SQL Server Indexes need to be effective. It is wrong to have too few or too many. The ones you create must ensure that the workload reads the data quickly with a minimum of I/O. As well as a sound knowledge of the way that relational databases work, it helps to be familiar with the Dynamic Management Objects that are there to assist with your indexing strategy.  Read more...

This article identifies which indexes are used when T-SQL code runs, and proposes ways of improving these targeted indexes, leading to better performing code.  Read more...

This article describes a utility that allows you to inspect cached plans and extract information that can be useful in improving the performance of your SQL.  Read more...

Script which uses SQL Server DMOs to gather top CPU taxing queries which can benifit most from tuning.  Read more...

This article identifies which indexes are used when T-SQL code runs, and proposes ways of improving these targeted indexes, leading to better performing code.  Read more...

Report unusual conditions that may be filling up your transaction log.  Read more...

Calculates the signal and resource waits as a percentage of overall wait time.  Read more...

Identifies potentially missing indexes.  Read more...

Finds tables and indexes that do not show up in the usage statistics.  Read more...

Clears the wait statistics so that the results of the 'Signal and Resource Waits' scripts are more relevant  Read more...

There can be a great difference in the performance of a particular routine in a test database, and in a fully loaded production system. When you hit performance problems in a database under load, and there is excessive locking and blocking, how can you determine exactly where the problems lie, in order to fix them?  Read more...

Many of the SQL Server DMVs still have a wild, unfinished feel but they are an incredibly useful tool for DBA, well-worth the sweat and toil required to learn and query them effectively.   Read more...

To ensure that queries run as efficiently as possible, the database administrator needs to monitor performance to find inefficient queries. This article focuses on exploring how a DBA can monitor the I/Os against an instance of SQL Server, using Dynamic Management Objects, or more commonly know as Dynamic Management Views (DMVs) and Functions (DMFs).   Read more...

Performance monitoring and optimization is an inseparable part of a DBA's activities. To optimize a poorly performing system/query or to troubleshoot the performance issues you need to know the root cause. Prior to SQL Server 2005, we had several system tables to monitor the state of the system.  Read more...

This article describes a utility that allows you to inspect cached plans and extract information that can be useful in improving the performance of your SQL.  Read more...

Read the first chapter of this new book on DMVs.  Read more...

Over and over again we are told that the DMV’s only hold data since your last reboot. So, how do...  Read more...

Get a free green paper, an early access look at a new DMV book from longtime author Ian Stirk.  Read more...

This article describes a utility that allows you to identify what SQL statements are currently executing.  Read more...

If you do not have a third party monitoring tool in place, the only way is to constantly monitor SQL Server. To do this without being overly intrusive, we need to rely on the SQL Server DMVs.   Read more...