SQL Server Performance Monitor
May 27, 2005
You can monitor the system performance by using the Performance monitor console and its related counters in Windows 2000. These counters allow you to view or save information about the overall performance of your server. When you install Microsoft SQL Server, additional Performance monitor objects and counters are automatically installed. While you must have administrative access to your SQL Server to use these objects, SQL Server admins should find them invaluable in monitoring and tuning the database server. Furthermore, the Performance monitor can be used either locally or remotely, which allows admins greater control in monitoring SQL Server. I am going to show you how to use the Performance monitor to keep a close watch over your SQL Server systems.
To open the Performance monitor in Win2K, go to Start | Programs | Administrative Tools | Performance. When viewing your performance data in real time, you can view it as a report, a chart, or a histogram. Figure A illustrates each of these views.
Click for larger image
To monitor your SQL Server successfully, you must add the counters in the Performance monitor. To add counters:
1. Click the plus-sign button to open the dialog box.
2. Select an object from the Performance Object list.
3. Choose either All Counters or Select Counters From List. If you opt to select individual counters, click the Explain button for a description of each one. You can also choose Select Instances From List. For example, if you added a PhysicalDisk counter, you could then select an instance of either C: or D:, as shown in Figure B.
1. After you select the counter(s), click Add. You can then repeat the process for any additional objects you would like to use.
2. Click Close when you have added all of your counters.
If you are new to performance monitoring, you probably need some guidance on which counters to use. You can't go wrong if you monitor CPU activity, memory, paging, and/or disk I/O. These are a few of the most common counters. On most systems, you should also track the % Processor Time (under the Processor counters). On occasion, you will see spikes over 80 percent. This is normal unless the sustained % Processor Time is at 80 percent or higher for long periods. If that is the case, you could have a CPU bottleneck. To remedy the situation, you might have to get a fast processor, add more processors, and/or change disk configurations.
In addition, I recommend that you monitor the following:
I also recommend that you experiment with choosing your own counters. Remember: You can hit the Explain button for information on any counter you select. In addition to real-time monitoring, the Performance monitor can capture data to a file. This is useful for analyzing performance data and making upgrade recommendations. However, when logging data, it is best to do this locally and not over your network. If you have to log the data over the network, you should keep the counters to a bare minimum.