Activity Monitor in SQL Server 2008

  • I recently started evaluating the CTP for SQL Server 2008, and I noticed that the Activity Monitor Gui under Management is not listed. It is clearly not needed since all of its functionality can be achieved from T-SQL, but I was curious about if it was deliberately removed and why? Or is this something with my particular installation?

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    Timothy A Wiseman
    SQL Blog: http://timothyawiseman.wordpress.com/

  • I believe you'll find that in RC0 but not the CTP's. And if you have RC0, Activity Monitor can be found as an icon on the toolbar in SSMS or a right click on the server name in object explorer.

  • And the functionality has improved a ton. I love being able to pull execution plans right off the screen.

    "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
    - Theodore Roosevelt

    Author of:
    SQL Server Execution Plans
    SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

  • Thank you both, I found it immediately by right clicking, and the functionality is definitely greatly improved.

    ---
    Timothy A Wiseman
    SQL Blog: http://timothyawiseman.wordpress.com/

  • I totally disagree. The added functionality is far outweighed by what was stripped out.

    - The task manager like graphs at the top of summary values for the whole instance. This isn't very useful for me.

    - Expanding out one column causes the other columns to be 'resized' so they all fit within the screen, whereas before I had a scroll bar. Trying to expand out several columns makes others unreadable.

    - The Processes list does not give me details on the cpu and physical io that each SPID is consuming.

    - You can't filter on multiple column values, you can only select single values from the column drop-down lists.

    - The Recent Expensive Queries section looked promising, but is nearly useless because it there isn't an easy way to tie it back to the SPID (now called Session ID).

    - The Data File I/O, and Resource Waits sections only provide you with summary information on a per instance, or per database.

    I have to manage a multi-database environment, and previously used the SQL 2005 activity monitor for an at-a-glance view of what was going on. The lack of flexibility and granularity in the new SQL 2008 Activity manager is going to make my job a lot more difficult.

    Does anyone know if there is another dashboard type tool that Microsoft provides to get this information?

  • pcarroll-626929 (6/24/2011)


    I totally disagree. The added functionality is far outweighed by what was stripped out.

    - The task manager like graphs at the top of summary values for the whole instance. This isn't very useful for me.

    - Expanding out one column causes the other columns to be 'resized' so they all fit within the screen, whereas before I had a scroll bar. Trying to expand out several columns makes others unreadable.

    - The Processes list does not give me details on the cpu and physical io that each SPID is consuming.

    - You can't filter on multiple column values, you can only select single values from the column drop-down lists.

    - The Recent Expensive Queries section looked promising, but is nearly useless because it there isn't an easy way to tie it back to the SPID (now called Session ID).

    - The Data File I/O, and Resource Waits sections only provide you with summary information on a per instance, or per database.

    I have to manage a multi-database environment, and previously used the SQL 2005 activity monitor for an at-a-glance view of what was going on. The lack of flexibility and granularity in the new SQL 2008 Activity manager is going to make my job a lot more difficult.

    Does anyone know if there is another dashboard type tool that Microsoft provides to get this information?

    Note, this is a three year old thread:

    None that are provided from Microsoft, no.

    "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
    - Theodore Roosevelt

    Author of:
    SQL Server Execution Plans
    SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

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