The Performance Analysis of Logs (PAL) tool is a free tool from CodePlex . It parses and analyzes Windows Performance Monitor logs to find performance bottlenecks. The PAL tool can help you find performance bottlenecks in SQL Server running Windchill...

In the fourth post about the SQL Server error logs, we examined the logging of database startup and recovery entries. In this final post about the error logs, we'll examine the logging of security and network startup entries. Understanding how the SQL...

In the third post about the SQL Server error logs, we examined the CPU, locking, and memory messages. In this fourth post, we'll examine database startup and recovery. Here's that picture of the error log again for reference: System Databases...

In my posts about RAID ( part 1 and part 2 ), I didn't cover RAID 1 + 0 because RAID 1 + 0 isn't a good combination for SQL Server running Windchill. However, we have received many questions about why I didn't cover RAID 1 + 0. So, I'll explain how SQL...

SQL Server ships with a fantastic graphical user interface: you might say the iPhone of database administration. It is called SQL Server Management Studio. SQL Server Management Studio gives the part-time SQL Server database administrator who is running...

In the second post about the error logs, we examined the authentication mode and startup parameters. In this third post, we'll examine the priority, CPU, locking, and node configuration information presented in the SQL Server error logs for Windchill...

One way to improve the performance of Windchill is to balance the load of the SQL Server data files across all the logical drives. If one data file is using more disk I/O than another data file, you will want to move it to a logical drive by itself. How...

In our first post about the error logs, we covered the version information for SQL Server. In this second part, we'll keep going through the valuable information in the error logs that will help you better understand and troubleshoot issues with Windchill...

After you have your disk subsystem running for SQL Server and that computer is deployed into a production environment, how do you know you have the subsystem configured correctly? Monitoring of course! If you monitor by using Windows Performance Monitor...

SQL Server error logs are the de facto error reporting location for all the SQL Server services. They provide information about the health of SQL Server that is not found anywhere else. If you want to check Windchill running on SQL Server, check the SQL...

Have you ever wondered how your queries affect your disk subsystem? With the sys.dm_exec_query_stats dynamic management view in SQL Server, you can find out. No matter how carefully you plan your RAID configuration and your hard drive layout, it is up...

In the past few posts (such as Understanding Index Defragmentation ), we've introduced a SQL Server dynamic management view called sys.dm_db_index_physical_stats . This index-related dynamic management view was introduced in SQL Server 2005 and is the...

One of the tasks that every SQL Server database administrator for Windchill needs to accomplish is the performance monitoring of database data and log files. Often, a DBA needs to understand the performance of their disk I/O and needs something that can...

In theory, you should never need to manually check the integrity of your database, because nothing should ever go wrong with the database, the memory, or the I/O subsystems. However, in practice, checking the integrity of your database will give you confidence...

In a recent post , we discussed index fill factor and what it is. We want to follow up that post with an explanation of when and why you may want to set a fill factor for an index or change the default fill factor on your instance of SQL Server. Often...

We've talked about RAID , and we've talked about the number of drives you need. Now, let's talk about how to determine the right size drives for you. Getting the right size drives in your new server purchase can optimize the cost of the new server and...

Restoring a database is an essential part of any DBA's job running Windchill. If you cannot restore a database, you will almost certainly lose your job. Thus, the topic of restoring a database seems well worth digging into more deeply. A Quick Review...

In our previous post , we considered various strategies for backing up your ISV database, based on the recovery model of the database. However, your backup strategy will be defined not only by your database recovery model, but also by your recovery goals...

Your data is critical to your business. You need to be able to reliably back up your data─and then easily restore it if there is some sort of failure. This is still true in an environment that is running Windchill. So, how much thought have you given...

Your RAID configuration and the placement of your database files depend on the number of hard drives in your server. Or in other words, you can only use what you have—a real world physical limitation. This is the third post in a series about the file...

This is a continuation of our series on designing a SQL Server file subsystem. Our post on March 30 discussed software RAID (redundant array of independent disks) and RAID level 0. Today, we discuss the RAID levels that provide data redundancy—the ones...