SQL Server Expertise
With extensive experience in SQL Server database design and optimization, I build performant, scalable database solutions. My expertise spans database design, query optimization, stored procedures, and integration with .NET applications.
Database Design
-
Normalization: Designing normalized database schemas (3NF, BCNF) to eliminate redundancy and ensure data integrity. Balancing normalization with performance requirements through strategic denormalization.
Understanding when to denormalize for read performance while maintaining data consistency. Implementing dimensional models (star/snowflake schemas) for data warehousing and analytics.
-
Schema Design: Creating effective table structures with appropriate data types, constraints, and relationships. Using foreign keys, check constraints, and unique constraints to enforce data integrity.
Designing tables for scalability, partitioning strategies for large tables, and implementing proper indexing strategies from design phase. Planning for future growth and evolution of data requirements.
Performance Tuning
-
Indexing Strategies: Creating appropriate indexes (clustered, non-clustered, covering, filtered) to optimize query performance. Analyzing query execution plans to identify index opportunities and missing indexes.
Understanding index fragmentation, rebuilding/reorganizing strategies, and maintaining index health. Balancing read performance improvements with write performance impacts of additional indexes.
-
Query Optimization: Writing efficient SQL queries with proper JOIN strategies, WHERE clause optimization, and avoiding common anti-patterns (N+1 queries, unnecessary subqueries, functions in WHERE clauses).
Using query hints, plan guides, and statistics updates to influence query execution. Analyzing execution plans to identify bottlenecks, table scans, and index seek opportunities.
-
Statistics and Maintenance: Maintaining up-to-date statistics for accurate query optimization. Implementing automated maintenance jobs for index rebuilding, statistics updates, and database integrity checks.
Configuring auto-update statistics and implementing custom statistics maintenance for critical tables. Monitoring query performance and adjusting statistics update frequency based on data volatility.
Stored Procedures & T-SQL
-
Stored Procedure Development: Creating efficient stored procedures for complex business logic, data manipulation, and transaction management. Implementing error handling, transactions, and return values appropriately.
Using parameters correctly to prevent SQL injection and enable query plan reuse. Implementing stored procedures with proper error handling, transaction management, and logging.
-
T-SQL Advanced Features: Leveraging CTEs (Common Table Expressions), window functions, recursive queries, and table-valued functions for complex data operations.
Using MERGE statements, OUTPUT clauses, and table variables effectively. Implementing efficient cursors alternatives using set-based operations for better performance.
Data Access Technologies
-
Entity Framework: Using Entity Framework Core and EF6 for ORM-based data access. Implementing Code First and Database First approaches, migrations, and LINQ to Entities queries.
Optimizing EF queries to avoid N+1 problems, using Include/ThenInclude for eager loading, and implementing raw SQL when needed. Managing DbContext lifecycle, connection pooling, and async operations.
-
Dapper: Implementing high-performance data access using Dapper micro-ORM. Writing parameterized queries, using multi-mapping, and leveraging Dapper's simplicity for performance-critical scenarios.
Combining Dapper with repository patterns for maintainable data access layers. Using Dapper for bulk operations, stored procedure execution, and complex query scenarios.
-
ADO.NET: Using ADO.NET directly for maximum control and performance. Implementing connection management, command execution, and data readers efficiently.
Using async methods (ExecuteReaderAsync, ExecuteNonQueryAsync) for non-blocking database operations. Implementing proper connection string management, connection pooling, and resource disposal.