Performance Tuning

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

Surrogate Key vs. Natural Key in SQL Server: The Complete Guide

Surrogate Key vs. Natural Key in SQL Server: The Complete Guide Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning, Operations / By SQLYARD Surrogate Key vs. Natural Key in SQL Server: The Complete Guide By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated August 2026 · Estimated read: 22–26 min SQL Server 2012 and later · IDENTITY_CACHE guidance applies […]

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SQL Server JOINs: The Complete Guide — Syntax, Physical Operators, and a Migration-Safety Workshop

SQL Server JOINs: The Complete Guide — Syntax, Physical Operators, and a Migration-Safety Workshop Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning, Operations / By SQLYARD SQL Server JOINs: The Complete Guide — Syntax, Physical Operators, and a Migration-Safety Workshop By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated August 2026 · Estimated read: 26–30 min SQL Server 2016

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Stale Statistics and Fragmentation Thresholds — A Production Case Study in Query Plan Instability

Stale Statistics and Fragmentation Thresholds — A Production Case Study in Query Plan Instability Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning, Operations / By SQLYARD Stale Statistics and Fragmentation Thresholds — A Production Case Study in Query Plan Instability By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated August 2026 · Estimated read: 20–24 min SQL Server 2022

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SQL Server Plan Guides: The Last Resort That Works When Nothing Else Can

SQL Server Plan Guides: The Last Resort That Works When Nothing Else Can – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD SQL Server Plan Guides: The Last Resort That Works When Nothing Else Can By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated July 2026 · Estimated read: 22–28 min SQL Server 2016 and

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More Memory, Same Bottleneck — A Full-Day SQL Server Case Study on an AWS EC2 Upgrade

More Memory, Same Bottleneck — A Full-Day SQL Server Case Study on an AWS EC2 Upgrade Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning, Cloud and Azure / By SQLYARD More Memory, Same Bottleneck — A Full-Day SQL Server Case Study on an AWS EC2 Upgrade By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated August 2026 · Estimated

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SQL Server Intelligent Query Processing: The Complete Guide to Self-Learning Features in 2022 and 2025

SQL Server Intelligent Query Processing: The Complete Guide to Self-Learning Features in 2022 and 2025 – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD SQL Server Intelligent Query Processing: The Complete Guide to Self-Learning Features in 2022 and 2025 By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated August 2026 · Estimated read: 25–30 min

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The PostgreSQL Migration Trap: Heaps, 3.22 Billion Forwarded Fetches, and How to Fix It in SQL Server

The PostgreSQL Migration Trap: Heaps, 3.22 Billion Forwarded Fetches, and How to Fix It in SQL Server – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning, Operations / By SQLYARD The PostgreSQL Migration Trap: Heaps, 3.22 Billion Forwarded Fetches, and How to Fix It in SQL Server By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated August 2026

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MAXDOP and DOP Feedback in SQL Server 2022: The Complete Guide

MAXDOP and DOP Feedback in SQL Server 2022: The Complete Guide – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning / By SQLYARD MAXDOP and DOP Feedback in SQL Server 2022: The Complete Guide By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated July 2026 · Estimated read: 20–25 min SQL Server 2022 (16.x) and Later · All

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What Is an MCP Server and How to Build One: Five Approaches from No-Code to .NET SQL Server

What Is an MCP Server and How to Build One: Five Approaches from No-Code to .NET SQL Server – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Cloud and Azure / By SQLYARD What Is an MCP Server and How to Build One: Five Approaches from No-Code to .NET SQL Server By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated

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SQL Server CPU Pressure on VMware: When Low CPU Ready Means the Problem Is Yours

SQL Server CPU Pressure on VMware: When Low CPU Ready Means the Problem Is Yours – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning, Operations / By SQLYARD SQL Server CPU Pressure on VMware: When Low CPU Ready Means the Problem Is Yours By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated July 2026 · Estimated read: 20–25

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SQL Server 2022 Hidden Gem: Instant File Initialization Now Works with TDE on Transaction Logs

SQL Server 2022 Hidden Gem: Instant File Initialization Now Works with TDE on Transaction Logs – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning, Operations / By SQLYARD SQL Server 2022 Hidden Gem: Instant File Initialization Now Works with TDE on Transaction Logs By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated July 2026 · Estimated read: 18–22

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SQL Server Replication Snapshot: Drop and Recreate vs Truncate, NC Indexes, and Why the Default Will Hurt You

SQL Server Replication Snapshot: Drop and Recreate vs Truncate, NC Indexes, and Why the Default Will Hurt You – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning, Operations / By SQLYARD SQL Server Replication Snapshot: Drop and Recreate vs Truncate, NC Indexes, and Why the Default Will Hurt You By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated

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When SQL Server Statistics Stop Auto-Updating: Detecting and Fixing the Silent Failure

When SQL Server Statistics Stop Auto-Updating: Detecting and Fixing the Silent Failure – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning, Scripts and Tools / By SQLYARD When SQL Server Statistics Stop Auto-Updating: Detecting and Fixing the Silent Failure By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated July 2026 · Estimated read: 20–25 min SQL Server’s automatic

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SQL Server Index Fragmentation and Statistics: Detection, Alerting, and Maintenance Without Assumptions

SQL Server Index Fragmentation and Statistics: Detection, Alerting, and Maintenance Without Assumptions – SQLYARD Leave a Comment / Articles, Performance Tuning, Scripts and Tools / By SQLYARD SQL Server Index Fragmentation and Statistics: Detection, Alerting, and Maintenance Without Assumptions By SQLYARD · SQLYARD.com · Updated June 2026 · Estimated read: 25–30 min Index maintenance and

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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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