Professional SQL Server 2008 Internals and Troubleshooting ppt

Christian Bolton, Justin Langford, Brent Ozar, James Rowland-Jones, Steven Wort
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Professional
SQL Server
®
2008
Internals and Troubleshooting

$59.99 USA
$71.99 CAN
When faced with a variety of SQL Server issues, you need to be able
to troubleshoot SQL Server as well as its underlying operating system.
To that end, this author group of SQL Server experts presents you with
invaluable advice that brings together—and simplifies—practical internal
information concerning SQL Server along with troubleshooting
techniques and methodologies. Packed with real-world examples of
ways to effectively use troubleshooting tools, this book shows you how
to efficiently and accurately determine the root of your SQL Server
problem so you can successfully resolve it.
• Escorts you through the lifecycle of a query to establish an under-
standing of the fundamental concepts and architectures
• Examines the use of memory including the physical components, Windows
memory management, and SQL Server’s own memory architecture
• Reviews SQL Server wait types and how to monitor them with
Extended Events
• Equips you with the knowledge to confidently specify and monitor
your storage performance requirements
• Details SQL Server’s locking model, the internal use of latches,
and row versioning

• Shows you how to use SQLDiag, RML Utilities, SQL Nexus, the
Management Data Warehouse, and how to build your own SQL
Server Management Studio reports
Christian Bolton is coauthor of Professional SQL Server 2005 Performance Tuning
and Technical Director for Coeo Ltd.
Justin Langford is coauthor of Professional SQL Server 2005 Performance Tuning
and leads the Managed Support team for Coeo Ltd.
Brent Ozar is a SQL Server expert for Quest Software.
James Rowland-Jones is an advisory consultant for EMC Consulting.
Steven Wort is a developer in the Windows Division at Microsoft.
Wrox guides are crafted to make learning programming languages and
technologies easier than you think. Written by programmers for programmers,
they provide a structured, tutorial format that will guide you through all the
techniques involved.
Database Management / General
An in-depth look at SQL Server and
best practices for troubleshooting
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2008
Internals and Troubleshooting
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PROFESSIONAL
SQL SERVER
®
2008 INTERNALS
AND TROUBLESHOOTING
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxv
CHAPTER 1 SQL Server Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
CHAPTER 2 Understanding Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
CHAPTER 3 SQL Server Waits and Extended Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
CHAPTER 4 Working with Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
CHAPTER 5 CPU and Query Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
CHAPTER 6 Locking and Latches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
CHAPTER 7 Knowing Tempdb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269
CHAPTER 8 Defi ning Your Approach To Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305
CHAPTER 9 Viewing Server Performance with PerfMon and the PAL Tool . . . . . . 329
CHAPTER 10 Tracing SQL Server with SQL Trace and Profi ler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369

CHAPTER 11 Consolidating Data Collection with SQLDiag and the
PerfStats Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
CHAPTER 12 Introducing RML Utilities for Stress Testing and Trace
File Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
CHAPTER 13 Bringing It All Together with SQL Nexus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
CHAPTER 14 Using Management Studio Reports and the Performance
Dashboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .505
CHAPTER 15 Using SQL Server Management Data Warehouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539
CHAPTER 16 Shortcuts to E cient Data Collection and Quick Analysis . . . . Wrox.com
INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 555
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PROFESSIONAL
SQL Server
®
2008 Internals
and Troubleshooting
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PROFESSIONAL
SQL Server
®
2008 Internals
and Troubleshooting
Christian Bolton
Justin Langford

Brent Ozar
James Rowland-Jones
Jonathan Kehayias
Cindy Gross
Steven Wort
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Professional SQL Server® 2008 Internals and Troubleshooting
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
10475 Crosspoint Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46256
www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 978-0-470-48428-9
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108
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through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers,
MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the
Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201)
748-6008, or online at />Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with
respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifi cally disclaim all warranties, including
without limitation warranties of fi tness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or pro-
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with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services.
If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the pub-

lisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to
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in electronic books.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009941346
Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, Wrox, the Wrox logo, Wrox Programmer to Programmer, and related trade dress are
trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affi liates, in the United States and other coun-
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Publishing, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
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For Gemma, with all my love and thanks
—Christian Bolton
This is dedicated to Erika, who has been dedicated
to me despite my long working hours. I love you
dearly, and I love working on next chapters.
—Brent Ozar
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
CHRISTIAN BOLTON is the Technical Director for Coeo Ltd., a leading provider of
SQL Server consulting and managed support services in the UK and Europe. Prior to

