The many (too many?) reads of a many to many Merge Join
3 Comments
SQL Server’s optimizer can choose between four different physical operators for joining data. The Merge Join operator is usually the best choice if the input data is already sorted by the join columns. It processes both inputs at the same time, every time advancing the input that has the lowest value of the join key. This algorithm, known as “balance line processing” back in the olden days of magnetic tape storage, always finds all matches with just a single pass over each of the inputs. One to many One of the most important properties in a Merge Join operator is…
