---
title: "Validate Plan Guides After Upgrade | Microsoft Docs"
ms.custom: ""
ms.date: "06/13/2017"
ms.prod: "sql-server-2014"
ms.reviewer: ""
ms.technology: performance
ms.topic: conceptual
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "plan guides [SQL Server], validating after upgrade"
ms.assetid: a55ebd88-6f58-454d-b1c4-991b88add522
author: MikeRayMSFT
ms.author: mikeray
manager: craigg
---
# Validate Plan Guides After Upgrade
  We recommend re-evaluating and testing plan guide definitions when you upgrade your application to a new release of [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)]. Performance tuning requirements and plan guide matching behavior may change. Although an invalid plan guide will not cause a query to fail, the plan is compiled without using the plan guide and may not be the best choice. After upgrading a database to [!INCLUDE[ssCurrent](../../includes/sscurrent-md.md)], we recommend that you perform the following tasks:  
  
-   Validate existing plan guides by using the [sys.fn_validate_plan_guide](/sql/relational-databases/system-functions/sys-fn-validate-plan-guide-transact-sql) function.  
  
-   Use extended events to monitor for misguided plans for some period of time by using the [Plan Guide Unsuccessful](../event-classes/plan-guide-unsuccessful-event-class.md) event.