Wednesday 2:00 PM - 3:10 PM · Room 347

Learn how to troubleshoot SQL Server like a Microsoft engineer would

Arvind Shyamsundar

Principal Product Manager, Microsoft

How many times have you wished that you could self-diagnose a really strange issue with your SQL Server, that did not seem to be related to typical reasons like missing indexes, query plans, lock blocking, etc.?

• Maybe you are seeing unexplained high CPU usage.
• Maybe you have blocking, but it's on a really strange wait type that you've never seen before and does not show up in your web searches.
• Maybe you are seeing unusually high memory consumption in a memory clerk that you have never heard of?

You get the idea - all of us have had these head-scratching moments. Having the right tools and techniques at your disposal is crucial for diagnosing and resolving these issues efficiently and on time. Join us for an in-depth exploration of SQL Server extended events, wait statistics, call stack information, and debugging symbols. We will demonstrate how to leverage these powerful tools to gain a comprehensive understanding of the root causes behind various issues like the ones described above.

This will not be an introductory or general troubleshooting session. It assumes that you are familiar with the usual tools of the trade and want to know more. In other words, you are asking yourself - "can I do what the Microsoft support engineer would do"?

Through real-world scenarios and hands-on demonstrations, you will learn how to apply these tools effectively to diagnose and resolve SQL Server performance issues. By the end of this session, you will be equipped with a robust toolkit which will help you get a deeper understanding of SQL Server internals. And who knows, you might just be able to skip that support call to Microsoft and be the hero who saved the day!