22-25 April 2026 
SQLBits 2010
Understanding SARGability (to make your queries run faster)
SARGability relates to the ability to search through an index for a value, but many DB Pros don’t really get it – especially in regard to joins – leading to queries which don’t run as well as they should. No slides here, just demos...
There’s so much more to SARGability than people think, and people can often miss out on significant performance benefits by not appreciating this. SARGable means Search ARGument Able and relates to the ability to search through an index for a value. Unfortunately many database professionals don’t really understand it – especially in regard to joins – leading to queries which don’t run as well as they should. This is a talk involving lots of demos, showing plenty of queries and execution plans.
Speakers
Rob Farley's previous sessions
The stuff about Joins they didnt teach you in school
Logical v Physical, Semi Joins, Lookup Joins, Redundant Joins - there is so much more to joins than you may have considered, and yet they are so fundamental to almost every query you ever write.
Where the bl**dy h*** are you? (Spatial Data Visualisation)
A look at spatial data visualisation, including the maps in SSRS 2008 R2, handling shapefiles for those of us who have to deal with maps outside the USA, geocoding addresses with Bing, using the Silverlight Bing Maps control, and even PivotViewer.
Understanding SARGability (to make your queries run faster)
SARGability relates to the ability to search through an index for a value, but many DB Pros don’t really get it – especially in regard to joins – leading to queries which don’t run as well as they should. No slides here, just demos...