Live registration reopens October 1, 2026, in 12d 10h 18m — Notify me

Mastering · Live class · Nov 30–Dec 4, 2026

Mastering Index Tuning 2027

You need to speed up a SQL Server app, but you only want to make index changes. No new hardware, no SQL Server changes, no code changes. The live class, the Mastering Index Tuning 2026 recording right now, and the 2027 recording when it’s cut, through Dec 31, 2027.

$1,495 one payment · includes the 2026 recording today

Next rotation

Live registration opens October 1, 2026.

12d 10h 18m

One email when registration opens, with first dibs on seats. That’s it.

Cartoon Brent Ozar pointing both index fingers

Dates & times

Five half-days, live. Then the whole thing again, every rotation.

Your next session

Nov 30–Dec 4, 2026

Monday to Friday, five half-days. Lectures live, questions answered as we go, optional labs after.

Also attend every later rotation

  • Spring 2027 Apr 5–9, 2027 · Mon–Fri
  • Summer 2027 Jul 26–30, 2027 · Mon–Fri
  • Fall 2027 Dec 6–10, 2027 · Mon–Fri

Same class, every rotation through Feb 2028, included. Miss a day this time? Catch it next time. Or come twice: the labs are different every time I run them.

Class hours, every day

Pacific9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Eastern12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
GMT17:00 – 21:00

Pacific and Eastern are the fixed ones: class always runs 9 AM Pacific. GMT shifts to 16:00 – 20:00 for rotations held while the US is on daylight saving time, roughly March through October.

What’s included

  • The Mastering Index Tuning 2026 recording, right now.
  • Five live half-days, Nov 30–Dec 4, 2026, with me answering questions as we go.
  • A seat in all 3 later rotations too, through Feb 2028, and each new recording as it’s cut.
  • Recordings through Dec 31, 2026; live seats through Feb 2028. One payment, no auto-renew.

Live attendees get listed in my public alumni directory (name and class, opt-in). Recordings-only buyers don’t. See the alumni directory →

What you’ll learn

Index changes only. Big results anyway.

  • Filtered indexes, indexed views, and computed columns, and when each one backfires.
  • Fixing blocking without touching the application code.
  • The D.E.A.T.H. method for cleaning up a server with hundreds of indexes.

Who it’s for

DBAs and developers who’ve finished Fundamentals of Index Tuning and are now responsible for a server where every table already has a dozen indexes.

Curriculum · From the 2026 edition

What’s inside

  • About 10 hours
  • 7 sections
  • 25 lectures
  • Taught by Brent Ozar
  • 2027 updates land as they’re recorded

Before the Class

  • Introductions 20:09
  • Prerequisites
  • Change Log for This Class
  • Watch the Live Class Start
  • Download the Slides & Demos

Bending the 5 & 5 Guideline with Special Indexes

  • Filtered Indexes 37:41
  • Indexed Views 39:56
  • Computed Columns 28:45
  • Automatic Indexing Through Time 22:36
  • Lab 1 Assignment 7:20
  • Lab 1: Brent Does It 37:10

Heaps and Clustered Indexes

  • Where to Use Heaps and How to Pick Clustering Keys 48:20

Fixing Blocking with Index Tuning

  • Fixing Blocking with Index Tuning 42:14
  • Lab 2 Assignment 7:34
  • Lab 2: Brent Does It 38:26

Making Tough Decisions When You Scale

  • When to Remove Constraints and Foreign Keys 35:02
  • Choosing Between Partitioned Tables and Views 43:42
  • How to Get Seeks on the Second Column of an Index 15:04
  • Lab 3 Assignment 5:47
  • Lab 3: Brent Does It 47:00

Specialized Index Types

  • Tuning Indexes to Avoid Key Lookups 20:12
  • Indexing JSON 25:50

Doing the D.E.A.T.H. Method

  • Deduping and Eliminating 44:56
  • Lab 4 Assignment 5:28
  • Lab 4: Brent Does It 52:57

This class is included in…

Or take every live class this year.

One bundle contains this class, and it contains everything else too.

Live Class Season Pass 2027

One pass. Every class. All year.

Every live class, every rotation through Feb 2028

Fundamentals Week and all three Mastering classes, live, every rotation through Feb 2028. Plus the Recorded Class Season Pass: Fundamentals + Mastering (all 13 recordings) the minute you buy, and your name in the alumni directory.

$4,395 one payment

Registration opens October 1, 2026

Just want the recording? Mastering Index Tuning 2026 is $795: no live seat, no 2027 updates, no alumni listing. Buy the recording →

Prerequisites & logistics

The fine print, in regular-size type.

Labs (optional)
Your own SQL Server lab with the large Stack Overflow database, or rent a lab VM. Fundamentals of Index Tuning first. Labs follow each day’s lectures and are optional.
Alumni directory
Live attendees are listed at brentozar.com/classes/alumni/ (name and class, opt-in).
Access
Recordings through Dec 31, 2026, on training.brentozar.com. One payment, no auto-renew.
Refunds
None. Watch the free previews and read the curriculum above first; that’s what it’s there for.
Purchase orders
Accepted for 10 or more seats; email help@brentozar.com for a quote. Everything else goes through the website by credit card.

Free, 3× a week

3 posts a week, in your inbox

Plus a Monday roundup of my favorite database news from around the web. No fluff, occasional jokes.

Questions first

Not sure this is the one?

Email help@brentozar.com and tell me what’s slow. It’s me answering, and I’d rather sell you the right class than the biggest one.

Email me