Proper database tuning is vital in ensuring that the SQL within your application is performing at top efficiency. Many database administrators and software developers take appropriate steps to ensure that all frequently used SQL and queries have the necessary indexes or logical files on the system. What some miss though is the fact that there are many more opportunities to improve the performance of SQL than just simply the analysis and building of new indexes. A closer look at the underlying causes of long running SQL requests will highlight these other opportunities and give you many more avenues for improving system performance.