SQL Server Management Studio Tip: Show Execution Plan

  • Article

SQL Server 2005If you're looking to better understand what's happening under the hood when you execute a query against SQL Server 2005, here's a really cool feature of SQL Server Management Studio (and SQL Server Management Studio Express) that I only just discovered:

the ability to inspect the execution plan of a query.

Here's how:

Click this button on the toolbar after you've executed a query.

You'll get a visual representation of what happens when the query executes.

You can then drill down into estimated cost times of each part of the query.

(click to enlarge image)

Hope that helps!  You can download the free SQL Server Management Studio Express here.