this Christian worked for 5 years at Microsoft, leading the SQL Server Premier Field
Engineering team in the UK. He is a Microsoft Certifi ed Architect, Master and MVP
for SQL Server, and co-author of Professional SQL Server 2005 Performance Tuning.
He works out of London and lives in the south of England with his wife and children. He can be
contacted at Christian authored chapters 1, 2, 7, 13 and the online chapter 16
in addition to lending his authoring expertise where needed on other chapters and functioned as the
lead author for the entire project.
JUSTIN LANGFORD leads the Managed Support team for Coeo Ltd, delivering out-
sourced 24x7 operations for mission-critical SQL Server platforms. Before join-
ing Coeo, Justin worked for Microsoft in the Premier Field Engineering team and
has worked with some of Microsoft’s largest fi nance and government customers in
Europe. Justin co-authored Wrox Professional SQL Server 2005 Performance Tuning
and lives in London with his girlfriend, Claire. Outside work he enjoys sailing and has a keen inter-
est in classic British sports cars. Justin can be contacted at Justin authored chap-
ters 9, 11, 12, and 15.
BRENT OZAR is a SQL Server Expert for Quest Software. He has over a decade of
broad IT experience, performing SQL Server database administration, systems admin-
istration, SAN administration, virtualization administration, and project management.
In his current role, Brent trains DBAs on performance tuning, disaster recovery, and
virtualization. He has spoken around the globe at events for PASS, SQLBits, SSWUG,
and other organizations. Brent founded the Virtualization Virtual Chapter for the Professional
Association for SQL Server (PASS), and serves as the Editor-in-Chief at SQLServerPedia.com.
Brent blogs at www.BrentOzar.com and discusses diverse topics at When
he’s not talking SQL Server, he enjoys traveling, working with social media, snorkeling, and sam-
pling new restaurants. He is the author of chapters 4 and 14.
JAMES ROWLAND-JONES works for EMC Consulting EMEA as an Advisory Con-
sultant. His principle focus is the delivery of large, scalable, data warehousing, and
business intelligence projects. Within this fi eld James specializes in data integration,
database architecture, and performance tuning. He is very active in the technical
community and is one of the organizers for SQLBits, Europe’s largest SQL Server

community conference. James has received the Microsoft MVP award for 2009 and 2010. You can
fi nd him online at twitter (@jrowlandjones),
linkedin or even using an old fashioned email,
James authored chapters 6 and 10.
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JONATHAN KEHAYIAS is a SQL Server MVP, MCITP Database Administrator and
Developer, who got started in SQL Server in 2004 as a database developer and report
writer in the natural gas industry. After spending two and a half years working in
T-SQL, in late 2006, he transitioned to the role of Database Administrator. He has
experience in upgrading and consolidating SQL environments, and has experience in
running SQL Server in Virtual Environments on VMWare ESX 3.5+. He is a member of the Tampa
SQL Server User Group and a regular speaker about SQL Server at events. Jonathan authored
chapter 3.
CINDY GROSS started her SQL Server life as a DBA with a hospital and health plan company in
1993, and moved to Microsoft in 2000 where she has worked ever since. Her roles at Microsoft
have included PSS Product Support Engineer, SQL Content Lead, Yukon Readiness Lead, and most
recently Dedicated Support Engineer (DSE), all for SQL Server. Cindy enjoys delivering training
throughout the United States as well as in Europe and India, including presentations at SQL PASS.
In 2008 she started the Boise SQL Server User Group, an affi liate of the SQLCommunity.org site
(where she is a worldwide SQL Server Community Leader) to share SQL Server wisdom in the Idaho
SQL Server community. Most recently she obtained the Microsoft Certifi ed Master:

