This book tries to take a realistic and honest view of the improvement of applications with a strong SQL component, and to define a rational framework for tactical maneuvers. The exercise of refactoring is often performed as a frantic quest for quick wins and spectacular improvements that will prevent budget cuts and keep heads firmly attached to shoulders. It’s precisely in times of general panic that keeping a cool head and taking a methodical approach matter most. Let’s state upfront that miracles, by definition, are the preserve of a few very gifted individuals, and they usually apply to worthier causes than your application (whatever you may think of it). But the reasoned and systematic application of sound principles may nevertheless have impressive results. This book tries to help you define different tactics, as well as assess the feasibility of different solutions and the risks attached to different interpretations of the word incremental.

Very often, refactoring an SQL application follows the reverse order of development: you start with easy things and slowly walk back, cutting deeper and deeper, until you reach the point where it hurts or you have attained a self-imposed limit. I have tried to follow the same order in this book, which is organized as follows: