I’m teaming up with Erik Darling to teach you SQL Server Performance Tuning in two days at the PASS Data Community Summit in Seattle.

Erik and I are co-teaching both days of training to give you a strong strategic background on the internals you need to know, along with critical tactical performance tuning techniques. Join us to level up your perf tuning skills!

About Erik Darling and Kendra Little

Erik Darling is the founder of Erik Darling Data. Erik is a top consultant who helps customers around the world troubleshoot SQL Server performance problems and write reliably fast T-SQL, against all odds, every day.

I’m Kendra Little. These days I’m a Staff Database Reliability Engineer in cannabis tech, a rapidly growing industry with super high performance requirements. I help developers write and tune TSQL using Azure SQL, observability tooling, and lots of automation.

Together, Erik and I bring a road-tested, proven understanding of SQL Server internals: we teach you what you need to know to get the job done without wandering too far into the weeds of confusion. We’ll share which techniques really work, what features are mostly hype, and how to solve a tricky problem without your clever solution falling apart at the seams.

Day 1 - Practical Guide to Performance Tuning Internals

Whether you’re aiming to be the next great query tuning wizard or you simply need to tackle tough business problems at work, you need to understand what makes a workload run fast– and especially what makes it run slowly.

Erik Darling and Kendra Little will show you the practical way forward, and will introduce you to the internal subsystems of SQL Server with a practical guide to their capabilities, weaknesses, and most importantly what you need to know to troubleshoot them as a developer or DBA. They’ll teach you how to use your understanding of the database engine, the storage engine, and the query optimizer to analyze problems and identify what is a nothingburger best practice and what changes will pay off with measurable improvements.

With a blend of bad jokes, expertise, and proven strategies, Erik and Kendra will set you up with practical skills and a clear understanding of how to apply these lessons to see immediate improvements in your own environments.

Day 2 - Query Quest: Conquer SQL Server Performance Monsters

Picture this: a day crammed with fun, fascinating demonstrations for SQL Server and Azure SQL. This isn’t your typical training day; this session follows the mantra of “learning by doing,” with a good dose of the unexpected.

Think of this as a SQL Server video game, where Erik and Kendra guide you through levels of weird query monsters and performance tuning obstacles. By the time we reach the final boss, you’ll have developed an appetite for exploring the unknown and leveled up your confidence to tackle even the most daunting of database dilemmas. It’s SQL Server, but not as you know it—more fun, more fascinating, and more scalable than you thought possible.

Q: is Day 1 Required to Understand Day 2? does Day 2 Repeat Material?

Nope! These two days are designed to compliment one another without repeating material: each precon is a force multiplier for the other, but each day also can stand alone and be fully understandable.

Join Us in Seattle on November 4 and 5 at Pass Data Community Summit!

Hope to see you there :)