Traces running with NULL FileName,MaxSize values

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Traces running with NULL FileName,MaxSize values

Divine Flame

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Points: 15943
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August 6, 2012 at 7:46 am

#279241

On one of our servers we can see 3 traces running with NULL FileName, NULL MaxSize. When geting the data from sys.fn_trace_getinfo values are NULL for property 2,3&4. Value 1 is returned for properties 1 & 5.
Could anybody help to understand this or if anybody else has experienced the same situation earlier?
Sujeet Singh

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Lowell SSC Guru Points: 323504 More actions · Answer 1

wierd;

i cannot get a trace to be created with either the options or the filename to be null;

it's wierd that you are able to see that.

i tried stuff like stopping my example traces, but that just changes the status; doesn't affect teh otehr parameter values.

Lowell

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Divine Flame SSCoach Points: 15943 More actions · Answer 2

Lowell (8/6/2012)
wierd;
i cannot get a trace to be created with either the options or the filename to be null;
it's wierd that you are able to see that.
i tried stuff like stopping my example traces, but that just changes the status; doesn't affect teh otehr parameter values.

Yes, that's what I thought when I saw that. I am not sure whether they are running or not. As value for property 5 is 1, they must be runinng but then where are they putting this trace data :hehe:?

Sujeet Singh

Jared SSC Guru Points: 61793 More actions · Answer 3

Strange... What about the TRACE_PRODUCE_BLACKBOX option?

From BOL: No filename can be specified. The file will be saved as: N'%SQLDIR%\MSSQL\DATA\blackbox.trc'

Don't have time to set one up and test it, but maybe that is what is going on?

Jared
CE - Microsoft

Divine Flame SSCoach Points: 15943 More actions · Answer 4

After digging in it looks like it is not a server side trace or a profiler trace. When checked from sys.dm_exec_sessions the host process is SQL Server Analysis Services & from sys.dm_exec_requests wait_type is TraceWrite.

I am still not sure what kind of trace it could be or if traces could be run by Analysis Services?

Sujeet Singh

Divine Flame SSCoach Points: 15943 More actions · Answer 5

Okay, I think I got it now :-). These are special traces run by SQL Server to provide proactive caching & notifications to SSAS.

It is well explained on jason's blog here & on following MSDN links:

1. Notifications to SSAS

2. Proactive Caching

Sujeet Singh