Written by a team of expert SQL users, this comprehensive resource approaches performance tuning from a new perspective by showing you a methodical scientific approach to diagnose performance problems. The book first walks you through how to discover bottlenecks when something is wrong and you’ll then learn how to identify and remove the problems that are causing poor performance. You’ll discover preventive measures you can take to try to avoid a performance problem entirely and you’ll learn how to achieve better performance.

Dynamic Management Views (DMVs) are a significant and valuable addition to the DBA's troubleshooting armory, laying bare previously unavailable information regarding the under-the-covers activity of your database sessions and transactions. Why, then, aren't all DBAs using them? Why do many DBAs continue to ignore them in favour of "tried and trusted" tools such as sp_who2, DBCC OPENTRAN, and so on, or make do with the "ready made" reports built into SSMS? Why do even those that do use the DMVs speak wistfully about "good old sysprocesses"? There seem to be two main factors at work. Firstly, some DBAs are simply unaware of the depth and breadth of the information that is available from the DMvs, or how it might help them troubleshoot common issues. This book investigates all of the DMVs that are most frequently useful to the DBA in investigating query execution, index usage, session and transaction activity, disk IO, and how SQL Server is using or abusing the operating system. Secondly, the DMVs have a reputation of being difficult to use. In the process of exposing as much useful data as possible, sysprocesses has been de-normalized, and many new views and columns have been added. This fact, coupled with the initially-baffling choices of what columns will be exposed where, has lead to some DBAs to liken querying DMVs to "collecting mystic spells." In fact, however, once you start to write your own scripts, you'll see the same tricks, and similar join patterns, being used time and again. As such, a relatively small core set of scripts can be readily adapted to suit any requirement. This book is here to de-mystify the process of collecting the information you need to troubleshoot SQL Server problems. It will highlight the core techniques and "patterns" that you need to master, and will provide a core set of scripts that you can use and adapt for your own systems, including how to: * Root out the queries that are causing memory or CPU pressure on your system * Investigate caching, and query plan reuse * Identify index usage patterns * Track fragmentation in clustered indexes and heaps * Get full details on blocking and blocked transactions, including the exact commands being executed, and by whom. * Find out where SQL Server is spending time waiting for resources to be released, before proceeding * Monitor usage and growth of tempdb The DMVs don't make existing, built-in, performance tools obsolete. On the contrary, they complement these tools, and offer a flexibility, richness and granularity that are simply not available elsewhere. Furthermore, you don't need to master a new GUI, or a new language in order to use them; it's all done in a language all DBAs know and mostly love: T-SQL.

Over 80 recipes to help you tune SQL Server 2012 and achieve optimal performance.

SQL Server 2005 is the largest leap forward for SQL Server since its inception. With this update comes new features that will challenge even the most experienced SQL Server DBAs. Written by a team of some of the best SQL Server experts in the industry, this comprehensive tutorial shows you how to navigate the vastly changed landscape of the SQL Server administration. Drawing on their own first-hand experiences to offer you best practices, unique tips and tricks, and useful workarounds, the authors help you handle even the most difficult SQL Server 2005 administration issues, including blocking and locking. You'll learn how to fine-tune queries you've already written, automate redundant monitoring and maintenance tasks, and use hidden tools so that you can quickly get over the learning curve of how to configure and administer SQL Server 2005. What you will learn from this book How to use some of the more advanced concepts of installation Techniques for properly administering development features such as SQL CLR Ways to secure your SQL Server from common threats How to choose the right hardware configuration Best practices for backing up and recovering your database Step-by-step guidelines for clustering your SQL Server Who this book is for This book is for experienced developers and database administrators who plan to administer or are already administering an SQL Server 2005 system and its business intelligence features. Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working technologists to meet the real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

* First book to provide comprehensive, deeply practical coverage on all major new SS2005 features. • Lead author (Tom Rizzo) is a key member of the SQL Server team at Microsoft and a respected author and blogger. • Gets the DBA and developer up and running with SS2005 in the fastest possible time. • The facts, not the evangelism.

