22-25 April 2026 
SQLBits 2013
Seeking SQL Server Secrets
In this session, I’ll tell you about some of my favorite undocumented features, and also tell you some of my tricks for discovering more undocumented secrets.
Many experienced DBAs are aware that there are many undocumented commands and traceflags in SQL Server, and some DBAs may even keep track of all references to such options whenever they read about them in an article or blog posts, or hear about them at a conference. In this session, I’ll not only tell you about some of my favorite undocumented features, I’ll also tell you some of my tricks for discovering more undocumented secrets.
Speakers
Kalen Delaney's previous sessions
Behind the Query Store…
Look inside Query Store to see what it does and how it works
Exploring Statistics: Where estimated rowcount comes from
A look inside SQL Server distribution statistics
What Happened? Exploring the Plan Cache
In this session, we'll explore SQL Server's plan cache, including techniques for discovering what plans are in cache, how often they've been run, and whether they contain any sub-optimal operators. Knowing what's happened is the first step in tuning.
Seeking SQL Server Secrets
In this session, I’ll tell you about some of my favorite undocumented features, and also tell you some of my tricks for discovering more undocumented secrets.