The Best Database Performance Tuning Books of All Time

Discover the most influential database performance tuning books, recommended by leaders, experts, and readers worldwide

We may earn commissions for purchases made via this page.
Recommendations by Ian Coldwater, Artemios Vogiatzis, Roland Wenzlofsky, Kevin Kline and 4 others

Not sure what to read? Our AI can suggest the most recommended Database Performance Tuning books!

1
Book Cover of Silvia Botros, Jeremy Tinley - High Performance MySQL: Proven Strategies for Operating at Scale

By Silvia Botros – Senior Principal Engineer at Twilio (you?) and 1 more 

4.68
| 2021 | 386 Pages
Recommended for: 
Engineers familiar with RDBMS principles and system administration, networking, and operating systems. Intermediate to Advanced readers.
You will:
  • Learn advanced techniques for setting service-level objectives, designing schemas, indexes, and queries.
  • Discover safe and practical ways to scale applications through replication, load balancing, and high availability.
  • Understand best practices for database security and lessons in performance and stability.
  • Explore MySQL's architecture, server configuration, and query performance optimization.
  • Learn about enhancements to MySQL's replication, high availability, and managed cloud environments.
Reviews:
Advanced Techniques
Best Practices
Database Security
Scalability Strategies
Performance Optimization
Compliance Complexity
Tooling Changes
  • #20 Best Seller in MySQL Guides on Amazon
Recommended by Ian Coldwater
Ian Coldwaterdbsmasher ahidalgosre Silvia wrote this book and it's awesome!
|Read Amazon reviews |Rate or write a review
2
Book Cover of Benjamin Nevarez - SQL Server Query Tuning and Optimization: Optimize Microsoft SQL Server 2022 queries and applications

By Benjamin Nevarez – Database professional specializing in SQL Server query tuning and optimization (you?) 

4.65
| 2022 | 446 Pages
Recommended for: 
SQL Server developers, database administrators, database architects. Intermediate to Advanced readers.
You will:
  • Understand query engine internals and practical query optimization techniques
  • Learn about intelligent query processing and new features in SQL Server 2022
  • Troubleshoot queries using extended events, SQL Trace, and dynamic management views
  • Speed up queries and improve app performance by creating the right indexes
  • Detect and fix cardinality estimation errors and improve query performance
Reviews:
In-depth Topics
Practical Tips
Comprehensive Coverage
Clear Explanations
Useful Examples
Repetitive Content
Lack of Advanced Features Coverage
  • #40 Best Seller in Computer Performance Optimization on Amazon
Recommended by Kevin Kline, Kalen Delaney and Greg Low
Kevin KlineBenjamin has been a specialist in SQL Server deep internals and query optimization, speaking and frequently consulting on the topic for decades. Through his discussion ranging from the query optimizer to troubleshooting techniques, caching and indexing to statistics, his broad and deep experience is evident throughout the book. Benjamin covers everything you need to take your skills as a SQL coder from entry level to complete mastery. You’ll also get excellent information about the differences in SQL query behavior between the SQL Server relational database engine and SQL Server data warehouse query engine, in-memory OLTP query processing, query hints, and the newest query-related features of SQL Server 2022. This book is well worth your dollar
Kalen DelaneyAs the author of multiple deeply technical books on SQL Server, I know that these books are not easy to write, and that it takes enormous commitment and passion to create a high-quality work like this one. Benjamin Nevarez definitely has that passion, as well as the expertise and the ability to explain difficult concepts. The list of topics is very comprehensive, and most chapters include background information on how the SQL Server engine actually works, in addition to offering tools, tips, and techniques for troubleshooting and optimizing query performance. I was thrilled to see that Ben had written such a comprehensive book about SQL Server 2022, because now I have a go-to resource to learn about this latest version of my favorite database system
Greg LowThis book covers a rich set of topics, including most things you need to know when performing query optimizations for SQL Server. It provides a detailed background to each area, and then recommendations on how to proceed. I was really pleased to see this focus, as far too much attention gets paid to hardware and operating system configuration when users are trying to improve the performance of SQL Server applications. The real gold is to be found in improving applications, and in particular, the performance of queries
|Read Amazon reviews |Rate or write a review
Database Performance Tuning Book made by AI

By TailoredRead – AI that creates personalized books for you 

4.98
| 2025 | 30-300 pages
Learn Database Performance Tuning faster with a book created specifically for you by state-of-the-art AI. Our AI has vast knowledge of Database Performance Tuning, and will craft a custom-tailored book for you in just 10 minutes. This tailored book addresses YOUR unique interests, goals, knowledge level, and background. Available for online reading, PDF download, and Kindle, your custom book will provide personalized insights to help you learn faster, expand your horizons, and accomplish your goals. Embark on your Database Performance Tuning learning journey with a personalized book - made exclusively for you.
Recommended for: 
All readers across all knowledge levels.
You will:
  • Get a Database Performance Tuning book tailored to your interests, goals, and background
  • Receive a book precisely matching your background and level of knowledge
  • Select which topics you want to learn, exclude the topics you don't
  • Define your learning goals and let your book guide you to accomplish them
  • Get all the knowledge you need consolidated into a single focused book
Reviews:
Insightful
Focused
Highly Personalized
Easy to Read
Engaging
Actionable
Up-to-Date
3
Book Cover of Grant Fritchey - SQL Server 2017 Query Performance Tuning: Troubleshoot and Optimize Query Performance

By Grant Fritchey – Microsoft Data Platform MVP with over 20 years of experience in IT (you?) 

4.60
| 2018 | 963 Pages
Recommended for: 
Developers and database administrators responsible for application performance in SQL Server environments. Intermediate to Advanced readers.
You will:
  • Understand and easily change query performance using Query Store
  • Recognize and eliminate bottlenecks leading to slow performance
  • Deploy quick fixes when needed, following up with long-term solutions
  • Implement best practices in T-SQL to minimize performance risk
  • Design for performance through careful query and index design
Reviews:
Insightful Strategies
Practical Advice
Valuable Insight
Proactive Approach
Latest Optimization Techniques
Repetitive
Too Simplistic
Read Amazon reviews|Rate or write a review
Loading
Category:
Choose a different view:
Format:
Print | Kindle |