* An essential book for new and migration projects for SQL Server 2005: will ensure that that such projects have a well-designed database and secure, optimized data access strategies right from the start. * Describes all new SQL Server 2005 features related to physical database design and provides completely new chapters on designing for fast data access, and exploiting .NET code in the database for optimum distribution of application logic. * An excellent foundation for MCAD/MCSE/MCDBA Database Design and Implementation exam. * Deep experience and advice, along with many tips or tricks, from an MVP lead author with over ten years of experience with SQL Server.

* A completely revised edition of a book that is highly-regarded in the community (as evidenced by Amazon reviews and other customer feedback). * The only comprehensive, practical guide to performance optimization techniques for SQL Server applications. * Essential reading for any DBA or developer resposible for the eprformance of an exisiting SQL Server system, or the design of a new one.

Buy the print version of¿Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Unleashed and get the eBook version for free! eBook version includes chapters 44-60 not included in the print. See inside the book for access code and details. ¿ With up-to-the-minute content, this is the industry’s most complete, useful guide to SQL Server 2012. ¿ You’ll find start-to-finish coverage of SQL Server’s core database server and management capabilities: all the real-world information, tips, guidelines, and samples you’ll need to create and manage complex database solutions. The additional online chapters add extensive coverage of SQL Server Integration Services, Reporting Services, Analysis Services, T-SQL programming, .NET Framework integration, and much more. ¿ Authored by four expert SQL Server administrators, designers, developers, architects, and consultants, this book reflects immense experience with SQL Server in production environments. Intended for intermediate-to-advanced-level SQL Server professionals, it focuses on the product’s most complex and powerful capabilities, and its newest tools and features. Understand SQL Server 2012’s newest features, licensing changes, and capabilities of each edition Manage SQL Server 2012 more effectively with SQL Server Management Studio, the SQLCMD command-line query tool, and Powershell Use Policy-Based Management to centrally configure and operate SQL Server Utilize the new Extended Events trace capabilities within SSMS Maximize performance by optimizing design, queries, analysis, and workload management Implement new best practices for SQL Server high availability Deploy AlwaysOn Availability Groups and Failover Cluster Instances to achieve enterprise-class availability and disaster recovery Leverage new business intelligence improvements, including Master Data Services, Data Quality Services and Parallel Data Warehouse Deliver better full-text search with SQL Server 2012’s new Semantic Search Improve reporting with new SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services features Download the following from informit.com/title/9780672336928: Sample databases and code examples ¿ ¿

Replication is a way of copying and updating information in a database. The Definitive Guide to SQL Server 2005 Replication is for Microsoft database developers and administrators who want to learn about the different types of replication and those best suited to SQL Server 2005. The book will also delve into advanced topics like replication of SQL Server with heterogeneous databases; replication of different database objects like stored procedures; backup and recovery of replicated databases; performance and tuning; and finally troubleshooting replication. As such, this book will address the concerns of both novice and advanced users of replication.

A hands-on resource for SQL Server 2008 troubleshooting methods and tools SQL Server administrators need to ensure that SQL Server remains running 24/7. Authored by leading SQL Server experts and MVPs, this book provides in-depth coverage of best practices based on a deep understanding of the internals of both SQL Server and the Windows operating system. You'll get a thorough look at the SQL Server database architecture and internals as well as Windows OS internals so that you can approach troubleshooting with a solid grasp of the total processing environment. Armed with this comprehensive understanding, readers will then learn how to use a suite of tools for troubleshooting performance problems whether they originate on the database server or operating system side. Topics Covered: SQL Server Architecture Understanding Memory SQL Server Waits and Extended Events Working with Storage CPU and Query Processing Locking and Latches Knowing Tempdb Defining Your Approach To Troubleshooting Viewing Server Performance with PerfMon and the PAL Tool Tracing SQL Server with SQL Trace and Profiler Consolidating Data Collection with SQLDiag and the PerfStats Script Introducing RML Utilities for Stress Testing and Trace File Analysis Bringing It All Together with SQL Nexus Using Management Studio Reports and the Performance Dashboard Using SQL Server Management Data Warehouse Shortcuts to Efficient Data Collection and Quick Analysis Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.