Here is a script I wrote which uses Terry's technique, and expands on it.  It gets all the sysprocesses into a temp table, then waits for (default) five seconds.  It then checks sysprocesses again and calculates the change in the cpu column.  It returns the results, in order of the cpu usage descending (the process that uses the most clock cycles is at the top of the list) and then, using a cursor it loops through the top few results running dbcc inputbuffer against them and returns the output.

Put this in the master database, and run when required.

Merry Christmas everybody,

Martin

CREATE proc sp_CPUByProcess
@TimePeriod varchar(8) = '00:00:05'
as

set nocount on

--drop table #sysprocessUsage

create table #sysprocessUsage (cpu int, spid smallint, cpuIncrease int)

set nocount on
insert into #sysprocessUsage (cpu, spid)
select 
 cpu,
 spid
from
 master..sysprocesses

waitfor delay @TimePeriod

update
 #sysprocessUsage
set
 cpuIncrease = sp.cpu - spu.cpu
from
 master..sysprocesses sp
 inner join #sysprocessUsage spu
  on sp.spid = spu.spid

select
 spu.cpuIncrease,
 sp.*
from
 master..sysprocesses sp
 inner join #sysprocessUsage spu 
  on sp.spid = spu.spid
where
 spu.cpuIncrease > 0
order by
 sp.cpu - spu.cpu desc
compute
 sum(cpuIncrease)

declare @spid int, @cpuIncrease int
declare @qry nvarchar(50)

declare c cursor for
 select cpuIncrease, spid from #sysprocessUsage where cpuIncrease > 0 and spid <> 0 order by cpuIncrease desc
for read only
open c

fetch next from c into @cpuIncrease, @spid
while @@fetch_status = 0
begin

 set nocount on
 exec ('print ''DBCC INPUTBUFFER FOR SPID ' + @spid + '''')

 select @qry = 'dbcc inputbuffer(' +  rtrim(convert(char(5),@spid)) + ')'
 exec( @qry )

 fetch next from c into @cpuIncrease, @spid
end

close c
deallocate c

This script is handy. Thanks for posting it.

- Robert

I have had folks come to me in a panic, but on more than one occasion, when I have tried to run a SELECT from sysprocesses in a new QA session, find that my query doesn't run immediately as has been described in the article. 

Attempts to connect via EM also hang.  Has anyone else observed this behavior? 

John L.

Yes, I have had that problem.  In fact Enterprise Manager will occasionally timeout and fail.  I have to guess that it is contention and locking preventing the select.

I'll bet that the query hint NOLOCK would help see the following:

select * from master.dbo.sysprocesses WITH (NOLOCK)

select * from master.dbo.sysprocesses WITH (NOLOCK)
where status = 'runnable'
order by CPU
desc

I like your script grasshopper - you have learned well at the masters feet!

There is a product that uses an enhanced version of this that's pretty slick that I use at work.  It can be used to view the most costly queries based on cpu, duration, i/o. etc.  It basically uses this logic to pull from sysprocesses and record to another DB.

It can be found at www.highwiredev.com 

Hi there

Ummm, I picked up on one statement and created a sproc for the master database. It returns all the basic information for locked and blocked processes in the sysprocesses table OR buffer information for a specific SPID.

CREATE PROCEDURE [dbo].[spchecklocks]

-- ==================================================================
-- Author......: John Ness / Bühler AG / Uzwil / Switzerland
-- Date........: 01-Aug-2005
-- Version.....: 1.1
-- Server......: UZN487
-- Database....: master
-- Name........: spchecklocks
-- Owner.......: dbo
-- Table.......: 
-- Type........: Stored Procedure
-- Description.: Grabs all the possible information for locked, 
--   blocked and waiting processes or for a specific
--   SPID
--   The @loginname and @srvname parameters are unused
--
-- History.....: 01-Aug-2005 1.0 JN First created
--    07-Dec-2005 1.1 JN Modified seperators 
--
-- Editor......: UltraEdit 11.10a (using Syntax Highlighting)
--   Tabstop Values = 4     
-- ==================================================================

 --input variables
 @spid  int  = null,
 @loginname varchar(50)  = '',
 @srvname varchar(20)  = ''

AS

begin
 /* Turn off double quotes for text strings */
 set quoted_identifier off
 
  /* Dont return the count for any statment */
 set nocount on
 
 /* Declare variables used only in sproc */
 declare @sqlh binary(20)
 declare @sqlstmt nvarchar(1000)  
 
 /* Add a point to the server name */
 if @srvname <> ''
  begin
   set @srvname = @srvname + '.'
  end
  
 /* Display all currently locked processes */
 print '==================================================='
 print ' Currently Locked Processes'
 print '==================================================='
 set @sqlstmt =  'select * from ' + @srvname +
   'master..sysprocesses where spid in (select req_spid from ' + @srvname +
   'master..syslockinfo where req_spid in (select spid from ' + @srvname +
   'master..syslocks )) and (open_tran = 1 or blocked != 0 or waittype != 0x0000)'
 exec sp_executesql @sqlstmt
 
 /* If @spid was supplied list various input and output buffers */
 if @spid <> '' and @spid is not null
  begin
    
   print '==================================================='
   print ' Summary for the following SPID : ' + cast(@spid as varchar(10))
   print '==================================================='
   print ' '
   print ' '
    
   print '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
   print ' Input Buffer'
   print '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
   set @sqlstmt = 'dbcc inputbuffer (' + cast(@spid as varchar(10)) + ')'
   exec sp_executesql @sqlstmt
   print ' '
   print ' '
     
   print '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
   print ' Handles for Input Buffer'
   print '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
   create table #temp_jtprochandle (
    sql_handle binary(20))
   -- The following statement is on one line
   set @sqlstmt = 'insert into #temp_jtprochandle (sql_handle) select sql_handle from master..sysprocesses where spid = '  + cast(@spid as varchar(10)) + ''
   -- The one-liner ends here

   exec sp_executesql @sqlstmt
   select @sqlh = sql_handle from #temp_jtprochandle
   select text from ::fn_get_sql(@sqlh)
   drop table #temp_jtprochandle
   print ' '
   print ' '
   
   print '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
   print ' Output Buffer'
   print '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
   set @sqlstmt = 'dbcc outputbuffer (' + cast(@spid as varchar(10)) + ')'
   exec sp_executesql @sqlstmt
   print ' '
   print ' '
   
   print '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
   print ' SP_Who'
   print '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
   set @sqlstmt = 'sp_who ' + cast(@spid as varchar(10)) + ''
   exec sp_executesql @sqlstmt
   print ' '
   print ' '
      
   print '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
   print ' SP_Who2'
   print '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
   set @sqlstmt = 'sp_who2 ' + cast(@spid as varchar(10)) + ''
   exec sp_executesql @sqlstmt
   print ' '
   print ' '
      
   print '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
   print ' Lock Info'
   print '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
   set @sqlstmt = 'sp_lock ' + cast(@spid as varchar(10)) + ''
   exec sp_executesql @sqlstmt
   print ' '
   print ' '
   
  end
 
 print '==================================================='
 print ' End of Output'
 print '==================================================='
 
 set quoted_identifier on
 set nocount off
 
end
GO

I'm still working on it and hope to be able to add server and login specific information. I created it because of a problem with an application that kept locking up on me. It helped the software developer pinpoint their issue(s).

hot2use