SQL Server Execution Plans - Red Gate Software

Chapter 3: Text and XML Execution Plans for Basic Queries
Now, we'll capture the equivalent text plan. There is no button to turn on in the GUI to
capture text plans. Instead, we'll use a T-SQL statement to output the text plan. Turning
on SHOWPLAN_ALL will allow you to collect estimated execution plans. This is a change
to the behavior of your query window. No T-SQL code submitted after this statement is
actually executed until you turn SHOWPLAN_ALL off again.
SET SHOWPLAN_ALL ON;
GO
SELECT e.BusinessEntityID ,
e.JobTitle ,
e.LoginID
FROM HumanResources.Employee AS e
WHERE e.LoginID = 'adventure-works\marc0';
GO
SET SHOWPLAN_ALL OFF;
Listing 3.2
By default, the text plan displays in a spreadsheet-style grid format, as shown in
Figure 3.2. 1
Figure 3.2
The layout of the results of the text plan consists of rows of information where each row
is an operator. The plan displays the operators in the logical processing order from top
to bottom, similar to reading a graphical plan from left to right. In this example, Row 1 is
the parent node, the first operator in the execution plan, and the StmtText column for
this row contains the text for the T-SQL statement. Scrolling right through the results,
1 If you right-click in the query window of SSMS, you can select Results To | Results to Text, which offers a more conventional view
of the text execution plan.
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