Tag: sort

Is a sort faster when the data is already sorted?

Whenever SQL Server needs to sort a data stream, it will use the Sort operator to reorder the rows of the stream. Sorting data is an expensive operation because it entails loading part or all of the data into memory and shifting that data back and forth a couple of times. The only time SQL Server doesn’t sort the data is when it already knows the data to be ordered correctly, like when it has already passed a Sort operator or it’s reading from an appropriately sorted index.

But what happens if the data is ordered correctly, but SQL Server doesn’t know about it? Let’s find out.

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Video: three SQL Server join operators in three minutes

In an attempt to try a different approach, here’s a three-minute video explanation of how the different physical join operators in SQL Server work and why you would choose one over the other.

More reading

I’ve written a few blog posts on join operators befores, so if this video wet your appetite, here’s some recommended reading:

I’d love to hear what you think of the short video format! Please leave feedback in the comments below or on Twitter.

Blocking/non-blocking aggregate operators

Some database operations can be performed in distinctly different manners, with different impacts on query performance. One important example of such an operation is calculating an aggregate. In this article, we’ll take a look at how aggregates can be “blocking” or “non-blocking”, how it affects memory allocation, and ultimately, what impact this has on your query.

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