MS SQL Server's equivalent to PostgreSQL's EXPLAIN

Question

Is there a SQL Server equivalent to PostgreSQL's EXPLAIN command that I can run on SQL Server 2008 R2 Express (ie. without SQL Profiler)?

Answer 1

You should use SET SHOWPLAN_ALL ON before submitting your query to display the execution plan. Do note, though, that it is scheduled to be removed in favour of SHOWPLAN_XML in a future version.