PerfMon Objects, Counters, Thresholds, & Utilities for SQL Server

I’m frequently asked questions about which PerfMon counters to use & what thresholds to rely on.  I’ve been amalgamating this information for years in the form of an Excel workbook:  PerfMon_Counters_Digest_w_Vital_Signs_Correlation_v6.xls.

 

The current incarnation of this workbook includes worksheets related to the following topics:

·         Performance objects for SQL Server 2000, 2005, & 2008

·         Information related to logman.exe which I use to create, stop & start PerfMon counter logs

·         List of counter thresholds

·         I/O notes & references

 

An Excel workbook cannot easily provide a comprehensive primer.  However, if you already have a working knowledge of PerfMon, you should be able to hit the ground running with the counters & thresholds documented here.  As stated this is a work-in-progress which will from time-to-time be modified (& hopefully improved!).

 

Microsoft PFE Shane Creamer is the Yoda of PerfMon.  He has created a workshop called Vital Signs.  It is already available for public consumption, and he’s rumored to be updating it soon to a formal SKU.  Whether you’re new to PerfMon or want to take your skills from Padawan to Jedi Master, the Vital Signs workshop is for you.  Stay tuned for details.

 

I invite any insights & feedback.

Published 15 October 08 09:44 by Jimmy May
Attachment(s): PerfMon_Counters_Digest_w_Vital_Signs_Correlation_v6.xls

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Comments

# Alik Levin | PracticeThis.com said on October 15, 2008 5:12 PM:

Jimmy!

Thanks for sharing such valuable info. I am already planning to attend the Vital Signs workshop

alikl

# Blog do Ezequiel said on November 5, 2008 6:47 PM:

These are normal questions: What counters should I select to monitor my SQL Server instance? What thresholds

# Jimmy May, Aspiring Geek: SQL Server Performance, Best Practices, Productivity, etc. said on November 28, 2008 1:29 PM:

This is the first of a four-part series: Introduction to Query Parallelism (this post) Flipping the Bit

# Jimmy May, Aspiring Geek: SQL Server Performance, Best Practices, Productivity, etc. said on December 2, 2008 11:51 AM:

Introduction This is the second of a four-part series: Introduction to Query Parallelism Parallelism

# Hari said on February 4, 2009 7:54 AM:

Hi,

What is the procedure to register for the Vital Signs workshop? Can non-microsoft employees attend the same?

Thanks,

Hari

# Jimmy May said on February 5, 2009 9:07 AM:

Hari, I spoke to Shane Creamer, the author of Vital Signs.  This is his reply, "The Vital Signs workshop is available for customers with a Premier service contract since considerable money was spent to create the materials.  It is my hope that someday this will be a externally SKU’d class that can be taught at any Microsoft certified training center."

I hope this helps.  Good luck!

# Jimmy May, Aspiring Geek: SQL Server Performance, Best Practices, Productivity, etc.<br><img src="http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/6808/xparentacelogoli1.gif" border="0"/> said on March 15, 2009 9:24 AM:

SAN Over-Subscription There are a variety of challenges related to I/O performance. One common problem

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About Jimmy May

Jimmy May is a Principal Engineer for SQL Server in the Microsoft Assessment. Consulting, & Engineering (A.C.E.) team & is assigned to Team Lee.  He is the Visionary-in-Chief of SQL Server Pros & was formerly the Senior Database Architect for one of the world’s largest, SQL Server high-throughput OLTP VLDBs.  He is a founder & on the executive committees of both the Indiana Windows User Group (www.iwug.net) & Indianapolis Professional Association for SQL Server (www.indypass.org).  He is a recipient of the MS IT Gold Star award, is collaborating with the SQL Server Customer Advisory Team (SQL CAT) on a series of SQL best practices papers, & is a membe of the Microsoft Oracle Center of Excellence.  Jimmy lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with his lovely new bride, Phyllis, & Fannie May the Wonder Dog.  Contact him at jimmymay@microsoft.com. Visit his SQL Server performance & personal productivity blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/jimmymay. “In the late 90’s I made a conscious decision to become a geek, & started working with SQL Server in 1999.  Since then it’s been quite a ride—going from the Help Desk to DBA to Architect to entrepreneur to Microsoft Principal Engineer & consultant.”

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