Understanding the Transaction Log
2017TL; DR
In this session you will learn to appreciate how the transaction log works and how you can improve the performance of your applications by making the right architectural choices.
Session Details
Does your application suffer from performance problems even though you followed best practices on schema design? Have you looked at your transaction log?
There’s no doubt about it, the transaction log is treated like a poor cousin. The poor thing does not receive much love. The transaction log however is a very essential and misunderstood part of your database. There will be a team of developers creating an absolutely awesome elegant design the likes of which have never been seen before, but then leave the transaction log using default settings. It’s as if it doesn’t matter, an afterthought, a relic of the platform architecture.
In this session you will learn to appreciate how the transaction log works and how you can improve the performance of your applications by making the right architectural choices.
There’s no doubt about it, the transaction log is treated like a poor cousin. The poor thing does not receive much love. The transaction log however is a very essential and misunderstood part of your database. There will be a team of developers creating an absolutely awesome elegant design the likes of which have never been seen before, but then leave the transaction log using default settings. It’s as if it doesn’t matter, an afterthought, a relic of the platform architecture.
In this session you will learn to appreciate how the transaction log works and how you can improve the performance of your applications by making the right architectural choices.
3 things you'll get out of this session
Speakers
Richard Douglas's other proposed sessions for 2026
Couchbase for the SQL DBA - 2026
Resource Governor: Reducing Dastardly Behaviour in SQL Server 2025 - 2026
TempDB: The Bottleneck You Can’t See in the Execution Plan - 2026
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