To gather statistical information on how a server is performing requires, you need to use operating system tools to gather a broad scope of information. System Monitor and Event Viewer are two operating system tools you can use to gather hardware information and information pertaining to the interaction between SQL Server and the operating system.

At the database engine and database level, you use the SQL Profiler by itself and in combination with other SQL Server specific tools. As you begin to do a more granular inspection, you need to use the Database Engine Tuning Advisor (DTA).

You can use a number of specialized techniques for gathering more specific information about the server and its processes. To better understand this information and provide an organized technique for gathering the information, we will begin with current information about what is happening on the server now and progress through the monitoring tools for more granular data.

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