22-25 April 2026

The Agenda 2026

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Databases

Performance Tuning: How Query Store Saves Your Server (and Your Sleep)

Description

It’s 2 a.m. and your phone won’t stop buzzing. Production has slowed dramatically, and a query that performed flawlessly yesterday is now overwhelming the server. Users are waiting, pressure is mounting, and you need answers immediately. Every DBA knows this moment, and it’s exactly when Query Store steps in as the Superhero. With its complete history of query performance and plan changes, Query Store brings clarity to what shifted and why, turning a stressful incident into a fast, informed fix.

This full-day training demonstrates how Query Store delivers stability, visibility, and control across SQL Server environments. You’ll learn how Query Store supports consistent performance in both SQL Server and Azure SQL, helping you troubleshoot issues quickly, maintain predictable workloads by leveraging the latest Query Store advancements. The session is ideal for DBAs, database engineers, and SQL developers who manage performance-critical systems.

What this training covers:
1. Root cause analysis with Query Store
2. Plan forcing and automatic plan correction
3. Real-world use cases and scenarios
4. Query Store hints for precision tuning
5. SQL Server 2022 & 2025 enhancements
6. Top 10 essentials for effective Query Store usage
7. Common pitfalls and proven best practices

Learning Objectives

1. Discover how to pinpoint performance problems in minutes using Query Store’s powerful historical insights.
2. Learn how to keep queries running consistently with plan stability techniques that prevent surprise slowdowns.
3. Walk away with practical tuning strategies and modern SQL Server/Azure SQL features that boost performance and reduce firefighting.

Things I will need

1. Foundational SQL Server Knowledge
2. Familiarity with SQL Server Management Tools

Tech Covered

Azure SQL Database, Query Store, Managing, Monitoring, Optimising, Databases, Development, Azure, SQL Server, TSQL, SQL Server, the Ground to Cloud Database, Inspirational Data Solutions, Optimising Your Data Platform, Workshop, 2 years +