Developer Rants

This is an introductory lesson in using the SQL Server Profiler and Query Analyser.
It would make a great introduction to support staff.

However I would like a more detailed article. This only touches the surface and goes one step beyond the obvious. I would like to see a more detailed article on this. In particular how to save a trace so that the profiler can use it - useful tips like what events are required - the basics that Microsoft forgot to put in their help files.

The article does reference “Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Performance Optimization and Tuning Handbook by Ken England (Digital Press, 2001)“

The SQL Server Index Tuning Wizard is an incredibly powerful tool that can find amazing performance increases. There are some times when it can be a pain to get to work.

It is great when you want to use it on a given query. It makes great suggestions very quikly.

It is slightly painful when you want to tune a stored procedure as a whole. Especially when it is large and can take several hours to run. I am trying to find what you actually need to put into a trace so that the index tuning wizard will accept it as a workfile. The documentation is useful as ever - it will only tell you what you need to know if you ask exactly the right question. Anything else will drown you in useless details of other features.