80% of SQL Server Developers Don’t Know This Debugging Trick — Do You?

Title: 80% of SQL Server Developers Don’t Know This Debugging Trick — Do You?

URL Source: https://awstip.com/80-of-sql-server-developers-dont-know-this-debugging-trick-do-you-bff4bbfa0a0d?source=rss------programming-5

Published Time: 2026-04-27T05:08:12Z

Markdown Content:
# 80% of SQL Server Developers Don’t Know This Debugging Trick — Do You? | by AshokReddy | Apr, 2026 | Medium

[Sitemap](https://awstip.com/sitemap/sitemap.xml)

[Open in app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.medium.reader&referrer=utm_source%3DmobileNavBar&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------)

Sign up

[Sign in](https://awstip.com/m/signin?operation=login&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F%40ashokreddy343%2F80-of-sql-server-developers-dont-know-this-debugging-trick-do-you-bff4bbfa0a0d&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------global_nav------------------)

[](https://awstip.com/?source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------)

Get app

[Write](https://awstip.com/m/signin?operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Fnew-story&source=---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------new_post_topnav------------------)

[Search](https://awstip.com/search?source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------------------------)

Sign up

[Sign in](https://awstip.com/m/signin?operation=login&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F%40ashokreddy343%2F80-of-sql-server-developers-dont-know-this-debugging-trick-do-you-bff4bbfa0a0d&source=post_page---top_nav_layout_nav-----------------------global_nav------------------)


[Mastodon](https://me.dm/@ashokreddy343)

Member-only story

# 80% of SQL Server Developers Don’t Know This Debugging Trick — Do You?

## If you’ve ever struggled to trace stored procedure logic, this overlooked tool will completely change how you debug, optimize, and understand SQL Server code.

[](https://awstip.com/@ashokreddy343?source=post_page---byline--bff4bbfa0a0d---------------------------------------)

[AshokReddy](https://awstip.com/@ashokreddy343?source=post_page---byline--bff4bbfa0a0d---------------------------------------)

Follow

7 min read

·

Just now

[](https://awstip.com/m/signin?actionUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F_%2Fvote%2Fp%2Fbff4bbfa0a0d&operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F%40ashokreddy343%2F80-of-sql-server-developers-dont-know-this-debugging-trick-do-you-bff4bbfa0a0d&user=AshokReddy&userId=8e3c4d534bac&source=---header_actions--bff4bbfa0a0d---------------------clap_footer------------------)

[](https://awstip.com/m/signin?actionUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F_%2Fbookmark%2Fp%2Fbff4bbfa0a0d&operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F%40ashokreddy343%2F80-of-sql-server-developers-dont-know-this-debugging-trick-do-you-bff4bbfa0a0d&source=---header_actions--bff4bbfa0a0d---------------------bookmark_footer------------------)

[Listen](https://awstip.com/m/signin?actionUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Fplans%3Fdimension%3Dpost_audio_button%26postId%3Dbff4bbfa0a0d&operation=register&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F%40ashokreddy343%2F80-of-sql-server-developers-dont-know-this-debugging-trick-do-you-bff4bbfa0a0d&source=---header_actions--bff4bbfa0a0d---------------------post_audio_button------------------)

Share

Press enter or click to view image in full size


Source: Author

For most of my career, SQL Server felt like a **black box with a friendly face**.

I could write queries.

I could tune indexes.

I could read execution plans.

I could explain logical vs physical reads in interviews.

But deep down, I always felt like something was missing.

I _knew_ what SQL Server **said** it was going to do.

I never truly k