https://www.sqlserver70.com/tags/compiled-plan-stub/Recent content in Compiled Plan Stub on SQL Server ScriptsHugo -- gohugo.ioenSQLServer70.comThu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.sqlserver70.com/post/adhoc-plan-cache-bloat-dm-exec-cached-plans/Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.sqlserver70.com/post/adhoc-plan-cache-bloat-dm-exec-cached-plans/ <p>Not every plan in SQL Server's cache earns its place. A query compiled once — because its literal values were hard-coded into the text instead of passed as parameters — gets a full compiled plan cached right alongside plans an application reuses thousands of times a day. <a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/system-dynamic-management-objects/sys-dm-exec-cached-plans-transact-sql">sys.dm_exec_cached_plans</a> is where that difference becomes measurable: <code>usecounts</code> shows whether a plan was ever looked up again, and <code>size_in_bytes</code> shows exactly how many bytes it's still holding in memory for the privilege of never running twice.</p>