SQL Server MVP Deep Dives, Volume 2

Chapter 38. Using PAL to analyze SQL Server performance

Tim Chapman

Here’s a common scenario for a database administrator. Someone stops by your cubicle and complains that the system is running “slow.” Regardless of whether it’s the database or the application, you’re tasked with determining what’s causing the slowdown, and you must diagnose the problem as quickly as possible. The problem worsens when the performance issue begins to impede normal business functions, ultimately costing the company revenue. Once management becomes involved, stress levels rise, and it becomes even more critical to resolve the issue quickly and accurately. Sometimes the issue is diagnosed easily, such as when a runaway process has locked a table. In other cases, ...