The High-Performance DBA: Total Recall, Part 1: SQL Server Memory Basics and Best Practices

This article emphasizes that while SQL Server is highly efficient at managing memory, DBAs must proactively set boundaries like "Max Server Memory" to prevent indirect performance issues such as high I/O and slow queries. It highlights that high memory usage is often a sign of healthy caching and warns that reactive restarts can severely degrade performance by clearing essential data and execution plan caches.