T-SQL Querying

This book offers advanced techniques for optimizing T-SQL queries, focusing on performance and efficiency. It provides insights for experienced practitioners, covering essential topics relevant to developers, DBAs, and data professionals.

T-SQL Querying is a comprehensive guide designed to help experienced practitioners enhance their skills in writing and optimizing T-SQL queries. Authored by four leading experts, the book delves into T-SQL's internal architecture, providing advanced techniques to maximize performance and efficiency. With a focus on understanding the language's foundations, the authors share unique solutions they have developed over years of experience, ensuring that readers can tackle complex queries and tuning challenges effectively.

The book covers a range of topics aimed at improving the efficiency of T-SQL code. Readers will learn to transition from procedural programming to a more logical, set-based approach. The authors introduce a top-down tuning methodology that helps assess algorithmic complexity and predict performance outcomes. Additionally, the book discusses various data aggregation techniques, including new grouping sets, and offers insights into performing data-analysis calculations efficiently. It also highlights the importance of leveraging T-SQL’s optimized bulk import tools while avoiding common pitfalls related to date and time that can lead to performance issues.

Designed for developers, DBAs, BI professionals, and data scientists, T-SQL Querying includes updated content from previous editions, making it a valuable resource for those preparing for MCSE and MCSA certification exams. With practical examples and a focus on real-world applications, this book equips readers with the knowledge and skills necessary to create optimized queries and unlock significant performance improvements in Microsoft SQL Server environments.