Real-World SQL Server Tuning with AI: Execution Plans, Slow Queries & DBA Workflows
Learn how AI can support real-world SQL Server tuning, execution plan reviews, performance pattern recognition, and slow query troubleshooting with SQL Server expert Pinal Dave. SQL Server tuning has not changed, but the tools DBAs can bring to the process have. AI can help read execution plans, flag performance patterns, and suggest possible fixes. In this session, Pinal Dave shows what comes after that: how experienced DBAs can use AI-assisted workflows in practice while still applying their own judgment, context, and SQL Server expertise. This video explores practical ways to use AI for SQL Server performance tuning without treating it as a replacement for the DBA. You’ll learn how AI can help accelerate troubleshooting, reduce guesswork, and support better decision-making when reviewing execution plans, diagnosing slow queries, and identifying database performance issues. ----------------------------------- CHAPTERS: 0:00 Welcome and session overview 2:26 Why bad SQL often looks normal 6:38 Live query tuning begins 11:55 Why Pinal does not start with the execution plan 17:31 Date predicates, indexes, and testing each change 21:10 Combining repeated subqueries 25:10 Benchmarking all seven query versions 28:20 Can AI beat human query tuning? 33:59 Claude connects to SQL Server and tests a rewrite 38:01 Checking whether the AI results still match 44:45 Codex enters the query-tuning race 49:50 SQL Diagnostic Manager and AI optimization 58:15 AI history, wait statistics, and reporting 1:01:27 Questions and answers -------------------------------------- Topics covered include: How AI can support SQL Server tuning workflows Using AI to review SQL Server execution plans AI-assisted performance pattern recognition Troubleshooting slow SQL queries with AI Where AI helps SQL Server DBAs save time Where AI recommendations require caution Why DBA expertise still matters in AI-assisted tuning Practical ways to combine AI insights with SQL Server performance tuning experience This session is ideal for SQL Server DBAs, database administrators, SQL developers, database engineers, IT managers, and performance tuning professionals who want to understand how AI can fit into real-world SQL Server troubleshooting and optimization workflows. Watch this session to learn how AI-assisted SQL Server tuning can help you work faster, spot patterns sooner, and make more confident performance decisions. Learn more about SQL Diagnostic Manager: https://www.idera.com/products/sql-diagnostic-manager/ Explore SQL Diagnostic Manager AI: https://www.idera.com/products/sql-diagnostic-manager/ai-faq/ Start a free trial of SQL Diagnostic Manager: https://www.idera.com/products/sql-diagnostic-manager/free-trial/ Try IDERA’s free AI SQL Query Optimizer: https://www.idera.com/productssolutions/freetools/ai-sql-query-optimizer/ Explore IDERA free tools for DBAs and IT professionals: https://www.idera.com/productssolutions/freetools/ Explore IDERA database monitoring solutions: https://www.idera.com/database-monitoring-solutions/ Explore IDERA SQL Server tools: https://www.idera.com/ #SQLServer #AI #PerformanceTuning #PinalDave #SQLServerPerformance #DatabaseAdministration #DBA #ExecutionPlans #SlowQueries #QueryOptimization #IDERA