Accessing Memory-Optimized Tables Using Interpreted Transact-SQL
With only a few exceptions, you can access memory-optimized tables using any Transact-SQL query or DML operation (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE), ad hoc batches, and SQL modules such as stored procedures, table-value functions, triggers, and views.
Interpreted Transact-SQL refers to Transact-SQL batches or stored procedures other than a natively compiled stored procedure. Interpreted Transact-SQL access to memory-optimized tables is referred to as interop access.
Memory-optimized tables can also be accessed using a natively compiled stored procedure. Natively compiled stored procedures are recommended for performance-critical OLTP operations.
Interpreted Transact-SQL access is recommended for these scenarios:
Ad hoc queries and administrative tasks.
Reporting queries, which typically use constructs not available in natively compiled stored procedures (such as window functions).
To migrate performance-critical parts of your application to memory-optimized tables, with minimal (or no) application code changes. You can potentially see performance improvements from migrating tables. If you then migrate stored procedures to natively compiled stored procedures, you may see further performance improvement.
When a Transact-SQL statement is not available for natively compiled stored procedures.
The following Transact-SQL constructs are not supported in interpreted Transact-SQL stored procedures that access data in a memory-optimized table.
| Area | Unsupported |
|---|---|
| Access to tables | TRUNCATE TABLE MERGE (memory-optimized table as target) Dynamic and keyset cursors (these automatically degrade to static). Access from CLR modules, using the context connection. Referencing a memory-optimized table from an indexed view. |
| Cross-database | Cross-database queries Cross-database transactions Linked servers |
Table Hints
For more information about table hints, see. Table Hints (Transact-SQL). SNAPSHOT isolation was added to support In-Memory OLTP.
The following table hints are not supported when accessing a memory-optimized table using interpreted Transact-SQL.
| HOLDLOCK | IGNORE_CONSTRAINTS | IGNORE_TRIGGERS | NOWAIT |
| PAGLOCK | READCOMMITTED | READCOMMITTEDLOCK | READPAST |
| READUNCOMMITTED | ROWLOCK | SPATIAL_WINDOW_MAX_CELLS = integer | TABLOCK |
| TABLOCKXX | UPDLOCK | XLOCK |
When accessing a memory-optimized table from an explicit or implicit transaction using interpreted Transact-SQL you must include either an isolation level table hint such as SNAPSHOT, REPEATABLEREAD, or SERIALIZABLE, or you can use MEMORY_OPTIMIZED_ELEVATE_TO_SNAPSHOT. For more information, see Guidelines for Transaction Isolation Levels with Memory-Optimized Tables and ALTER DATABASE SET Options (Transact-SQL).
Note
An isolation level table hint is not required for memory-optimized tables accessed by queries running in auto-commit mode.
See Also
Transact-SQL Support for In-Memory OLTP
Migrating to In-Memory OLTP