Explore the intricacies of database query optimization in this comprehensive conference talk on statistics, heuristics, and row estimations. Delve into the importance of these concepts for database performance and learn about key topics such as equality with and without statistics, parameter sniffing, and table variables. Discover how to handle inequalities, special cases, and the impact of recompilation on query execution. Gain valuable insights into the inner workings of database engines and how to leverage statistics and heuristics for more efficient query processing.