How do I obtain a Query Execution Plan in SQL Server?

Question

In Microsoft SQL Server how can I get a query execution plan for a query / stored procedure?

Answer 1

Query plans can be obtained from an Extended Events session via the query_post_execution_showplan event. Here's a sample XEvent session:

/*
    Generated via "Query Detail Tracking" template.
*/
CREATE EVENT SESSION [GetExecutionPlan] ON SERVER 
ADD EVENT sqlserver.query_post_execution_showplan(
    ACTION(package0.event_sequence,sqlserver.plan_handle,sqlserver.query_hash,sqlserver.query_plan_hash,sqlserver.session_id,sqlserver.sql_text,sqlserver.tsql_frame,sqlserver.tsql_stack)),

/* Remove any of the following events (or include additional events) as desired. */
ADD EVENT sqlserver.error_reported(
    ACTION(package0.event_sequence,sqlserver.client_app_name,sqlserver.database_id,sqlserver.plan_handle,sqlserver.query_hash,sqlserver.query_plan_hash,sqlserver.session_id,sqlserver.sql_text,sqlserver.tsql_frame,sqlserver.tsql_stack)
    WHERE ([package0].[greater_than_uint64]([sqlserver].[database_id],(4)) AND [package0].[equal_boolean]([sqlserver].[is_system],(0)))),
ADD EVENT sqlserver.module_end(SET collect_statement=(1)
    ACTION(package0.event_sequence,sqlserver.client_app_name,sqlserver.database_id,sqlserver.plan_handle,sqlserver.query_hash,sqlserver.query_plan_hash,sqlserver.session_id,sqlserver.sql_text,sqlserver.tsql_frame,sqlserver.tsql_stack)
    WHERE ([package0].[greater_than_uint64]([sqlserver].[database_id],(4)) AND [package0].[equal_boolean]([sqlserver].[is_system],(0)))),
ADD EVENT sqlserver.rpc_completed(
    ACTION(package0.event_sequence,sqlserver.client_app_name,sqlserver.database_id,sqlserver.plan_handle,sqlserver.query_hash,sqlserver.query_plan_hash,sqlserver.session_id,sqlserver.sql_text,sqlserver.tsql_frame,sqlserver.tsql_stack)
    WHERE ([package0].[greater_than_uint64]([sqlserver].[database_id],(4)) AND [package0].[equal_boolean]([sqlserver].[is_system],(0)))),
ADD EVENT sqlserver.sp_statement_completed(SET collect_object_name=(1)
    ACTION(package0.event_sequence,sqlserver.client_app_name,sqlserver.database_id,sqlserver.plan_handle,sqlserver.query_hash,sqlserver.query_plan_hash,sqlserver.session_id,sqlserver.sql_text,sqlserver.tsql_frame,sqlserver.tsql_stack)
    WHERE ([package0].[greater_than_uint64]([sqlserver].[database_id],(4)) AND [package0].[equal_boolean]([sqlserver].[is_system],(0)))),
ADD EVENT sqlserver.sql_batch_completed(
    ACTION(package0.event_sequence,sqlserver.client_app_name,sqlserver.database_id,sqlserver.plan_handle,sqlserver.query_hash,sqlserver.query_plan_hash,sqlserver.session_id,sqlserver.sql_text,sqlserver.tsql_frame,sqlserver.tsql_stack)
    WHERE ([package0].[greater_than_uint64]([sqlserver].[database_id],(4)) AND [package0].[equal_boolean]([sqlserver].[is_system],(0)))),
ADD EVENT sqlserver.sql_statement_completed(
    ACTION(package0.event_sequence,sqlserver.client_app_name,sqlserver.database_id,sqlserver.plan_handle,sqlserver.query_hash,sqlserver.query_plan_hash,sqlserver.session_id,sqlserver.sql_text,sqlserver.tsql_frame,sqlserver.tsql_stack)
    WHERE ([package0].[greater_than_uint64]([sqlserver].[database_id],(4)) AND [package0].[equal_boolean]([sqlserver].[is_system],(0)))) 
ADD TARGET package0.ring_buffer
WITH (MAX_MEMORY=4096 KB,EVENT_RETENTION_MODE=ALLOW_SINGLE_EVENT_LOSS,MAX_DISPATCH_LATENCY=30 SECONDS,MAX_EVENT_SIZE=0 KB,MEMORY_PARTITION_MODE=NONE,TRACK_CAUSALITY=ON,STARTUP_STATE=OFF)
GO

After you create the session, (in SSMS) go to the Object Explorer and delve down into Management | Extended Events | Sessions. Right-click the "GetExecutionPlan" session and start it. Right-click it again and select "Watch Live Data".

Next, open a new query window and run one or more queries. Here's one for AdventureWorks:

USE AdventureWorks;
GO

SELECT p.Name AS ProductName, 
    NonDiscountSales = (OrderQty * UnitPrice),
    Discounts = ((OrderQty * UnitPrice) * UnitPriceDiscount)
FROM Production.Product AS p 
INNER JOIN Sales.SalesOrderDetail AS sod
    ON p.ProductID = sod.ProductID 
ORDER BY ProductName DESC;
GO

After a moment or two, you should see some results in the "GetExecutionPlan: Live Data" tab. Click one of the query_post_execution_showplan events in the grid, and then click the "Query Plan" tab below the grid. It should look similar to this:

EDIT: The XEvent code and the screen shot were generated from SQL/SSMS 2012 w/ SP2. If you're using SQL 2008/R2, you might be able to tweak the script to make it run. But that version doesn't have a GUI, so you'd have to extract the showplan XML, save it as a *.sqlplan file and open it in SSMS. That's cumbersome. XEvents didn't exist in SQL 2005 or earlier. So, if you're not on SQL 2012 or later, I'd strongly suggest one of the other answers posted here.