Why Cursors Kill Performance (and When They Don’t), The "45 Seconds DBA Series" | Part 21
Before we dive into today's topic, if you missed my previous post you can take a look at The Dangerous Truth About Scalar Functions in 45 Seconds, The "45 Seconds DBA Series" | Part 20 . π If you found this deep-dive helpful, feel free to check out the ads—your support helps me keep creating high-quality SQL Server content for the community. Why Cursors Kill Performance (and When They Don’t) The "45 Seconds DBA Series" | Part 21 In this post, I’ll expose why T-SQL cursors are often the primary cause of CPU spikes and blocking chains. Master the set-based mindset to unlock massive scalability! π§ TL;DR BOX ✔️ RBAR (Row-By-Agonizing-Row): Cursors execute procedural logic, destroying the power of the set-based optimizer. π£ ✔️ High Overhead: Context switching between the engine and the cursor memory destroys throughpu...