How Much Are you Bringing Back In Your CAML Queries?

I don't know you but I am bringing back too much.

This is one of those things you don't notice until it's too late. I thought just adding very strict filters to the CAML Queries to bring back just the items you needed was enough but there's one more thing you can do.

You can restrict the fields you are retrieving... and you should.

The SQL Queries that SharePoint generates for retrieving the items when you let the ViewFields parameter of the CAML empty almost doubles the complexity of the one it generates when you specify the fields you want to query, or use a view.

Two simple lines like these:

query.ViewFields = "<FieldRef Name=\"Value\" />";
query.ViewFieldsOnly = true;

Can make your query better.

Who could resist to do it right when it's this simple?