A field-tested view of Parameter Sensitive Plan optimisation, Query Store hints and where each one earns its place.
Modern SQL Server releases have shipped a set of features that quietly change how we tune production workloads. In this note we walk through the features we most commonly recommend to enterprise clients — Parameter Sensitive Plan optimisation, Query Store hints and workload isolation patterns — and where each one earns its place. The short version: adopt Parameter Sensitive Plan optimisation early, treat Query Store hints as a scalpel rather than a hammer, and always measure with a workload baseline before and after.