SQL Server
Qualifi cation, which was a hard-fought prize. Over the years Cindy has learned from many won-
derful friends and colleagues and they all deserve a word of thanks for contributing to her success.
Cindy authored chapter 8.
STEVEN WORT has been working with SQL Server since the early days of SQL
Server way back in 1992-93. He is currently a developer in the Windows Division at
Microsoft, where he works on performance and scalability issues on large database

systems for the Windows Telemetry team. Steven has been at Microsoft since 2000.
Prior to working in the Windows Division, Steven spent 2 years working in the SQL
Server group, working on performance and scalability. Steven’s fi rst 3 years at Microsoft were spent
working in support as an escalation engineer on the SIE team. During this time, Steven was able
to travel the world working with some of Microsoft’s customers on their performance and scal-
ability issues. Before coming to Microsoft, Steven spent 20 years working in the United Kingdom
as a freelance consultant, specializing in database application development. When Steven isn’t busy
working, he can be found spending time with his family and enjoying many fi tness activities in the
outdoors of the Pacifi c Northwest. Steven authored chapter 5.
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EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Robert Elliott
SENIOR PROJECT EDITOR
Ami Frank Sullivan
TECHNICAL EDITORS
James Boother
Jimmy May
Paul Nielsen
Tony Rogerson
James Rowland-Jones
Simon Sabin
Steven Wort
SENIOR PRODUCTION EDITOR
Debra Banninger
COPY EDITOR
Luann Rou
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Robyn B. Siesky
EDITORIAL MANAGER

Mary Beth Wakefi eld
MARKETING MANAGER
Ashley Zurcher
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Tim Tate
VICE PRESIDENT AND
EXECUTIVE GROUP PUBLISHER
Richard Swadley
VICE PRESIDENT AND
EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER
Barry Pruett
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Jim Minatel
PROJECT COORDINATOR,
COVER
Lynsey Stanford
COMPOSITOR
Chris Gillespie,
Happenstance Type-O-Rama
PROOFREADER
Nancy Carrasco
INDEXER
Robert Swanson
COVER DESIGNER
Michael E. Trent
COVER IMAGE
Punchstock / Glowimages
CREDITS
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
FROM CHRISTIAN BOLTON: This book has been a far greater challenge and rewarding experience
than I ever imagined. As with anything worth shedding blood, sweat, and tears over, it has taken
a number of people, generous with their time and talents, to bring this project to life.
First of all, I’d like to thank my wife, Gemma, for her support and eternal patience during the many
evenings and weekends I spent researching, writing, and reviewing content for “just a little longer.”
My children, Ava and Leighton, deserve a special thank you also for frequently pulling me back to
what really matters with cheeky grins, demands to ride on my shoulders, spin in my chair, and an
offer to draw a picture of a princess for me to put in the book.
I’d also like to thank my fellow authors and contributors for their outstanding efforts in bringing
new, interesting, and well researched material to make this book unique:
Justin Langford has been a great friend for many years and is always the fi rst to offer support
➤
and encouragement to any project.
James Rowland-Jones for setting impossible goals for his chapters on Locking and SQL Trace
➤
and then going past them.
Brent Ozar, for transferring his easy-reading blog style into professional book chapters on
➤
Storage and Management Studio Reports that are a pleasure to read.
Jonathan Kehayias for his excellent chapter on Waits and Extended Events that would have
➤
been a pale shadow of its current form had he not been involved in the book.
Cindy Gross for bringing her years of experience at Microsoft and defi ning what it takes to
➤
be a Professional when troubleshooting SQL Server.
Steven Wort for working to extremely tight timescales on the CPU and Query Processing
➤

