SQL Server Execution Plans [Paperback]

Grant Fritchey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 2009

Execution plans show you what's going on behind the scenes in SQL Server. They can provide you with a wealth of information on how your queries are being executed by SQL Server, including: • Which indexes are being used, and where no indexes are being used at all. • How the data is being retrieved, and joined, from the tables defi ned in your query. • How aggregations in GROUP BY queries are put together. • The anticipated load and the estimated cost that all these operations place upon the system. Grant Fritchey's book is the only in-depth look at how to improve your SQL query performance through careful design of execution plans. Sample chapters of the ebook have garnered stunning reviews, such as: "All I can say is WOW. This has to be the best reference I have ever seen on Execution Plans in SQL Server. My hats off to Grant Fritchey" Jonathan Kehayias.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Simple Talk Publishing (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1906434026
• ISBN-13: 978-1906434021
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 0.5 x 6.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #768,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Grant Fritchey has more than twenty years experience in IT. That time was spent in technical support, development and database administration. Grant currently works as a Product Evangelist at Red Gate Software. Grant writes articles for publication at SQL Server Central and Simple-Talk. He has published books including, "SQL Server Execution Plans" and "SQL Server 2012 Query Performance Tuning." Grant has written chapters for "Beginning SQL Server 2012 Administration", "SQL Server Team-based Development" "SQL Server MVP Deep Dives Volume 2" and "Pro SQL Server 2012 Practices." Grant Fritchey was one of the founding officers of the Southern New England SQL Server Users Group.

Grant has been awarded as a Microsoft SQL Server MVP since 2009.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional detail and comfortable writing style September 11, 2009

By David Martin

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you are one of those people (like me) who wonder why Sql Server does certain things (like ignoring your well-planned-out index), or if your professional pride requires that you deploy sql code which other professionals cannot laugh at, then you *must* understand the basic details of the SS Query Optimizer.
This book is thin, omits all of the traditional 'fluff' abstractions, and delivers the details through 'work-along-side-me' examples. The author is not-so-much writing a book as training a 'junior' administrator on how to understand queries and their execution. It is a streamlined training session on one specific topic, and can be consumed (and digested) in a few sit-down sessions.
The level of detail is much finer than any introductory book on Sql administration (or programming), but does not try to match the atomicity of Delaney's "Inside Microsoft Sql Server 2005" series. (Delaney's books are excellent academic achievements which will make you dizzy, lightheaded (possibly nauseous) at the first reading.)
I read Fritchey's book on a Friday evening, and spent the weekend working the examples on my own system. By Monday I was comfortable with troubleshooting many weak t-sql queries at the office, and it gave me the experience I needed to start practicing on creating 'useful' indexes.
This book gives a very good explanation on the topic of 'selectivity', which is the single most important principle of indexing in Sql Server.
The book is a good way to 'get your feet wet' with using Sql Profiler (rather than waiting until serious issues require you to learn on-the-job).
The book is a required follow-up book to the 70-444 (Self Based Training Kit) for Sql Server 2005 DBA certification.... I got 2 answers correct because Fritchey's book taught me something the 70-444 SBTK forgot to explain.
This book is also available as an e-book (which I also have) but I suggest getting the paperback version because you will want to flip back pages to compare examples ... something aggrevating to do with an e-book.
COMPLAINTS:
1. The editors should be shot! There are spelling errors, missing letters, and punctuation goofs in several paragraphs causing you to stop, rewind and procede again to get Fritchey's point. The proofreaders let the author down on this one.
2. The book says examples are available on a website, but I could not find them there (possibly I am to stupid to locate them). Read more ›

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A truely excellent book for the beginner or professional March 16, 2009

By North Providence RI

Format:Kindle Edition

To those of us that have struggled with optimizing queries, this books is a must and what is more... you do not have to be a rocket scientist to work through the book. The examples are excellent, well thoughout BUT more importantly one wants to work through the examples, which to me was the selling point of the book. There were concepts that I had never thought about. Dear reader, this book is worth every cent.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Introduction To Execution Plans January 14, 2010

By Eric Wisdahl

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was an easy read on a subject that can be relatively intimidating for a developer with no experience in the area. It is a great introduction to learning how to read SQL Server Execution Plans. There are lots of good examples and screen shots describing how the server is interpreting the commands being executed.

However, one should note that the book is NOT about how the plans will help you to improve your queries. Instead, knowing how to read through the various execution plans will help the reader to understand where problems might exist.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Executions Plans for the Taking September 19, 2010

By AJ Phillips

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have to start out by saying...finally! As a .NET developer, I am always personally interested in stretching my limits and perfecting my craft. Although there may be a handful of applications that don't require data access, I've never witnessed any that weren't trivial. I work with SQL Server professionally and personally. I've looked at execution plans for a little while and when I really paid attention to them (in SQL 2005), I couldn't believe the potential for correcting bad mistakes. The trouble came when I couldn't find any texts on SQL Server that really made more than a passing reference to execution plans. I set out anew to find something definitive and the timing was right.

Mr. Fritchey's work has demystified so many of the fine points of why SQL Server develops one plan over another. There were more than a few operators that I didn't fully grasp and this reference has finally shed light on those operators. If you've ever wondered what those plans were all about then this text will explain in detail each operator in sample plans generated from sample queries, both simple and complex. Don't worry that you'll dive right into complex selections that look as if they are part of a disgruntled programmer's plot of obfuscation. Mr. Fritchey has chosen to sensibly start with simple queries and explains the plan results. Then he moves into slight query modifications and explains how and why the new plan differs. Eventually, query selections grow in complexity one layer at a time and the plan explanations keep right up in a logical manner. You'll be able to see the results for yourself in the book but I recommend performing the same SQL queries on your own instance to get the best view.... The examples are performed on a version of Microsoft's AdventureWorks database, so you need not worry about getting access to those databases as they are provided freely as you likely already know. I've waited a long time for a book to address this niche within SQL Server's great depth and I am pleased with my luck in finding this book! When a book focuses on a specific aspect of a huge technological space, it can make for a great opportunity to learn product features deeply and SQL Server Execution Plans fits this bill.

The book is not large and doesn't weight as much as a small blue whale. That fact is attractive unto itself given the disturbing trend of killing as many trees as possible. Hopefully digital editions will mitigate this trend. I really only gave the book 4 stars because of the publisher's lack of attention to detail and standards. Mr. Fritchey's content is fantastic but the quality of the book itself leaves much to be desired. Many of the figures and insets of execution plans are too small to be useful, thus my recommendation of running the queries along with your reading. Since this is one of the only texts to address the subject matter in serious detail, I think the publisher could have made a much better showing. Irrespective of the book's physical qualities, the content is ultimately useful and approachable to boot! Read more ›

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent resource January 27, 2010

By Jeremy N. Carter

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Every dba should have a copy of this. It is a fantastic resource for those deep dive analysis of the query execution plans. I have not see anything else that goes into such detail to explain just how sql is actually getting your data.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Bible of SQL Execution Plans January 4, 2010

A Kid's Review

Format:Kindle Edition

Not a novel, but very easy to read and understand.

I have the Kindle copy and the execution plans pictures are too small for an easy understanding. But it is a must read for any serious DBA. Great on the PC kindle. It would be nice if the code could be easily copied and pasted.

Concise, clear, well laid out, really worthwhile reading. I have been programming SQL for over 20 years... I am still amazed on how little I know. Many interesting insights and worth every cents if you can speed up your sytem based on the recommended suggestions.

Jerome