Windows Developer Power Tools

15.11 Examining Logs with LogParser

Data that is critical to operations or useful for debugging often exists in multiple formats throughout an enterprise, and it’s typical for this valuable data or helpful information to be spread among disparate sources without an easy and consistent way to view it.

LogParser, a tool provided by Microsoft, allows SQL-like access to a variety of text-based resources. LogParser is accessible through the command line or by a COM-scriptable interface. Some common data sources that are accessible through LogParser include the Event Log, the registry, the filesystem, Active Directory, XML files, CSV files, and IIS logfiles.

LogParser provides a variety of output formats that allow the user to define how data should be shaped and persisted. Some common persistence formats that LogParser supports include NAT, CSV, TSV, XML, W3C, TPL, SQL, and SYSLog.

LogParser at a Glance
Tool	LogParser
Version covered	2.2
Home page	http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=890cd06b-abf8-4c25-91b2-f8d975cf8c07&displaylang=en
Power Tools page	http://www.windevpowertools.com/tools/80
Summary	Tool for querying a variety of common text-based data sources and persisting output in various formats
License type	Microsoft EULA
Online resources	Unofficial support site providing a knowledge base, forums, a script repository, and a list of resources

Getting Started

LogParser is limited ...