Anil Desai
http://AnilDesai.net
Austin CodeCamp 2010

Anil Desai
◦ Independent consultant (Austin, TX)
◦ Author of numerous IT books
◦ Instructor, “Implementing and Managing SQL Server 2005”
(Keystone Learning)
◦ Info: http://AnilDesai.net or Anil@AnilDesai.net
I.
Performance Monitoring Overview
II.
Monitoring Database Servers
III.
Using SQL Profiler
IV.
Using the Database Engine Tuning Advisor
V.
Application Design Tips
VI.
Managing Processes, Locking, and Deadlocks
Developing processes and approaches for
performance optimization

Establish a
baseline
Repeat
(if desired)
Measure
performance
Identify
bottlenecks
Make one
change at a time
Best Practices:
◦
Optimize for
real-world
workloads
◦
Monitor/review
performance
regularly
◦
Focus on specific
issues
System/OS
SQL Server
QueryLevel
Activity Monitor
Windows Performance
Monitor
Database Engine
Tuning Advisor
SQL Profiler / SQL Trace
Database Engine
Tuning Advisor
Alerts (PerformanceBased)
Query Execution Plans
Dynamic Management
Views (DMVs)
Server-Level
Issues
• Users are reporting database timeouts
• Intermittent transaction timeouts
• “The server/application seem sluggish”
ApplicationSpecific
Issues
• “Application A is running more slowly
than usual”
• “The End-of-Month report is taking too
long to run.”
Other Issues
• Ad-hoc reports are running slowly
• CPU, memory, disk, or network alerts
are being generated
Using SQL Server tools and features
to monitor database activity


Available in all current versions of Windows
Statistics are organized into:
◦ Objects
◦ Counters
◦ Instances

Data Collector Sets
◦ Windows Vista / Windows 7 / Windows Server 2008
◦ Used to report on performance data that is collected over
time
◦ Includes built-in System Diagnostics and System Performance
collectors and reports

Backup Device

General Statistics

Latches

Locks

Memory Manager

Replication

SQL Statistics
◦ Device throughput Bytes/sec

Buffer Manager
◦ Buffer cache hit ratio
◦ Page reads / sec

Buffer Partition
◦ Free Pages

Cache Manager
◦ Cache Hit Ratio
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Databases
◦
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Active Transactions
Data File Size
Log Growths
Percent Log Used
Transactions / sec
◦ Logins | logouts / sec
◦ User Connections
◦ Latch waits / sec
◦ Lock requests / sec
◦ Lock waits / sec
◦ Everything!
◦ Depends on configuration
◦ Batch requests / sec
◦ SQL compilations / sec
Anil Desai
10

SQL Server Activity Monitor
◦ Provides a quick overview of database server activity
◦ CPU, Processes, Resource Waits and Disk I/O
◦ “Recent Expensive Queries”

SQL Server Management Studio Reports
◦ Quick overview of SQL Server usage
◦ Can export to Excel or PDF
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Server Dashboard
Memory Consumption
Activity – All Block
Transactions
Activity – Top Sessions
Performance – Batch
Execution Statistics
Performance – Top Queries
by Average CPU
Object Execution Statistics
Server-Level Reports
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Disk Usage
All Transactions
All Blocking Transactions
Index Usage Statistics
Top Transactions by Age
Schema Changes History
Database-Level Reports

Windows Event Logs / Event Viewer
◦ Application and System Event Logs

SQL Server Management Studio
◦ SQL Server Logs
 Can configure max. # of log files
◦ SQL Server Agent Error logs
 Can configure logging levels (Errors, Warnings, Information)

Using the Log File Viewer
◦ Can Export / Load log information
◦ Can search for specific errors/messages

Purpose:
◦ Monitoring and troubleshooting
◦ View server state and performance details
◦ Returns relational result sets (use standard SELECT statements)

Full list can be viewed in “Views  System Views” section
of the properties of the database

Scopes:
◦ Server level
◦ Database level
Query Execution / Processes
•sys.dm_exec_requests
Storage Engine
•sys.DM_DB_File_Space_Usage
Indexes
•sys.DM_DB_Index_Operational_Stats
•sys.DM_DB_Index_Physical_Stats
Disk I/O
•sys.DM_IO_Pending_IO_Requests
•sys.DM_IO_Virtual_File_Stats
Other Categories
• Schema information | Common Language Runtime (CLR)
• Database Mirror / Clustering | Replication

