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Performance Analyst

Purpose

Performance Analyst is the performance monitoring part. It lets you collect all performance-related information from SQL Server.

Installation, System Requirements, supported SQL Server versions

Performance Analyst relies for the most parts on its own proprietary set of performance metrics collecting procedures.

So, when you call Performance Analyst for the first time, it needs to create this set of stored procedures on the SQL Server instance about to be monitored.

Again, a remarkable point here in the installation is that these procedures are not silently installed in SQL Servers' system databases. Instead you can decide for yourself, where these objects will be installed to. This can either be an already existing database or a new one.

Performance Analyst work with SQL Server 7.0 and above.

Description of Performance Analyst

Once the stored procedures have been created and Performance Analyst is started, you will see the above screen. Allow me to show you two more screenshot, before going on with my explanations.

#1

#2

Don't spend too much time trying to analyze the actual figures in these screenshots. These screenshots have been taken in a virtual machine with me being the only user of SQL Server. Focus on the quite impressive graphical GUI instead.

Performance Analyst is a candidate for an extended review of its own. Due to the limited space here, I will make a cut here. As an indication for you to judge on the power of this tool, just have a look at the various menus. There is hardly a performance-related item missing.

Summary and Conclusion

Key features:

1. Collection and analysis of a great variety of performance metrics.
2. Visual analysis of collected data.

Advantages

1. No added objects added to SQL Server system databases.
2. SQL Server 2005 ready.
3. Statements about future usage patters can easily be generated.

Disadvantages

1. The documentation could be more "descriptive". Some screenshots would make it easier to follow the explanations.

Performance Analyst is my favourite Analyst. It is a very impressive and mighty tool that displays virtually any performance-related metrics and helps you track down performance issues.