Server Performance and Activity Monitoring How-to Topics

The goal of monitoring databases is to assess how a server is performing. Effective monitoring involves taking periodic snapshots of current performance to isolate processes that are causing problems, and gathering data continuously over time to track performance trends. Microsoft SQL Server and the Microsoft Windows operating system provide utilities that let you view the current condition of the database and to track performance as conditions change.

The following section contains topics that describe how to use SQL Server and Windows performance and activity monitoring tools. It contains the following topics:

In This Section

To perform monitoring tasks with Windows tools

• How to: Start Performance Monitor (Windows NT)

• How to: Start System Monitor (Windows)

• How to: View the Windows Application Log (Windows)

To create SQL Server database alerts with Windows tools

• How to: Set Up a SQL Server Database Alert (Windows)

• How to: Set Up a SQL Server Database Alert (Windows NT)

To perform monitoring tasks with SQL Server Management Studio

• How to: View the SQL Server Error Log (SSMS)

• How to: Open Activity Monitor (SQL Server Management Studio)

To perform monitoring tasks with SQL Trace by using Transact-SQL stored procedures

• How to: Create a Trace (Transact-SQL)

• How to: Set a Trace Filter (Transact-SQL)

• How to: Modify an Existing Trace (Transact-SQL)

• How to: View a Saved Trace (Transact-SQL)

• How to: View Filter Information (Transact-SQL)

• How to: Delete a Trace (Transact-SQL)

To create and modify traces by using SQL Server Profiler

• How to: Create a Trace (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Set Global Trace Options (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Specify Events for a Trace File (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Trace with a Transact-SQL Script (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Save Trace Results to a File (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Set a Maximum File Size for a Trace File (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Save Trace Results to a Table (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Set a Trace Table to Maximum Size (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Filter Events in a Trace (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: View Filter Information (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Modify a Filter (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Filter Events by Event Start Time (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Filter End-time Events (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Filter SPIDs in a Trace (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Organize Columns in a Trace (SQL Server Profiler)

To start, pause, and stop traces by using SQL Server Profiler

• How to: Trace after Connecting to a Server (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Pause a Trace (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Stop a Trace (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Run a Paused or Stopped Trace (SQL Server Profiler)

To open traces and configure how traces are displayed by using SQL Server Profiler

• How to: Open a Trace File (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Open a Trace Table (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Clear a Trace Window (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Close a Trace Window (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Set Trace Definition Defaults (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Set Trace Display Defaults (SQL Server Profiler)

To replay traces by using SQL Server Profiler

• How to: Replay a Trace File (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Replay a Trace Table (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Replay a Single Event at a Time (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Replay to a Breakpoint (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Replay to a Cursor (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Replay a Transact-SQL Script (SQL Server Profiler)

To create, modify, and use trace templates by using SQL Server Profiler

• How to: Create a Trace Template (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Modify a Trace Template (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Make Templates from Trace Files (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Derive a Template from a Trace File or Trace Table (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Export a Trace Template (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Import a Trace Template (SQL Server Profiler)

To use SQL Server Profiler traces to collect and monitor server performance

• How to: Find a Value or Data Column (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Save Deadlock Graphs (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Save Showplan XML Events Separately (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Save Showplan XML Statistics Profile Events Separately (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Extract a Script from a Trace (SQL Server Profiler)

• How to: Correlate a Trace with Windows Performance Log Data (SQL Server Profiler)