Data Collected:
◦ System Information (MSINFO)
◦ Windows Event Logs
◦ SQL Server configuration

Command-Line Utility (SQLDiag.exe)
◦
◦
◦
◦
Stores output to files
Configuration file: SQLDiag.xml
Can run as a service (/R)
Can run in continuous mode
Monitoring SQL Server Activity

Purpose / Features:
◦
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◦
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
GUI for managing SQL Trace
Monitor important events
Capture performance data / resource usage
Replaying of workloads / transactions
Identifying performance bottlenecks
Correlation of data with System Monitor
Workloads for Database Tuning Advisor
Examples:
◦ Generate a list of the 100 slowest queries
◦ Monitor all failed logins (Security)

SQL Profiler Terminology
◦
◦
◦
◦

Trace Definitions
Events
Columns
Filters
Creating and Managing SQL Traces
◦ SQL Profiler (GUI)
◦ System Stored Procedures (Transact-SQL)

Trace Templates (Built-In)
◦ Standard (Default), SP_Counts
◦ TSQL, TSQL_Duration, TSQL_Grouped,TSQL_Replay, TSQL_SPs
◦ Tuning

Trace

Trace File

Trace Table

Trace Template
◦ A set of events, data columns and filters that specify what data should be
collected
◦ Data can be saved to a file or a database table
◦ Trace data that is saved to a binary file
◦ Default extension is “.trc”
◦ A SQL Server database table in which trace information is stored
◦ Profiler will automatically create the structure of this table when you start
running a new trace
◦ Saved specifications that can be used as the basis for new traces
◦ E.g., an environment may have a “Security Monitoring template”, a “CRM
Application Performance”, etc.
◦ Default extension is “.tdf”
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Anil Desai
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Groupings:
◦ Event Categories
◦ Event Classes
◦ Events

Examples:
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
TSQL
Stored Procedures
Performance
Errors and Warnings
Security auditing
Event
Categories
Event Classes
Events
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Specifies the details to be monitored/recorded
Configuring columns
◦ Columns can be ordered and grouped
◦ Values can be filtered

Examples of Columns:
◦
◦
◦
◦
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StartTime / EndTime
TextData
Duration
Resource Usage (CPU, Reads, Writes)
Information: User, Database, App. Names

Interactive
◦ Good for “live” monitoring of small sets of data

Trace Files (*.trc)
◦ Can enable file rollover based on size
◦ “Server processes trace data” option
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Trace table
◦ Will automatically create the table
◦ Can set maximum number of rows
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Scheduling of traces (stop time)
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Launching SQL Profiler
Connecting to a database instance
Configuring output options
Create a trace definition
Specifying events, columns, and filters
Running and viewing a trace

Creating new templates using SQL Profiler
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Scripting trace definitions
◦
◦
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◦
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sp_trace_create
sp_trace_setfilter
sp_trace_GenerateEvent
sp_trace_SetEvent
sp_trace_SetStatus
Extracting SQL Server Events
◦ Transact-SQL Events
◦ ShowPlan Events
◦ Deadlock Events

Purpose / Goal:
◦ Correlate server performance with database performance

Process:
◦ Define and start a counter log
◦ Define and start a SQL Profiler trace
◦ Import Performance Data in SQL Profiler

Required Trace properties
◦ StartTime
◦ EndTime
Analyzing workloads to optimize
physical database structures

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Reviews sample workloads and makes performance
recommendations
Evaluates Physical Design Structures (PDS)
◦ Indexes (clustered, non-clustered)
◦ Indexed Views
◦ Partitions

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Numerous analysis options
Output
◦ Generates modification scripts
◦ Generates Reports for later analysis

Files
◦ Transact-SQL Files
◦ XML Files
◦ Should represent commonly-used queries

SQL Profiler Trace Files / Tables
◦ Use Tuning built-in trace template
◦ Events:
 Transact-SQL Batch
 Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
◦ Columns: Event Class and Text Data
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Limit tuning time
Tuning Options
◦
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Allowed Physical Design Structures (PDS)
Keep all/specific existing objects
Maximum storage space
Online or offline recommendations
Partitioning

Reports can be exported to XML files

Report Examples:
Workload
analysis
Column access
Statement cost
Table access
Event frequency
View-Table
Relations
Index Usage
(current /
recommended)

