Performance Tuning

Query optimization, execution plans, indexes, blocking, compression, fragmentation, Query Store, and parameter sniffing for SQL Server professionals.

SQL Server Blocking vs Deadlocks: What They Are, How to Find Them, and How to Fix Them

SQL Server Blocking vs Deadlocks: What They Are, How to Find Them, and How to Fix Them – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD SQL Server Blocking vs Deadlocks: What They Are, How to Find Them, and How to Fix Them By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · June 2026 · Estimated […]

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SQL Server Delayed Durability: What It Is, When to Use It, and When to Leave It Alone

SQL Server Delayed Durability: What It Is, When to Use It, and When to Leave It Alone – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD SQL Server Delayed Durability: What It Is, When to Use It, and When to Leave It Alone By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · June 2026 · Estimated

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SQL Server Fragmentation: The Complete Guide for DBAs

SQL Server Fragmentation: The Complete Guide for DBAs – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD SQL Server Fragmentation: The Complete Guide for DBAs By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · June 2026 · Estimated read: 35–40 min Fragmentation is one of the most misunderstood topics in SQL Server administration. Most DBAs learn

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SQL Server Compression and Partitioning: When to Use Each, When to Use Both, and How to Decide

SQL Server Compression and Partitioning: When to Use Each, When to Use Both – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD SQL Server Compression and Partitioning: When to Use Each, When to Use Both, and How to Decide By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · May 2026 · Estimated read: 30–35 min Two

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SQL Server Execution Plans Too Large for SSMS: The SQLYARD Execution Plan Splitter

SQL Server Execution Plans Too Large for SSMS: The SQLYARD Execution Plan Splitter – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Tools, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD SQL Server Execution Plans Too Large for SSMS: The SQLYARD Execution Plan Splitter By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · May 2026 · Estimated read: 10–12 min You are troubleshooting a slow

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Reading SET STATISTICS IO and TIME Output: The SQLYARD Statistics Parse

Reading SET STATISTICS IO and TIME Output: The SQLYARD Statistics Parser – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Tools, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD Reading SET STATISTICS IO and TIME Output: The SQLYARD Statistics Parser By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · May 2026 · Estimated read: 10–12 min You run a query, enable STATISTICS IO and TIME,

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SQL Server MAXDOP: Why the Installation Default Is Just the Starting Point

SQL Server MAXDOP: Why Installation Defaults Are Just the Starting Point – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD SQL Server MAXDOP: Why the Installation Default Is Just the Starting Point By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · May 2026 · Estimated read: 25–30 min A production SQL Server is built. The DBA

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Automatic Plan Correction: How SQL Server Detects and Fixes Query Regressions

Automatic Plan Correction: How SQL Server Detects and Fixes Query Regressions – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD Automatic Plan Correction: How SQL Server Detects and Fixes Query Regressions By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · May 2026 · Estimated read: 20–25 min Query plan regressions are one of the most frustrating

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SQL Server Index Tuning: From Basics to AI-Assisted Recommendations in 2026

SQL Server Index Tuning: From Basics to AI-Assisted Recommendations in 2026 – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD SQL Server Index Tuning: From Basics to AI-Assisted Recommendations in 2026 By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · May 2026 · Estimated read: 45–55 min Indexes are the single most impactful tool available to

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How to Read SQL Server Execution Plans: A Complete Guide from Beginner to Advanced

How to Read SQL Server Execution Plans: A Complete Guide from Beginner to Advanced – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD How to Read SQL Server Execution Plans: A Complete Guide from Beginner to Advanced By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · May 2026 · Estimated read: 45–55 min Most SQL Server

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SQL Server system_health Alerts: Deadlock Capture, Long Waits, I/O Warnings, and More – SQLYARD

SQL Server system_health Alerts: Deadlock Capture, Long Waits, I/O Warnings, and More – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Scripts / By SQLYARD SQL Server system_health Alerts: Deadlock Capture, Long Waits, I/O Warnings, and More By David Yard · SQLYARD.com · April 2026 · Estimated read: 20–25 min Compatibility: SQL Server 2012 and later. The

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SQL Server Health Monitoring with AI: DMVs, Alerts, and Automated Collection

Building a Complete SQL Server Health Monitoring System with AI – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, AI for Data / By SQLYARD Building a Complete SQL Server Health Monitoring System with AI By David Yard · SQLYARD.com · April 2026 · Estimated read: 20–25 min Table of Contents Why SQL Server Monitoring Matters Core

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The Complete SQL Server Performance Tuning Checklist (2026 DBA Guide with AI-Assisted Optimization)

SQL Server Performance Tuning Checklist 2026: AI-Assisted Diagnostic Guide for DBAs – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, AI for Data / By SQLYARD SQL Server Performance Tuning Checklist 2026: AI-Assisted Diagnostic Guide for DBAs By David Yard · SQLYARD.com · April 2026 · Estimated read: 22–28 min Table of Contents Why SQL Server Performance

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Understanding Long Sync IO in SQL Server: Scheduler in Nonpreemptive Mode Longer Than 1000 ms

Understanding Long Sync IO in SQL Server: Scheduler in Nonpreemptive Mode Longer Than 1000 ms – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning, High Availability / By SQLYARD Understanding Long Sync IO in SQL Server: Scheduler in Nonpreemptive Mode Longer Than 1000 ms By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated June 2026 · Estimated read:

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In-Memory OLTP (Memory-Optimized Tables) in SQL Server: A Complete Guide

In-Memory OLTP (Memory-Optimized Tables) in SQL Server: A Complete Guide – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD In-Memory OLTP (Memory-Optimized Tables) in SQL Server: A Complete Guide By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated June 2026 · Estimated read: 25–30 min SQL Server 2016 through 2025 · Enterprise and Developer Edition

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Smarter Parallelism in SQL Server 2025: DOP Feedback Explained

Smarter Parallelism in SQL Server 2025: DOP Feedback Explained – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD Smarter Parallelism in SQL Server 2025: DOP Feedback Explained By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated June 2026 · Estimated read: 14–17 min SQL Server 2025 · Azure SQL Database · SQL Database in Fabric

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Understanding Heaps in SQL Server: Troubleshooting, Tuning, and When to Rebuild or Index

Understanding Heaps in SQL Server: Troubleshooting, Tuning, and When to Rebuild or Index – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD Understanding Heaps in SQL Server: Troubleshooting, Tuning, and When to Rebuild or Index By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated June 2026 · Estimated read: 14–17 min A heap is a

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Understanding and Cleaning Up Overlapping Indexes in SQL Server

Understanding and Cleaning Up Overlapping Indexes in SQL Server – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, DBA Checklist, Scripts / By SQLYARD Understanding and Cleaning Up Overlapping Indexes in SQL Server By David Yard · SQLYARD.com · April 2026 · Estimated read: 20–25 min Compatibility: All scripts work on SQL Server 2017 and later. Script

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