Tag: Performance Tuning

Tempdb Performance Improvements in SQL Server 2022 are Dramatic

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Tempdb is always a topic for me whether it’s in my sessions or blogs I have written. However, I’ve never been so excited about it then I am when it comes to the dramatic performance changes introduced in SQL Server 2022. THEY HAVE SOLVED ONE OF OUR BIGGEST PERFORMANCE BOTTLE NECKS, System page latch concurrency. In SQL Server 2019 they addressed what’s known as metadata contention, when pages that belong to systems object take page latches while updating tables that track table metadata by introducing memory optimized tempdb. Additionally, the product team made improvements to object allocation contention. This is… Continue Reading

RunAsRadio- Query Performance Tuning Strategies

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Had a great time talking with Richard on RunAsRadio about Query Performance Tuning Strategies, check it out. How do you keep your SQL queries fast? Richard chats with Monica Rathbun about her approaches to SQL Server query tuning. Monica starts with defining the problem – how do we know that the database is the performance bottleneck? The conversation dives into measuring query performance and the power of Query Store, but only on SQL Server 2016 and above, so get upgrading! Entity Framework is a standard tool for developers to automate access to SQL. Still, it can generate some pretty ugly… Continue Reading

Quick Tip: Remove CONVERT\CAST from your WHERE\JOIN clauses

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Quick Tip Remove CONVERT/CAST from your WHERE clauses and JOINS when comparing to variables of different data types. Set their data types to match your table definitions before using them as a filter. Optimizing your queries this way will greatly reduce the amount of CPU time, reads, and I/O generated in your queries and allow your code to take better advantage of indexes. Example We are going to create a very simple stored procedure called ConvertExample. In this procedure we will see two things. One, the first procedure we create will declare two variables as VARCHAR( MAX) data types, then… Continue Reading

Add Azure Cache for Redis to Your Azure SQL Performance Tuning Toolbox

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One of the biggest impacts on resource consumption for Azure SQL DB are repeated data pulls by the application layer. No matter how fast those queries execute calling the same procedure or issuing the same SQL statements hundreds, thousands, or million times a day can wreak havoc on database performance. Death by a thousand cuts can easily bring a system to its knees. Sometimes it’s hard for DBAs to troubleshoot these actively as the execution of the statements happens so quickly they don’t even show in tools like sp_whoisactive. It’s not until you begin to dive into things like Query… Continue Reading

Add DBCC INPUTBUFFER to Your Performance Tuning Toolbox

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A command I like to use when performance tuning is DBCC INPUTBUFFER. If you have ever run sp_whoisactive or sp_who2 to find out what sessions are executing when CPU is high for instance this can be a real quick life saver. At times, for me, those two options do not return enough information for what I’m looking for which is the associated stored procedure or object. Using this little helper along with the session id can easily get you that information. Let’s take a look. First, I will create a simple procedure to generate a workload. CREATE OR ALTER PROCEDURE… Continue Reading

Using Readable Secondary in Azure SQLDB

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When using a Geo Replicated Azure SQL Database Readable Secondary  there are a few things to consider when it comes to performance tuning. Check out this episode of Data Exposed: MVP Edition as we discuss what you need to keep in mind with Microsoft’s Anna Hoffman, @AnalyticAnna.     Continue Reading

Identifying SQL Server Performance Problems Part 3

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Continuing with our Performance Tuning series as you have learned baselining and knowing your normal system performance metrics is an important part of performance tuning. In part 1 we discussed collecting vital system metrics such as CPU Utilization and Memory usage. In part 2 we took a glimpse into how we can gather those metrics and other using the different tools that are available to use like Performance Monitor, Profiler, Extended Events and DMVs. In this part 3 we will look at how identifying the appropriate waits events and corresponding resolution will be critical for resolving performance issues. But first you… Continue Reading

SQL Index Creation Using DROP EXISTING= ON

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When you are making changes to an existing Non-Clustered index SQL Server provides a wide variety of options. One of the more frequently used methods is DROP EXISTING; in this post you will learn all about that option. This option automatically drops an existing index after recreating it, without the index being explicitly dropped. Let us take a moment understand the behavior of this choice. DROP EXSITING=ON which is my preferred method, will DROP the current index only after it finishes creating and building the index with the new definition. The pitfall is that if the index does not exist, you… Continue Reading

Identifying SQL Server Performance Problems Part 2

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Performance Monitoring Tools In this second post we are diving into what tools you can use to capture the important performance metrics you need to gather for baselining your environment. Be sure to read part one first. Performance Monitor First let’s start with what comes native to Windows Server platform, whether you are on an Azure SQL Virtual Machine or your standard SQL Server instance install on premises you have a native tool, called Performance Monitor (affectionately known to most as PerfMon). This reliable tool allows you to easily monitor performance metrics through a Graphical User Interface (GUI), by selecting performance counters for the operating system… Continue Reading

Mastering TempDB: The Basics

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I regularly deliver a presentation called “Mastering TempDB”. I wrote it based on what I wish I knew about TempDB “growing up” in my career as a SQL Server DBA. It really is a breakdown of what TempDB is, how it is used, what problems actually occur within it, and how to best configure it. With advice from my colleagues, I have decided to break that down into this article to educate you. What is TempDB? TempDB is a global resource used by everyone and everything inside SQL Server. Think of it as a dumping ground for anything that doesn’t… Continue Reading