About Me

I'm Erik Darling. I've spent my career specializing in SQL Server performance: tuning queries, fixing concurrency problems, and helping teams understand why their servers behave the way they do.

I've worked with over 700 very happy clients, consulted with Brent Ozar Unlimited, and I speak regularly at PASS Summit, SQLBits, and other industry events.

I also maintain a collection of open-source SQL Server troubleshooting tools (sp_PressureDetector, sp_QuickieStore, sp_HumanEvents, and others) and a free performance monitoring tool.

Everything on this site is built from what I've learned doing this work — not from textbooks.

I live in NYC with my wife and two daughters, and aside from databases I enjoy squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows. I will consider trading work for bottles of Port Ellen scotch, Côte-Rôtie wine, and fancy watches.