How to Reduce Latency and Boost SQL Server Performance

When it comes to frequent performance bottlenecks on SQL Server, few are as frequent or as problematic is I/O latency. Relational databases, by their very nature, perform a great deal of I/O both to support the ACID properties of transactions as well as to cache the most frequently used data and code for maximum responsiveness. The reason that I/O can be so problematic is because can accidentally build performance inhibitors into our database application. In the worst cases, I've seen novice teams build a database application that had I/O anti-patterns in EVERY layer of their application, from the SQL code used by the GUI, to the stored procedures and functions on the database server, to the physical database design, to the Windows Server, all the way down to the I/O subsystem. My consultant friends call that sort of design "job security."

So when my colleague Sumeet Bansal invited me to participate in this webinar, I jumped at the chance. Sumeet has an impressive pedigree. He was VP of IT and lead DBA at wine.com in the late 2000s, where he implemented their first data warehouse for streamline analytical reporting. He has over 16 years of IT experience covering database platforms like Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server along with high-end data center architectures. He's also served as the resident SQL Server and database expert at several top flash companies, including Fusion-io, Violin Memory and, most recently, Tegile.

Watch The Video

This webinar, broadcast by our friends over at MSSQLTips.com and sponsored by Tegile, seeks to dispel many of those anti-patterns I mentioned above. Watch the video to learn how you can optimize your SQL Server I/O performance. Hear how the SQL Server pros pinpoint performance I/O bottlenecks and leverage the latest advancements in storage technology to decrease access latency and I/O wait times. By the end of the recorded webinar, you'll have the tools and information you need to recommend the best strategy to improve the I/O responsiveness of your SQL Server environment.

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Download this Slide Deck and Many More

If you'd like to grab a copy of my slides for this session, you can get them on my SlideShare account. I also have several other slide decks there, and I'm adding more all the time.

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FWIW, I have 28 slide decks in my Presentations folder that I keep meaning to post there. There's just not enough time in the day, KnowWhutIMean?

Grab the Transact-SQL I/O Tuning Scripts for Troubleshooting Latency

In the demo during the webinar, I show Transact-SQL scripts that enable you to:

  • Verify through wait statistics that I/O is indeed your main performance bottleneck.
  • Identify which database is causing the most I/O and whether that is read- or write-based I/O.
  • Drill-down into the specific table, index, and SELECT / INSERT / UPDATE / DELETE statement that is causing the I/O.
  • Correlate your findings against important PerfMon counters to ensure you're solving the right problem.

Get the Transact-SQL scripts at this link: SQL Server IO Troubleshooting using Transact-SQL.

In addition to the Transact-SQL demo, we discussed how Tegile's I/O appliances and SQL Sentry's performance monitoring and tuning solutions can render all of this hard work unnecessary. If you're at all like me, then you want to add the greatest amount of value to your organization as you can. And that often means finding solutions that solve the low-level work issues, like high-latency I/O subsystems and monitoring SQL Server's behavior, so that I can focus on the high-value activities like designing new applications.

To request a no-obligation demo of the Tegile Array, go to http://pages.tegile.com/Request-A-Demo.html.

To get the full-featured trial of SQL Sentry Performance Advisor, go to https://sentryone.com/download-trial/trial. In addition, I or my team would be happy to give you a personal demonstration. Schedule a demo at http://meetme.so/SQLSentrySEGroup.

Show a Little Love

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Many thanks,
-Kevin

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