SQL Server Profiler is a powerful tool that allows you to monitor and analyze the events and activity running on a SQL Server. It provides valuable insights into the performance and behavior of your database. In this article, we will explore the concepts of SQL Server Profiler and how it can be used in conjunction with Performance Monitoring to gain a deeper understanding of your SQL Server environment.
Preconfigured Templates
SQL Server Profiler comes with several preconfigured templates that can be used to capture specific types of events and activity. These templates include SP Counts, Standard, TSQL, TSQL Duration, TSQL Grouped, TSQL Replay, TSQL SPs, and Tuning. Each template captures different sets of information, allowing you to focus on specific areas of interest. For example, the TSQL Duration template can be used to quickly identify slow running queries, while the TSQL Grouped template captures the user or client application that issued the command.
Integrating Performance Monitoring
An interesting feature of SQL Server Profiler is the ability to integrate Perfmon (Windows Performance Monitoring tool) data into a captured Profiler session. This allows you to visualize and analyze statistics such as CPU, hard disk, and memory usage alongside Profiler data. To do this, you can create a trace using SQL Server Profiler and simultaneously capture Perfmon data. By combining these two sources of information, you can gain a comprehensive view of the performance and resource usage of your SQL Server.
Running a Trace as a Job
Running a trace periodically throughout the day can be helpful in gathering data at fixed times to develop a baseline of performance statistics. SQL Server Profiler provides a simple way to achieve this by copying a Trace Template into a SQL Server Agent Job. This allows you to schedule the trace to run automatically at specified intervals. By doing so, you can consistently monitor the performance of your SQL Server and identify any potential issues or bottlenecks.
Conclusion
SQL Server Profiler is a valuable tool for monitoring and diagnosing SQL Server performance. By utilizing its preconfigured templates, integrating Performance Monitoring, and running traces as jobs, you can gain a deeper understanding of your SQL Server environment and make informed decisions to optimize its performance. With practice and experimentation, SQL Server Profiler will become an essential tool in your SQL Server toolbox.