Cumulative updates are not to be feared; the cautionary text accompanying them will soon be a thing of the past.

I highlight a handful of Connect items aimed at improving SQL Server showplan diagnostics and query tuning in general.

I walk through a solution that allows you to achieve some of the benefits of partitioning, without the Enterprise Edition price tag.

I share a few of the queries I use to quickly hone in on changes that have been implemented between SQL Server CTPs.