Process:
◦
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Generate a workload (file or table)
Select tuning options
Run the analysis
View reports
Save and/or apply recommendations
Running the DTA:
◦ Database Engine Tuning Advisor Application (GUI)
◦ Dta.exe command-line utility
Practical ways to improve database
application performance

Create an abstraction layer between the database and
the presentation code
◦ Separates presentation and logic (esp. in Web Apps)
◦ Example: ADO.NET Datasets

Database design:
◦ Understand typical use-cases before designing the database
◦ Create and enforce naming conventions
◦ Balance write (OLTP) and read (reporting) performance
requirements
◦ Use strategic denormalization
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Anil Desai
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Never include actions that require user input within a
transaction
Use connection pooling, whenever possible
◦ Open connections late and close them early
◦ Avoid unnecessary server round-trips
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Use client-side caching whenever possible
◦ Optimistic concurrency
◦ Pessimistic concurrency

Distribute processing
◦ Some operations are more efficient on the DB server (e.g.,
aggregations, sorting, etc.)
Troubleshooting common SQL
Server performance problems

Processes
◦ Interactive users
 SQL Server Management Studio
◦ Applications (Connection Pooling)

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SQL Profiler
Database Engine Tuning Advisor
Replication
Service Broker
Process IDs < 50 are system-related

SQL Server Activity Monitor
◦
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Processes (connected users)
Locks (by Process / by Object)
Filtering options
Auto-refresh option
System Stored Procedures / Views
◦
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Sys.DM_Exec_Sessions
Sys.DM_Exec_Requests
Sys.SysProcesses
sp_who / sp_who2

Process Information
◦ Current Process ID: @@SPID
◦ Session Options: DBCC USEROPTIONS

Killing Processes
◦ KILL ProcessID [WITH STATUSONLY]

Viewing Last Activity
◦ DBCC INPUTBUFFER(ProcessID)
◦ DBCC OUTPUTBUFFER(ProcessID)
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Coordinates multiple accesses to the same data
Ensures ACID Properties for transactions (Atomic,
Consistent, Independent, Durable)
Contention can reduce performance
Locking granularity:
◦ Row-Level, Page-Level, Table-Level, etc.

Lock Modes:
◦ Shared, Exclusive, etc.
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Lock escalation

Blocking
◦ When transaction(s) must wait for a lock on a resource
◦ LOCK_TIMEOUT setting (default = wait forever)
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Locking Models:
◦ Pessimistic
◦ Optimistic

Balance of concurrency (performance) vs. consistency
◦ Affects SELECT queries
◦ SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL
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Transaction Isolation Levels
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READ UNCOMMITTED
READ COMMITTED (default)
REPEATABLE READ
SERIALIZABLE
SNAPSHOT
Row-Versioning:
◦ ALLOW_SNAPSHOT_ISOLATION
◦ READ_COMMITTED_SNAPSHOT
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Activity Monitor
SQL Profiler
◦ Locks Event Category
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System Monitor:
◦ SQL Server  Locks Object

System Views
◦ Sys.DM_Tran_Locks
◦ Sys.DM_Exec_Requests

System Stored Procedures
◦ sp_Lock

Deadlocks:

Deadlock victim

Example:
◦ Two or more tasks permanently block each other based on
resource locks
◦ Default resolution is within 5 seconds
◦ Transaction is rolled-back
◦ Process receives a 1205 error
◦ Process 1 locks the Customers table and requires access to
the Orders Table
◦ Process 2 locks the Orders table and requires access to the
Customers Table

Minimize transaction times
◦ Commit / Rollback transactions as quickly as possibly
◦ Avoid user-related time within a transaction

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Access objects in a consistent order
Change the transaction isolation level
◦ Use a lower level isolation level, if appropriate
◦ Use snapshot-based isolation levels

Deadlock priorities:
◦ SET DEADLOCK_PRIORITY (LOW, NORMAL, HIGH,
integer)

Deadlock resolution:
◦ Lower priority is killed first
◦ If equal priorities, least expensive transaction becomes the
victim
◦ Application or user should attempt to re-run the transaction
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SQL Server Error Log
SQL Profiler
◦ Locks Event Category
 Lock:Deadlock Chain
 Lock:Deadlock
 Deadlock Graph
◦ Events Extraction Trace Property
◦ Export deadlock XML (.xdl) file

Viewing Deadlock Files
◦ SQL Server Management Studio (File  Open  SQL
Deadlock Files (*.xdl)
For more information:
http://AnilDesai.net
Anil@AnilDesai.net