A command I like to use when performance tuning is DBCC INPUTBUFFER. If you have ever run sp_whoisactive or sp_who2 to find out what sessions are executing when CPU is high for instance this can be a real quick life saver. At times, for me, those two options do not return enough information for what I’m looking for which is the associated stored procedure or object. Using this little helper along with the session id can easily get you that information. Let’s take a look. First, I will create a simple procedure to generate a workload. CREATE OR ALTER PROCEDURE KeepRunning AS DECLARE @i INT=1 WHILE (@i <1000) BEGIN select…
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When using a Geo Replicated Azure SQL Database Readable Secondary there are a few things to consider when it comes to performance tuning. Check out this episode of Data Exposed: MVP Edition as we discuss what you need to keep in mind with Microsoft’s Anna Hoffman, @AnalyticAnna.
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Lots of exciting things are happening with Data Saturdays and we want you, the #SQLFamily, involved. Last week, Rob Sewell (B|T) announced the new automation and setup process for events. This week I am announcing a new logo and branding initiative. With the generous donation from Denny Cherry and Associates Consulting, DCAC, we have commissioned 99Designs artists to create a new logo for branding. The Data Saturdays Admins reviewed over 220 submissions these were considered the likeability, accessibility, inclusiveness, and ease of multi-use. We have narrowed down the choices to these four. Please take a moment to click the link below and rate your favorite, we will use your influence…
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Synonyms inside SQL Server are one of those useful but forgotten features. A synonym is a database level object that allows you to provide an alternative name for another database object such as a view, user defined table, scalar function, stored procedure, inline table valued function (tvf), or extended stored procedure. They can also be used for CLR Assembly related stored procedures, CLR tvf, CLR scalar functions or even CLR aggregate functions. There are many practical uses for synonyms, and I’ll explain how to create them and some use cases. Read the full article here at Red-Gate’s Simple Talk
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Continuing with our Performance Tuning series as you have learned baselining and knowing your normal system performance metrics is an important part of performance tuning. In part 1 we discussed collecting vital system metrics such as CPU Utilization and Memory usage. In part 2 we took a glimpse into how we can gather those metrics and other using the different tools that are available to use like Performance Monitor, Profiler, Extended Events and DMVs. In this part 3 we will look at how identifying the appropriate waits events and corresponding resolution will be critical for resolving performance issues. But first you need to understand what waits are and where to find…
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When you are making changes to an existing Non-Clustered index SQL Server provides a wide variety of options. One of the more frequently used methods is DROP EXISTING; in this post you will learn all about that option. This option automatically drops an existing index after recreating it, without the index being explicitly dropped. Let us take a moment understand the behavior of this choice. DROP EXSITING=ON which is my preferred method, will DROP the current index only after it finishes creating and building the index with the new definition. The pitfall is that if the index does not exist, you will get an error and must create it without the…
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Performance Monitoring Tools In this second post we are diving into what tools you can use to capture the important performance metrics you need to gather for baselining your environment. Be sure to read part one first. Performance Monitor First let’s start with what comes native to Windows Server platform, whether you are on an Azure SQL Virtual Machine or your standard SQL Server instance install on premises you have a native tool, called Performance Monitor (affectionately known to most as PerfMon). This reliable tool allows you to easily monitor performance metrics through a Graphical User Interface (GUI), by selecting performance counters for the operating system as well as installed applications such as SQL Server. It…
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I regularly deliver a presentation called “Mastering TempDB”. I wrote it based on what I wish I knew about TempDB “growing up” in my career as a SQL Server DBA. It really is a breakdown of what TempDB is, how it is used, what problems actually occur within it, and how to best configure it. With advice from my colleagues, I have decided to break that down into this article to educate you. What is TempDB? TempDB is a global resource used by everyone and everything inside SQL Server. Think of it as a dumping ground for anything that doesn’t fit in memory. It is always database_id number two in…
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Every server, database, storage appliance and network encounter some sort of performance issues. It is a major part of our job as database administrators to properly monitor and fix those performance issues whether it is in your traditional on premises environment or in the cloud. This article will cover ways monitoring performance and how to establish a baseline. We will go over several important performance metrics every database administrator should know and how to gather and interpret those metrics through several different options within SQL Server and your Windows operating system. Now which tool you use to accumulate these metrics depends on what problem you are trying to solve. The…
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“One Gerbil, Two Gerbils or Three Gerbils?” is a common DBA joke about server and storage performance. No matter how many gerbils power your storage, you need to know what type they are and the power that they provide. Storage is not about gerbils it is about IOPs, bandwidth, latency, and tiers. As a DBA it is important for you to understand and know what kind of storage is attached to your servers and how it is handling your data. It is not important to master everything about it, but it is very advantageous to be able to talk to your storage admins or “Gerbil CoLo, LLC” provider intelligently especially…