chapter and working tirelessly to improve and expand on the original specs.
Starting a new chapter from a blank page is one of the hardest things you can do as an author, but it
is ultimately rewarding when you see the fi nished product. I often think that Technical Editors don’t
get enough praise for the work they do to make the authors look good, so I want to say a big thank
you to our team of Technical Editors for their diligent research, tips, advice, and patience through
multiple revisions: Simon Sabin, James Rowland-Jones, James Boother, Jimmy May, Paul Nielsen,
Steven Wort, and Tony Rogerson. I’d also like to thank Ami Sullivan, our Project Editor at Wiley,
for keeping the schedule moving and working very hard to compensate for our writing delays, and
Robert Elliott, our Executive Editor, for buying into the original vision and helping me to refi ne the
proposal that eventually became this book.
Writing about SQL Server Internals with a suffi cient abstraction in certain areas to introduce key
topics and then drilling down into the heart of the product in others presents a diffi cult challenge
for anyone, but it is much harder writing from outside Microsoft; and I’d like to thank Bob Ward,
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Ewan Fairweather, and Thomas Kejser from Microsoft for their enthusiastic support for the project
and for clarifying some of the fi ner details of exactly what the code in SQL Server is doing.
I’d also like to thank the following SQL Server professionals, MVPs, and Microsoft staff for their
inspiration and support whether knowingly or not: Mark Anderson, Sunil Agarwal, Chirag Roy,
Aaron Bertrand, Denny Cherry, Grant Fritchey, and Paul Randal.
Finally, I’d like to thank you for buying this book. Everyone involved has given their best game to
make it stand-out; especially the authors and contributors who have given a little bit of what makes
them special in their fi eld to create a book that they’re proud to put their name to. I hope it lives up
to your expectations and you fi nd it a worthy investment.
FROM JAMES ROWLAND-JONES: Firstly I’d like to thank Christian for the opportunity to be involved
with the book, Simon Sabin and Tony Rogerson (my TE’s) for their efforts and constructive feed-
back, and also to Ami Sullivan, our editor, for her endless support and patience. The management
team at EMC Consulting and especially Rob Grigg have been a constant source of support; both on
the book and in the community with user groups and SQLBits, so a big thank you to them. I’d also
like to thank Bob Ward and Thomas Kejser for their reviews and insight during some tough times

on the locking chapter. Finally, I’d like to thank all my family, but especially my wife Jane and our
children Lucy, Kate, and Oliver. Without you life is strangely pointless.
FROM BRENT OZAR: Thanks to Jimmy May for hooking me up with such a great team of authors.
My involvement with this book wouldn’t have happened without his encouragement and trust.
Similarly, I’d like to thank the authors for giving me an opportunity to work with them. I’m hum-
bled to have my names next to such great technical minds. Thanks also to Christian Hasker, Rony
Lerner, Don Duncan, and Joe Sullivan; I have consistently hit the lottery when it comes to manag-
ers, and I couldn’t have picked a better string of guys to mentor me and grow my career. If anybody
doesn’t succeed under any of them, it’s their own fault.
To my coworkers Andy Grant, Brett Epps, Heather Eichman, and everybody else at Quest Software,
thanks for making my work so much fun. Thanks to everybody on Twitter for laughing with me
while I keep punching harder and faster. My day is infi nitely more enjoyable thanks to folks like
@SQLRockstar, @SQLChicken, @SQLAgentMan, @KBrianKelley, @Wendy_Dance, @GFritchey,
@MrDenny, @StatisticsIO, @MikeHillwig, @Peschkaj, @SQLSarg, @SQLCraftsman, and many
others.
Finally, I’d like to thank Dad, Mom, and Caryl for my dashing good looks and brilliant wit. I just
wish you’d given me some humility so that I could be perfect.
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION XXV
SQL SERVER ARCHITECTURE CHAPTER 1: 1
Database Transactions 2
ACID Properties 2
SQL Server Transactions 3
The Life Cycle of a Query 3
The Relational and Storage Engines 4
The Bu er Pool 4
A Basic Select Query 5
A Simple Update Query 14

Recovery 16
The SQLOS (SQL Operating System) 20
Summary 22
UNDERSTANDING MEMORY 2CHAPTER 2: 3
Windows and Memory 24
Physical Memory 24
Virtual Address Space 27
Virtual Memory Manager 29
Tuning 32-Bit Systems 31
Tuning 64-Bit Systems 45
SQL Server Memory 47
Memory Nodes 47
Memory Clerks, Caches, and the Bu er Pool 47
Summary 58
SQL SERVER WAITS AND EXTENDED EVENTS 5CHAPTER 3: 9
Waits 60
SQL Server Execution Model 60
Understanding Wait Statistics 61
Wait Types 64
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xvi
CONTENTS
Extended Events 70
Architecture 71
Event Sessions 81
Using the Extended Events Manager 87
Examining Waits with Extended Events 90
Summary 94
WORKING WITH STORAGE 9CHAPTER 4: 5

Types of Storage 95
Understanding Individual Drives 96
Protecting Data with RAID 98
Direct Attached Storage 105
Storage Area Networks 105
Storage Performance Testing 112
Choosing a Storage Testing Tool 113
Interpreting Storage Test Results 119
Confi guring Software for Storage 123
Confi guring Windows Server 123
Confi guring SQL Server 2008 128
Corruption 131
Summary 135
CPU AND QUERY PROCESSING 13CHAPTER 5: 7
The CPU 138
The CPU and SQL Server 139
Processor Speed 139
Hyper-Threading 140
Licensing with Multicore and Hyper-Threading 141
Cache 141
Multicore Processors 143
System Architecture 144
Symmetric Multiprocessing 145
NonUniform Memory Access 145
Query Processing 148
Parsing 148
Binding 149
Query Optimization 149
Parallel Plans 151
Algebrizer Trees 151

