Replication Troubleshooting Tools
This section describes the tools available to troubleshoot replication:
- Replication Monitor (Troubleshooting)
- Replication Agents (Troubleshooting)
- Replication Stored Procedures (Troubleshooting)
Other Tools for Replication Troubleshooting
In addition to the tools listed above, the following tools can be used to troubleshoot replication.
| Tool | Description | For more information… |
|---|---|---|
Data validation |
Transactional and merge replication allow you to validate that data at the Subscriber matches data at the Publisher. Validation can be performed for specific subscriptions or for all subscriptions to a publication. |
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tablediff utility |
The tablediff utility is used to compare the data in two tables for non-convergence, and is particularly useful for troubleshooting non-convergence in a replication topology. This utility can be used in conjunction with validation: if validation indicates that data at the Publisher and Subscriber do not match, the tablediff utility can be used to identify which rows do not match; it can also generate Transact-SQL to bring the Publisher and Subscriber into convergence. |
How to: Compare Replicated Tables for Differences (Replication Programming) |
System Monitor |
System Monitor provides a number of counters associated with replication agents and can be used to troubleshoot replication performance. |
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SQL Server Profiler |
SQL Server Profiler is another tool that can be used to troubleshoot replication performance. You can capture and save data about server events to a file or table to analyze later. For example, you can monitor a replicated database for stored procedures or other processes that are taking a long time to complete. |
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Error and event logs |
Microsoft SQL Server logs certain system events and user-defined events to the SQL Server error log and the Microsoft Windows application log. Use the information in the SQL Server error log to troubleshoot problems related to replication. |
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Error Reporting |
The Error Reporting feature is enabled by default in SQL Server 2005. If a fatal error occurs in the SQL Server Database Engine, in SQL Server Agent, or in Analysis Services, a report is automatically sent to Microsoft. The information provided by Error Reporting can also be useful if you need to contact customer support. |
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SQLdiag utility |
The SQLdiag utility is a general purpose diagnostics collection utility that can be run as a console application or as a service. You can use SQLdiag to collect logs and data files from SQL Server and other types of servers, and use it to monitor your servers over time or troubleshoot specific problems with your servers. SQLdiag is intended to expedite and simplify diagnostic information gathering for Microsoft Customer Support Services. |