SQLBits 2023

Parameter Sensitive Plan Optimization in SQL 2022 ... As Cool as it Sounds?

We'll provide a balance perspective of the benefits and limitations of the new Parameter Sensitive Plan Optimization feature in SQL 2022 to help you decide if it's right for your environment.

Since SQL Server 2017, Microsoft has added improvements in query processing in every new version. Improvements designed to make your queries simply run faster, in many cases with no code change needed.

One of the query processing features added in SQL Server 2022 is Parameter Sensitive Plan Optimization, or PSPO for short. PSPO is designed to automatically improve the performance of queries that in earlier versions of SQL Server would suffer from bad parameter sniffing.

But does it work?

Find out in this session! Erin Stellato (SQL Experiences PM at Microsoft) will explain how the feature works and demonstrate how it can address bad parameter sniffing without code changes or DBA action, while Hugo Kornelis (MVP) is the louse in the pelt who will point out potential issues and existing shortcomings of the feature.

Our goal is to have you leave the session with a balanced knowledge of both the benefits and the drawbacks of PSPO so that when you upgrade to SQL Server 2022 (or when it arrives in Azure SQL DB), you will know how to get the maximum benefit while also working around its limitations.

Erin Stellato's previous sessions

Stabilizing Performance with Query Store

This session will demonstrate how to use plan forcing (manual and automatic) and Query Store Hints to stabilize query performance without changing code.

What You've Been Missing in SSMS

Get tips and tricks and a sneak peak at the future for SSMS.

Parameter Sensitive Plan Optimization in SQL 2022 ... As Cool as it Sounds?

We'll provide a balance perspective of the benefits and limitations of the new Parameter Sensitive Plan Optimization feature in SQL 2022 to help you decide if it's right for your environment.

Query Store Best Practices

Want to use Query Store and not sure how to make sure everything is "correct"? Tried Query Store and had issues? In this session we'll cover what you MUST know to successfully use Query Store in a production environment.

The SQL Leadership Panel

Bring all your questions about the strategy and future of Microsoft SQL to the leadership team of Microsoft in a panel hosted by Bob Ward, Principal Architect at Microsoft

From Your Couch to the Cloud: When and Why to Choose the Azure Portal

In this session you'll learn how to get the most out of the Azure Portal and how to maximize its unique capabilities for Azure SQL administration.

Azure Data Studio and the Surprises Inside

If you're not sure whether you're leverating Azure Data Studio to it's full capability, then attend to this session to discover the bits you might be missing.

Erin & Monica’s Favorite SQL Stuff

Two consultants, two different companies, two data professionals passionate about performance tuning. Do we like the same things? Do we have the same approach to problems? Topics will include: Trace Flags, DMVs, DBCC commands, Community Scripts and Intelligent Query Processing Features. We will talk about the features and solutions we agree on, and discuss where we disagree.

Options for Proactively Managing Statistics in SQL Server

I often recommend that folks proactively manage statistics, but I always seem to run out of time to talk about HOW to do that...this session will cover exactly that.

Why You Need Query Store

I can spend an entire day talking about Query Store and all it can do, but in 20 minutes I can convince you that it should be a feature you start using today.

Stop Tuning Queries and Start Tuning Your Workload

This session will discuss how to look at your workload holistically using a variety of methods, so that you can target and address patterns in your code and query plans, rather than troubleshooting one query at a time.

Why You Need Query Store

If you have heard about Query Store but don't know what it can offer, or why you really need it, this session will answer those questions and demonstrate the value of this feature that continues to evolve.

Plan Stability with Automatic Tuning in SQL Server and Azure

Automatic Plan Correction is a feature you can use whether you're a pro at performance tuning or just starting with SQL Server. Come to this session to learn how to spend less time fighting fires with this new feature.

Extending your use of Extended Events

If you've been using Extended Events the same way you used to use Trace, you might be wondering if there's more to it. There is! In this session we will explore what else you can do with XE besides capture long-running queries.

Kicking & Screaming: Replacing Profiler with Extended Events

Extended Events was released with SQL Server 2008, and almost 10 years later, many data professionals are still clinging to Profiler. It's time to move forward, and in this session I'll show you how.

Hugo Kornelis's other proposed sessions for 2026

Approximate functions: How do they work? - 2026

Execution plans ... where do I start? - 2026

Five stages of grief - internals of a hash spill - 2026

Here’s the execution plan … now what? - 2026

Normalization beyond Third Normal Form - 2026

Normalization beyond Third Normal Form, part 2 - 2026

Performance and execution plan improvements in SQL Server 2025 - 2026

Performance and execution plan improvements in SQL Server 2025 (part 2) - 2026

Hugo Kornelis's previous sessions

Here’s the execution plan … now what?

This session is for those who have learned about execution plans, but notice that the theory lessons have not prepared them for the messy reality of real production code and execution plans. Using more complex examples than typical for conference sessions, I will guide you through a few examples, to show how execution plans can be used to pinpoint isues and fix them

Parameter Sensitive Plan Optimization in SQL 2022 ... As Cool as it Sounds?

We'll provide a balance perspective of the benefits and limitations of the new Parameter Sensitive Plan Optimization feature in SQL 2022 to help you decide if it's right for your environment.

Here’s the execution plan … now what?

You know where to find an execution plan. You have taken your first steps reading them. But how are you going to apply this knowlledge to real world problems?

Fast Focus: Scalar User-defined Functions in SQL Server 2019

SQL Server 2019 introduces FROID, a framework to inline user-defined functions, promising much better performance. What problem does it solve? And how does it work?

Execution plans ... where do I start?

Execution plans are key to understanding bad query performance. But they can be overwhelming to the new user. Where to start? This session will show the basics!

From adaptive to intelligent: query procesing in SQL 2019

SQL Server 2019 includes new query processing features such as batch mode on rowstore, memory grant feedback, approximate query processing, and more. How do these work? Are they as good as Microsoft wants us to believe?

Normalization Beyond Third Normal Form

Many people think that normalization stops at Third Normal Form. But there are lots of higher normal forms. And they are not as complex or as irrelevant as often claimed. If you want to design better databases, then come attend this session!

Everything you always wanted to know about MERGE

In this demo-rich session, Hugo Kornelis shows how the full syntax of MERGE enables more than just synchronizing data. You'll get an overview of all the available options, plus a few surprising pitfalls you may not be aware of.

SQL Server 2012: Column store indexes

This session will present you with a fascinating behind-the-scenes deep-dive view of the new column store index feature. How do column store indexes work? How are they built? And how can they yield such enormous performance boosts to some workloads?