Quad Cities Data Professionals - December 10, 2025 Meeting

5:30 Networking
6:00 Presentation

Optimized Locking: Improving SQL Server Transaction Concurrency

Some aspects of the SQL Server engine have not seen much change for a long time - locking is one such component. Until now. Optimized locking is here and it affects not just the locking mechanisms but the way concurrency is handled.

This session is designed to help us understand how optimized locking works. First we will cover the foundation on which it was built, the version store. Then we’ll dig deep into the two components of optimized locking: Transaction ID (TID) and lock after qualification (LAQ). Finally, we’ll review some best practices when enabled.

By the end of this session, you should have a clear understanding of how it works and why we want to take advantage of this new functionality.

Deborah Melkin

Deborah Melkin has been working as a database professional with SQL Server for over 20 years. She spends her days helping coworkers with all aspects of database design, queries, performance, documentation, and deployment. In 2016, she began her blog, Deb the DBA. Soon after that, she began speaking at SQL Saturdays and user groups. Deborah is a board member of the New England SQL Server User group (NESQL) and a member of the Azure Data Community Advisory Council. She was named "One To Watch" as part of the #Redgate100 and won Speaker Idol at PASS Summit 2019. Deborah is also a Microsoft MVP for the Data Platform.

In her spare time, Deborah can usually be found doing something musical or doing something geeky with her husband, Andy, and dog, Sebastian.