Batch Mode Execution Batch Size

Stairway to ColumnStore Indexes Level 8: Optimizing Clustered Columnstore Indexes

In Level 7, we looked at optimizing rowgroup elimination for a nonclustered columnstore index. For a clustered columnstore index, the same technique can be used but the steps and syntax change a bit. This will be covered later – but first, let’s take a look at another significant difference between nonclustered and clustered columnstore indexes, […]

New data in a columnstore index

Performance Comparison Between SQL Server 2014 and 2016

This article outlines the performance innovations in SQL Server 2016 for Columnstore Index and BatchMode Execution.

Columnstore Indexes on SQL Server 2016

Key Lookups and ColumnStore Indexes

Erik figures out why SQL Server really doesn't like combining these two things in a query plan.

Stairway to Columnstore Indexes Level 13: Improvements in SQL Server 2016

This stairway series was started in 2015. As such, the focus was on SQL Server 2012 and SQL Server 2014 only. When SQL Server 2016 was released, with lots of improvements in the columnstore technology, I decided to finish the planned levels with the original focus on SQL Server 2012 and 2014, and add one extra level with a brief overview of the improvements available in SQL Server 2016.

Stairway to Columnstore Indexes Level 12: Clustered or Nonclustered?

The previous levels of this stairway describe details, features, and limitations of columnstore indexes in SQL Server. But they do not answer what should be the first question for every database professional: should columnstore indexes be used in my databases; on what tables should they be used; and should they be clustered or nonclustered columnstore indexes?

Comparing Space Usage for Different Compression Types

This is an investigation, to get an impression on the impact of the used disk space before and after compression considering different index types.

Columnstore Indexes and Computed Columns in SQL Server 2016

You can’t do everything with a columnstore index — but SQL Server’s optimizer can get pretty creative so it can use a columnstore index in ways you might not expect. Kendra Little explains.