The SQL Server Query Optimizer creates an execution plan for every statement running in the database. But sometimes it chooses a bad query plan, slowing the query and eating resources, so other processing can’t get done. Learn how to read and fine-tune query plans for better performance. We’ll go over the types of execution plans and when to use them. We’ll also examine the different operators, their statistics and costs; then determine steps to focus on tuning. As an added bonus, you’ll also learn several troubleshooting techniques.