SSMS Productivity Shortcuts from Brent Ozar's Group By Series

Every so often you come across genuinely useful information that doesn’t cost anything — that’s not as common as it should be. Brent Ozar’s Group By video series is exactly that: free, practical SQL training from people who actually use this stuff every day.

This session on SSMS shortcuts blew my mind with how much time I’d been leaving on the table. I’ve rewatched it more than once.

The Shortcuts That Stuck

Here are the ones I use constantly now (tested on SSMS 17.x; most carry forward to current versions):

Query Execution

Results & Display

Navigation & Object Info

The One I Use Most

Alt+F1 is the one that changed my workflow. Highlight a table or stored procedure name in your query window, hit Alt+F1, and you get sp_help output without switching context or typing anything. For quick schema lookups during troubleshooting, this alone saves several minutes a day.

Why Group By Is Worth Your Time

The Group By sessions are free, recorded, and available on YouTube. They’re worth bookmarking and revisiting — Brent and friends cover practical, real-world topics that you can apply immediately. If you haven’t explored the library, start there.

Key Takeaways

• SSMS has a deep shortcut library most people never explore — the investment in learning a handful pays off quickly.
• Alt+F1 for sp_help and Ctrl+M for actual execution plans are the two highest-value shortcuts for daily DBA work.
• Brent Ozar’s Group By sessions are free, practical, and consistently high quality — worth bookmarking.