SQL Server 2017 started with query processing improvements called Adaptive Query Processing. In SQL Server 2019 there are additional improvements and all of them are packed in a feature with the most promising name - Intelligent Query Processing.

The intention of these improvements is to fix poor performing queries due to wrong cardinality estimations and other sub-optimal plan decisions, and hereby enhance query performance with almost no code changes.

This session will cover briefly all these features: Batch and Row Mode Memory Grant Feedback, Batch Mode Adaptive Join and Interleaved Execution, Table Variable Deferred Compilation, Approximate Query Processing, Batch Mode Rowstore and Inlining of scalar UDFs.

Better cardinality estimations should bring better plans, so one of the questions that inevitably arise is do you still need to tune your queries, does an intelligent query processor really needs my help, does it also solve parameter sniffing issues and so on.

The session will address such questions, and also suggest how much improvements you should expect in real workloads with this very promising set of features.