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Finding a good join order is crucial for query performance. In this paper, we introduce the Join Order Benchmark that works on real-life data riddled with correlations and introduces 113 complex join queries. We experimentally revisit the main components in the classic query optimizer architecture using a complex, real-world data set and realistic multi-join queries. For this purpose, we describe cardinality-estimate injection and extraction techniques that allow us to compare the cardinality estimators of multiple industrial SQL implementations on equal footing, and to characterize the value of having perfect cardinality estimates. Our investigation shows that all industrial-strength cardinality estimators routinely produce large errors: though cardinality estimation using table samples solves the problem for single-table queries, there are still no techniques in industrial systems that can deal accurately with join …