To begin with I should point out that I was given the book by the author and promised to review it. The author has however had no insight into the contents of this review and have made no attempts whatsoever to influence it.

With a title like "SQL Performance Explained" it might seem strange that the book is less than 200 pages long. Don't let the page count fool you though, this book does a very good job of covering a lot of ground. The small tip boxes scattered around the pages alone have more valuable content than many other books.

The author is well known for his expertise on indexing and that obviously shines through in the book, but the topics discussed are not at all limited to indexing. The wide set of topics covered include efficient indexing and querying, join algorithms, execution plans as well as the anatomy of indexes. Care is also taken to discuss how data volumes affect query performance and database scalability. The focus of the writing is very much geared towards developers, many chapters include code samples in many common languages apart from the SQL.

The book covers specifics about the major four database engines which is as much a strength as it is a potential weakness. Anyone interested only in database X might think this book is too broad, which would be unfortunate. While most readers probably focus on their database of choice and skip over sections on the competing ones it is never a bad idea to learn more about the competition. Not to mention the great fit it is for consultants who see a wide array of environments on different assignments.

To conclude, this book is vital for any database developer, DBA as well as anyone interested in database performance. It's unlikely to be the only book in your professional library but is highly likely to be one that sticks in your memory and that you read cover to cover. It is highly likely to be your go to book. The promise the title gives is held, SQL performance is explained. ( )