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xvii
CONTENTS
sql_handle or plan_handle 152
Statistics 152
Plan Caching and Recompilation 154
Infl uencing Optimization 159
Query Plans 165
Query Plan Operators 168
Reading Query Plans 171
Executing Your Queries 175
SQLOS 175
Summary 183
LOCKING AND LATCHES 18CHAPTER 6: 5
Transactions 187
Atomic 187
Consistent 187
Isolated 188
Durable 188
Consequence of Concurrent Access 188
Lost Updates 189
Dirty Reads 191
Non-Repeatable Reads 192
Phantom Reads 193
Double Reads 196
Halloween E ect 198
Locking 198
Viewing Locks — sys.dm_tran_locks 199
Lock Granularity 202

Lock Modes 205
Lock Hierarchy 212
Lock Compatibility 213
Lock Escalation 214
Deadlocking 216
Pessimistic Concurrency 219
Pessimistic Isolation Levels 220
Concurrency vs. Isolation 231
Optimistic Concurrency 231
Optimistic Isolation Levels 232
How Row Versioning Works 240
Row Versioning Deep Dive 240
Monitoring Row Versioning 249
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xviii
CONTENTS
Latches 251
Latch Types 251
BUF Latch Architecture 255
Latch Modes 258
Grant Order 260
Latch Waits and Blocking 261
Sub-latches and Super-latches 262
Latching in Action 263
Without Latching 266
With Latching 267
Summary 268
KNOWING TEMPDB 26CHAPTER 7: 9
Overview and Usage 270

User Temporary Objects 271
Internal Temporary Objects 275
The Version Store 276
Troubleshooting Common Issues 279
Latch Contention 279
Monitoring Tempdb Performance 289
Troubleshooting Space Issues 291
Transaction Log Growing Too Big? 295
Confi guration Best Practices 296
Tempdb File Placement 296
Tempdb Initial Sizing and Autogrowth 300
Confi guring Multiple Tempdb Data Files 303
Summary 303
DEFINING YOUR APPROACH TO TROUBLESHOOTING 30CHAPTER 8: 5
Approaching the Problem Correctly 306
Having the Right Attitude 306
Dealing with Management 307
When to Call for Outside Help 308
Defi ning the Problem 309
Tips for Identifying a Problem 309
Bite-Size Chunks 310
Service-Level Agreements 311
Defi ning Exit Criteria 311
Understanding Your Baselines 311
Events and Alerts 315
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xix
CONTENTS
Gathering Data 315

Understanding the Data Gathering Process 315
Tools and Utilities 316
Analyzing Data 317
SQL Nexus 317
Profi ler 317
Database Tuning Advisor 318
Visual Studio Database Edition 318
Testing Solutions 318
Troubleshooting Other Components 318
Failover Clustering 318
Replication 319
Analysis Services 322
Summary 327
VIEWING SERVER PERFORMANCE WITH CHAPTER 9:
PERFMON AND THE PAL TOOL 329
Performance Monitor Overview 330
Reliability and Performance Monitor in Windows Server 2008 330
New Counters for SQL Server 2008 in PerfMon 333
Troubleshooting SQL Server Problems 335
Getting Started with PerfMon 338
Monitoring Real-Time Server Activity 338
Starting Out with Data Collector Sets 341
Working with User-Defi ned Data Collector Sets 342
What to Be Aware of When Running PerfMon 346
The Impact of Running PerfMon 346
Servers with Very Poor Performance 348
Common PerfMon Problems 348
Getting More from Performance Monitor 349
Identifying SQL Server Bottlenecks 350
Wait Stats Analysis 356

