SolarWinds unveils major upgrades to Plan Explorer tool

SolarWinds, a specialist in secure observability and IT management software, recently unveiled significant upgrades to Plan Explorer. This tool aids in the analysis of query performance in Microsoft SQL Server environments.

Plan Explorer empowers database professionals to probe deeply into query execution plans. In turn, this aids in pinpointing bottlenecks and inefficiencies within SQL Server databases. This tool's user-friendly interface and diverse feature set are perfectly geared towards revolutionising the way database teams enhance their systems.

The Plan Explorer tool is an essential aid for database teams in identifying the root cause of query issues in Microsoft SQL Server. This tool provides invaluable insights by presenting query execution plans in the form of easy-to-understand plan comparisons, along with a variety of colour and layout options for diagrams. Notable performance-tuning capabilities include runtime metrics that are not available in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), index scoring and histogram analysis, live query profiles with resource charts and a full query call stack for dynamic SQL, equivalent to iterative queries. The tool also provides unique analysis and visualisation of deadlocks, along with session history, versioning, and comments.

Plan Explorer is natively incorporated into the SolarWinds SQL Sentry product. By amalgamating Plan Explorer's detailed query plan analysis with SQL Sentry's comprehensive monitoring and diagnostics, database administrators and developers can adopt a more effective approach to managing SQL Server performance. This combined approach ensures immediate query performance enhancement as well as long-term SQL Server performance, stability, and efficiency.

"Plan Explorer is a much-cherished free product in the modern DBA's toolbox", says Suril Jasani, SQL Sentry Product Manager. "SolarWinds is committed to investing in the products that lighten the workload for DBAs". The exciting new enhancements to the SolarWinds Plan Explorer enable teams to improve query performance and expeditiously resolve deadlocks.

The upgrades to Plan Explorer encompass compatibility with SQL Server 2022, improved visibility with plan guide indication, streamlined deadlock investigation and a revamped start page for a more intuitive user experience. All these features substantially facilitate optimising query performance, identifying potential performance bottlenecks, applying targeted optimisations, and understanding and addressing the root causes of deadlock events more efficiently.

SolarWinds continues to update its database management solutions to provide customers with enhanced visibility, smooth integrations, and the capacity to redefine the capabilities of the increasingly complicated database environment, the company states. To this end, the company recently announced key enhancements to its comprehensive database performance monitoring and DataOps solution, SQL Sentry. These improvements include the introduction of query-level wait statistics and an overhauled Environmental Health Overview dashboard that empowers organisations to detect and avert database performance problems.