Reddit reviews Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 Internals (Developer Reference)
We found 2 Reddit comments about Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 Internals (Developer Reference). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
The best series of books is the Inside SQL Server series, and although they are quite advanced, database internals aren't a simple topic. The idea is to find an area that you're interested in, and take a deep dive from there. Maybe I should write a series of articles on the topic, for people with your experience level.
If you are interested in how the storage engine works, then Microsoft SQL Server 2008: Internals is a good choice.
If you're more interested in how queries are processed, then perhaps starting with Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2008: T-SQL Querying would be a better option.
Additionally, I highly recommend a good selection of blogs, particularly the guys and girls over at SQLskills. Also, consider reading the Books Online pages on Planning and Architecture.
Any questions, feel free to ask - I love chatting about SQL Server, particularly on the MSDN SQL Forums, or SQL Server Central.
> Cached plans are still very much a black box to me.
I'm still there with you learning most of this myself. If you more detailed info, check out this SQL Server Internals book. I've been reading it and its helped out alot.