Tackle the toughest set-based querying and query tuning problems—guided by an author team with in-depth, inside knowledge of T-SQL. Deepen your understanding of architecture and internals—and gain practical approaches and advanced techniques to optimize your code’s performance.

Discover how to:

• Move from procedural programming to the language of sets and logic
• Optimize query tuning with a top-down methodology
• Assess algorithmic complexity to predict performance
• Compare data-aggregation techniques, including new grouping sets
• Manage data modification—insert, delete, update, merge—for performance
• Write more efficient queries against partitioned tables
• Work with graphs, trees, hierarchies, and recursive queries
• Plus—Use pure-logic puzzles to sharpen your problem-solving skills

Itzik Ben-Gan is a mentor and cofounder of Solid Quality Mentors. A Microsoft MVP for SQL Server since 1999, he teaches and consults internationally on T-SQL querying, programming, and query tuning. He's written numerous articles for SQL Server Magazine and MSDN and presented at Microsoft Tech Ed, DevWeek, PASS, and SQL Server Magazine Connections.

Lubor Kollar is group program manager with the SQL Server Customer Advisory Team at Microsoft, working on the most challenging SQL Server deployments worldwide. He has 13+ years of experience with SQL Server development.

Dejan Sarka, MCT, MCITP, MCDBA, is an MVP for SQL Server who develops database and business intelligence solutions. He is a mentor for Solid Quality Mentors and has presented at Tech Ed, PASS, and SQL Server DevCon.

Steve Kass, PhD, is an MVP for SQL Server and a professor of mathematics and computer science. He has written for SQL Server Magazine and spoken at SQL Server Magazine Connections events.