Presentation by Richard Douglas - @SQLRich - on baselining a SQL Server environment from the PASS SQL Rally conference held in Stockholm 2013. Abstract: Ensuring peak SQL Server performance isn’t always easy and requires a lot of work on the part of the DBA. To maintain the best-possible performance, you need to make sure you’re monitoring the right things. But how do you know if the figures you’re seeing are good or bad? Baseline comparisons can help, and in this educational session, SQL Server expert Richard Douglas will show you how to get the most from them. Richard will explain what a baseline is, why and when you need to take one, and how you can create one. You’ll also learn about a number of native Windows and SQL Server tools that will allow you to do just that. Read more: Presentations - 2013 | Richard Douglas - SQL Server Professional http://sql.richarddouglas.co.uk/presentations/presentations-2013#ixzz2kcBNBxMK

1. “The Day After Tomorrow”;
why you need to baseline
Richard Douglas
Dell Software

2. Who’s this guy?
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Richard Douglas
Editor in Chief – ToadWorld.com
MCITPro
Maidenhead PASS Chapter Leader
Blog: http://SQL.RichardDouglas.co.uk
Twitter: @SQLRich
Email: Richard.Douglas@Software.dell.com

3. Agenda
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What is a “baseline”?
What is “benchmarking”?
Where do I start?
What should I capture?
What should I capture it with?
Summary

4. What is a “baseline”?
• Typical state
• Average over a time period
• Multiple baselines
Why baseline?
• Line in the sand
• Usage patterns
A measurement
or calculation
used as a basis
for comparison.

5. What is “benchmarking”?
A level by
which
something can
be measured
or judged
Allows you to make
informed decisions

6. Performance tuning lifecycle

7. Obligatory analogy

8. When should I capture it?
It depends
• Consider different baselines for different business periods
– Maintenance windows
– Month/Quarter/Year end
– Seasonal peaks
• After Windows and SQL Server patches
• After failovers / DR scenarios
• After any new project deployment

9. What should I capture?
System
Configuration
Windows OS
Counters
SQL Server
Counters
Wait
statistics

10. What should I capture?
System configuration
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Infrastructure diagrams.
Windows and SQL Server version information.
Driver information.
IO Subsystem information.
System catalogue information:
– Sys.configurations
– Sys.databases
– Sys.master_files

11. What should I capture?
Operating System / SQL Server Counters - Memory
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Memory: Available Mbytes
Paging File: %Usage
0
SQL Server Memory Manager: Target Server Memory(KB)
SQL Server Memory Manager: Total Server Memory(KB)
SQL Server Memory Manager: Memory Grants Pending
SQL Server Buffer Manager: Buffer cache hit ratio
300
SQL Server Buffer Manager: Page Life Expectancy
• SQL Server Buffer Manager: Extension Page Unreferenced Time PLE * 16 or 32
• SQL Server Buffer Manager: Database Pages
• SQL Server Buffer Manager: Procedure Cache Pages

12. Virtualisation Considerations - VMWare
• Memory Limit (MB)
• Memory Reservation (MB)
• Memory Ballooned (MB)
• Memory Swapped (MB)
Read more about VMWare memory settings here:
http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/techpaper/vsp_41_perf_memory_mgmt.
pdf

13. What should I capture?
Operating System / SQL Server Counters - CPU
• Processor: % Processor Time
LT 80%
• Process: % Processor Time (SQLServr)
LT 80%
LT 12 good
ideally LT 4
LT 3000 good
ideally LT 1500
• System: Processor Queue Length
• System: Context Switches/Sec
• SQL Server SQL Statistics: SQL Compilations/Sec
• SQL Server SQL Statistics: SQL ReCompilations/Sec

14. What should I capture?
Operating System / SQL Server Counters - IO
• Physical Disk: Current Disk Queue Length
?
• Physical Disk: Avg. Disk Sec/Read
LT 20ms
• Physical Disk: Avg. Disk Sec/Write
LT 10ms
• Physical Disk: Avg. Bytes/Read
• Physical Disk: Avg. Bytes/Write

15. SAN Considerations
• Virtualised storage
– How is it connected?
– How many spindles?
– How many other servers share this?
• Dynamic storage
– Your data may move!!!!!
• What’s a good way to test for consistency?
– Baseline your maintenance window(s)

16. What should I capture?
SQL Server Counters
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SQL Server Access Method: Forwarded Records/Sec
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SQL Server Access Method: Page Splits/Sec
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SQL Server General Statistics: User Connections
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SQL Server SQL Statistics: Batch Requests/Sec
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SQL Server Buffer Manager: Page Reads/Sec
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SQL Server Buffer Manager: Page Writes/Sec
Ideally 0
It depends*
Beware pooling
LT 90
LT 90 **
*Page splits include “regular” new page allocations
** Cross reference this with Checkpoint and Lazy Writer counters

17. What should I capture?
• Query information
– Understand the server workload
– Consider exporting plans from the cache.
• Job information
– Are my jobs taking longer?
• Wait statistics
– What is SQL Server waiting on?

18. What free tools can I capture it with?
• Performance Monitor (OS + SQL Server Counters)
• Your favourite T-SQL editor - SSMS or Toad for
SQL Server freeware (Dynamic Management
Objects)
• Profiler / Extended events (Query information)

19. How do I analyse?
• Import data into Microsoft Excel
– http://www.toadworld.com/platforms/sqlserver/w/wiki/10421.performance-monitor.aspx
– http://bit.ly/YXOfZD - Brent Ozar at SQLBits

20. Demo

21. Mature Information Management Processes
Level 1
Reactive
Level 0
Chaotic
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Ad hoc
Undocumented
Unpredictable
Multiple help
desks
Minimal IT
operations
User call
notification
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Level 3
Service
Level 2
Proactive
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Fight fires
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Inventory
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Desktop sw
distribution
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Initiate
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problem mgt
process
Alert and
event mgt
Monitor component
availability
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Analyze trends
Set thresholds
Predict problems
Monitor end-user
response time
Automate
Mature
problem, configura
tion, change, asse
t and performance
mgt processes
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IT as strategic
business partner
IT and business
metric linkage
IT/business
collaboration
improves business
process
Real-time
infrastructure
Business planning
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IT as a service
provider
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Define
services, classes, p
ricing
Understand costs
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Guarantee SLAs
Monitor and report
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service availability
Manage IT as a Business
Capacity
mgt
Service and Account Management
Service Delivery Process Engineering
Operational Process Engineering
Tool Leverage
Level 4
Value

22. “The Day After Tomorrow”;
why you need to baseline
Summary
• What a “baseline” is.
• What “benchmarking” means.
• How to plan your baseline.
• How to choose your measures.
• Native tools.

24. THANK YOU!
• For attending this session and
PASS SQLRally Nordic 2013, Stockholm
Richard Douglas
@SQLRich
http://SQL.RichardDouglas.co.uk
Richard.Douglas@Software.Dell.com