From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. In various SQL implementations, a hint is an addition to the SQL standard that instructs the database engine on how to execute the query. For example, a hint may tell the engine to use or not to use an index (even if the query optimizer would decide otherwise).

What are hints used for in SQL queries?

Hints are options or strategies specified for enforcement by the SQL Server query processor on SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE statements. The hints override any execution plan the query optimizer might select for a query.

Can we use hints on views?

Access path and join hints can appear in a view definition. If the view is an inline view (that is, if it appears in the FROM clause of a SELECT statement), then all access path and join hints inside the view are preserved when the view is merged with the top-level query.