Dissecting SQL Server Execution Plans (Grant Fritchey)

This book is an essential guide for database professionals who want to move beyond basic query writing and truly understand how SQL Server processes their requests. It provides a deep dive into the structure and interpretation of execution plans, the critical roadmaps generated by the query optimizer. Readers will learn to identify common performance killers like table scans, inefficient joins, and key lookups, and gain the skills to rewrite queries and design indexes for optimal performance.

Targeted at intermediate to advanced SQL developers and database administrators, this book transforms a complex topic into an actionable skill set. By dissecting real-world examples, it empowers you to diagnose and resolve performance issues systematically, leading to faster applications and more efficient database systems. The key benefit is a fundamental shift from guessing about performance to having a clear, evidence-based methodology for tuning even the most stubborn queries.