Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Execution Plans with the Management Portal
You should also note that the SQL Database Management Portal allows you to view execution plans; however, the
symbols representing the logical operations and the functionality provided are different.
For example, the display area changes depending on the zoom level, showing a simplified view when zooming
out and allowing you to see problem areas very quickly. Figure
11-5
shows that the T-SQL statement consumes the
most resources (total cost) on its Index Seek operation.
Figure 11-5.
Viewing an execution plan with the SQL Database management portal
You probably realized that the Index Seek symbol is different from the one shown by SSMS. Although the symbols
are very sleek and largely self-describing, you may find it a bit more difficult to tune certain T-SQL operations,
because some of the symbols are simplified. For example the Non-Clustered Index Seek and the Clustered Index Seek
operations are combined into a single symbol in the management portal. Nevertheless, if you zoom enough you will
see a description of the operation under the symbol, clearly identifying which operation is being represented as will
be seen in Figure
11-7
.
Clicking on one of the symbols will give you additional details, as shown in Figure
11-6
, similar to what you can
see in SSMS. Clicking on the View More button will display extensive information about the operation. To close the
detailed window, simply click in an empty area in the execution plan area.
