---
title: "Display and Save Execution Plans | Microsoft Docs"
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ms.date: "08/21/2017"
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  - "execution plans [SQL Server]"
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  - "execution plans [SQL Server], how-to topics"
  - "SQL Server Management Studio [SQL Server], execution plans"
  - "tuning queries [SQL Server]"
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---
# Display and Save Execution Plans
[!INCLUDE[appliesto-ss-asdb-xxxx-xxx-md](../../includes/appliesto-ss-asdb-xxxx-xxx-md.md)]
This section explains how to display execution plans and how to save execution plans to a file in XML format by using Microsoft [!INCLUDE[ssManStudioFull](../../includes/ssmanstudiofull-md.md)].  
  
Execution plans graphically display the data retrieval methods chosen by the [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Query Optimizer. Execution plans represent the execution cost of specific statements and queries in [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] using icons rather than the tabular representation produced by the [SET SHOWPLAN_ALL](../../t-sql/statements/set-showplan-all-transact-sql.md) or [SET SHOWPLAN_TEXT](../../t-sql/statements/set-showplan-text-transact-sql.md) statements. This graphical approach is useful for understanding the performance characteristics of a query.  

While the [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Query Optimizer produces only one execution plan, there is the concept of **estimated** execution plan and **actual** execution plan.
-  An [estimated execution plan](../../relational-databases/performance/display-the-estimated-execution-plan.md) returns the execution plan as produced by the Query Optimizer at compile time. Producing the estimated execution plan does not actually execute the query or batch, and therefore does not contain any runtime information, such as actual resource usage metrics or runtime warnings. 
-  An [actual execution plan](../../relational-databases/performance/display-an-actual-execution-plan.md) returns the execution plan as produced by the Query Optimizer, and after queries or batches finish execution. This includes runtime information about resource usage metrics and any runtime warnings.  

For more information on query execution plans, see the [Query Processing Architecture Guide](../../relational-databases/query-processing-architecture-guide.md).
  
## In This Section  
  
-   [Display the Estimated Execution Plan](../../relational-databases/performance/display-the-estimated-execution-plan.md)  
  
-   [Display an Actual Execution Plan](../../relational-databases/performance/display-an-actual-execution-plan.md)  
  
-   [Save an Execution Plan in XML Format](../../relational-databases/performance/save-an-execution-plan-in-xml-format.md)