Getting a Performance Baseline 357
Getting Started with Performance Analysis for Logs (PAL) 357
Templates and PAL 358
Capturing PerfMon Logs 358
Using PAL for Log Analysis 359
Other PerfMon Log Analysis Tools 363
Using SQL Server to Analyze PerfMon Logs 364
Combining PerfMon Logs and SQL Profi ler Traces 364
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CONTENTS
Using Relog 365
Using LogMan 366
Using LogParser 367
Summary 368
TRACING SQL SERVER WITH SQL TRACE CHAPTER 10:
AND PROFILER 369
Tracing 101 370
Why Trace 370
When to Trace 370
Where to Trace 370
What to Trace 371
How to Trace 371
The Architecture of SQL Trace 372
Event Classifi cation and Hierarchies 374
SQL Trace Catalog Views 376
sys.traces 376
sys.trace_categories 386
sys.trace_events 387

sys.trace_columns 387
sys.trace_subclass_values 389
sys.trace_event_bindings 391
SQL Trace Procedures and Functions 392
sp_trace_create 392
sp_trace_setevent 394
sp_trace_setfi lter 400
sp_trace_setstatus 403
sp_trace_generateevent 404
fn_trace_gettable 406
fn_trace_geteventinfo 408
fn_trace_getfi lterinfo 409
Securing SQL Trace 410
Tracing Login Creation/Deletion 411
Logins Changing Passwords 412
When Tracing Login Can View Object Defi nitions
and Parameter Values 414
Securing the Output of SQL Trace 418
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CONTENTS
Profi ler 420
Advanced Features of Profi ler 420
Exporting a Trace Defi nition 424
Exporting an Existing Server-Side Trace 431
Tips & Tricks 433
Summary 435
CONSOLIDATING DATA COLLECTION WITH CHAPTER 11:
SQLDIAG AND THE PERFSTATS SCRIPT 437

Approaching Data Collection 438
What Is SQLDiag? 439
An Overview of SQLDiag 440
Using SQLDiag 444
Running SQLDiag in Production 447
Using the PerfStats Script 451
What Is the PerfStats Script? 451
Where to get the PerfStats Script 452
Confi guring the PerfStats Script 454
Running the PerfStats Script 454
Analyzing PerfStats Output 455
Summary 457
INTRODUCING RML UTILITIES FOR STRESS CHAPTER 12:
TESTING AND TRACE FILE ANALYSIS 459
When to Use RML Utilities 460
Testing New Applications before Going Live 461
Validating the Impact of a Change 461
Determining the Purpose of Testing 462
What Are RML Utilities? 462
History of RML Utilities 463
What’s in the Download 463
Components of RML Utilities 464
Performance Testing 473
Testing Scenarios 473
Ensuring a Fair Test 473
Capturing a SQL Trace 476
Analyzing Large Datasets 477
Summary 478
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CONTENTS
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER WITH SQL NEXUS 48CHAPTER 13: 1
Getting Started 484
Data Collection 484
Is the Default Data Collection Good Enough? 485
Modifying the Data Collection 487
Collecting Data for a Specifi c Instance 487
Knowing How Much Data to Collect 488
Importing Data 489
Available Reports 491
Example Scenario Using SQL Nexus 491
Confi guring the Data Collection 492
Generating the Workload 493
Importing the Data 494
Looking at the Bottlenecks 494
Testing the Resolution 501
Adding Your Own Reports 502
Where Are the PerfMon Reports? 503
Summary 504
USING MANAGEMENT STUDIO REPORTS CHAPTER 14:
AND THE PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD 505
Using the Standard Reports 506
Interpreting the Standard Server Reports 507
Interpreting the Database Reports 519
Using the Performance Dashboard 524
Troubleshooting Common Errors 526
Interpreting the Performance Dashboard Reports 527
Building Custom Reports 531
Building a Custom Report with BIDS 532

Picking Custom Reports Candidates 536
Summary 537
USING SQL SERVER MANAGEMENT CHAPTER 15:
DATA WAREHOUSE 539
Introducing Management Data Warehouse 540
Background to MDW 540
MDW Architecture 541
Implementing MDW 543
Creating a Management Data Warehouse 544
Set Up Data Collection 545
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CONTENTS
System Collection Sets 545
Uses for MDW 547
Performance Overhead 548
Reporting from MDW 549
Custom Data Collection and Reporting 551
Defi ning Custom Collections 551
SSAS Monitoring Scripts for the MDW 554
Summary 554
SHORTCUTS TO EFFICIENT DATA CHAPTER 16:
COLLECTION AND QUICK ANALYSIS Wrox.com
INDEX 555
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