ARCHIVAL TIP #5: TUNE THE NUMBER OF QUEUE READERS

I've yet to find a solid recommendation for choosing the number of queue readers (threads) to activate for a given queue. One post suggested activating a queue reader per cpu. In my particular situation I've seen improved throughput with a number almost triple the cpu count.

I'm NOT suggesting that you use my numbers. Test, test, and test some more to find the thread level that allows you to keep up, or catch up, under load. For me, it was useful to play with both the MAX_QUEUE_READERS setting in the queue definition and the number of messages dequeued by the activated stored procedure at any one time (via the RECEIVE TOP(x) syntax).