rewriting them, eliminating redundancy, and using appropriate join types. #QueryOptimization #ExecutionPlans

There isn't one magic "go faster" button, there are at least a dozen. The real magic is knowing which to push when. Can I say it? Heck, I will. #ExecutionPlans FTW.

8-hour interactive virtual session on "Execution Plans In Depth" by @Hugo_Kornelis at #DPS2021 Attend Live & get recordings too. bit.ly/dps2021classes Watch the video & learn more about the Training Class: youtube.com/watch?v=CWrgN9SQ… RT/Share #ExecutionPlans #QueryTuning #SQLServer

Alert!!! Price surge from August 25. bit.ly/dps2021classes 8 hours, Virtual Class on "Execution Plans In Depth" by @Hugo_Kornelis Gain deep technical skills on #ExecutionPlans #QueryTuning Also get complimentary access to 120 sessions at the Summit. Thanks for RT. #DPS2021

3 weeks to go! If you are serious about #ExecutionPlans #QueryTuning, DO NOT MISS this class by @Hugo_Kornelis 8 hours, demo-packed, Virtual Class on "Execution Plans In Depth". LIVE Recordings. bit.ly/dps2021classes Thanks for RT. #DPS2021

A must-watch video by @Hugo_Kornelis bit.ly/dps2021classes 8-hour class on ‘Execution plans in depth’. youtube.com/watch?v=CWrgN9SQ… Attend LIVE Get Recordings. Book before August 5 to get the Class at the lowest price. Thanks for RT. #ExecutionPlans #QueryTuning #SQLServer

Price Hike Alert!! 8-hour virtual class on "Execution plans in depth" by @Hugo_Kornelis. bit.ly/dps2021classes Attend LIVE & get class recordings. Price hike from August 5. RT/Share to spread the word. #AzureSQL #AzureData #AI #ExecutionPlans #QueryTuning #SQLServer #DPS10

World's Best Educators at Data Platform Virtual Summit 2021. bit.ly/dps_2021 Thanks for RT/share. #Azure #artificialintelligence #ExecutionPlans #QueryTuning #PowerShell #AzureSQL #SQLServer #PowerBI #bigdatacluster #Kubernetes #CognitiveServices #DAX #DPS2021 #DPS10

Few hours to go!! Webinar today: "Sentiment Analysis using Azure Cognitive Services'' by @shantha05 at 02:00 PM (ET). Register now to get the joining link. bit.ly/DataPlatformGeeks_Eve… RT to spread the word. #AzureSQL #SQLServer #ExecutionPlans #QueryTuning.

"Execution plans in depth" by @Hugo_Kornelis bit.ly/dps2021classes 8-hours Virtual Class. Attend LIVE & get class recordings. Price hike from August 5. RT/Share. #AzureSQL #AzureData #AI #PowerBI #ExecutionPlans #QueryTuning #SQLServer #DPS10

This should be stopped. As should be the other 2 executions ordered by a now voted out president. He stopped making pandemicplans. He should stop making executionplans.

#Executionplans are primary steps in identifying query workflows, operators and components so you can tune your #database for improvement. Learn more about how they help you address database performance issues. ow.ly/ooqq50ByjIV #performancetuning #SQLServer

Vuoi esplorare i Piani di Esecuzione delle query in #SQLServer? Domani parleremo di Operatori di Join, Warnings, Statistiche, Performance e molto altro! Registrati qui delphiedintorni.it/webinars.… #Delphi&Dintorni #ExecutionPlans cc/ ⁦⁦@wintechitalia⁩

Time to set up and get ready! #SQLSatVienna #precon #ExecutionPlans

#SQLSatVienna 2020 - Precon Workshops - Early Bird ends 2019-12-24! #ColumnStore #SQLServer #Analytics #Azure #rStats #Python #ExecutionPlans #PowerBI @NikoNeugebauer @Hugo_Kornelis @tomaz_tsql @bidgeir @TheSQLViking

#SQLSatVienna - Everything about #Executionplans by @Hugo_Kornelis in a full day workshop? eventbrite.de/e/sqlsatvienna… #sqlpass_at #sqlpass_de #sqlserver