sp_Who and sp_Who2 Replacements

Need to know what’s happening on your SQL Server?  SP_Who and SP_Who2 work, but there are even better ways – and they’re free.  SQL Server 2005 and newer have Dynamic Management Views (DMVs) that help us see what’s going on inside the database engine.  In this one-hour webcast, I teach you how to read the signs with DMVs, sp_WhoIsActive, and more.

Here’s the links referenced in the presentation:

• SP_WHO replacement – DMV query to show current activity with wait statistics
• Wait Types list at SQLServerPedia
• SP_WhoIsActive by Adam Machanic – slick replacement for sp_who2 that includes filtering and much more.
• DMV query to show procedure cache
• Book Review – SQL Server 2008 Query Performance Tuning Distilled – helps explain execution plans.  Highly recommended by Brent Ozar.
• Execution Plans – article at SQLServerPedia edited by Grant Fritchey, author of the above book.
• SSMS Performance Dashboard Reports – free download for SQL Server Management Studio 2005.
• Professional SQL Server 2008 Internals and Troubleshooting – Brent’s book, which includes a chapter on the Performance Dashboard Reports.

And check out my other free SQL Server training videos.