5/14/2015

SQLServerCommandLineToolsToManageYourServer

SQLServerCommandLineToolsToManageYourServer
By:GregRobidoux|ReadComments(4)|RelatedTips:More>Monitoring

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Problem
ThereareseveralusefulcommandsandfunctionsthatareavailableinSQLServer,butnotknowingwhattheyareor
wheretofindmoreinformationaboutthemissometimesaproblem.Havingthesecommandsatyourfingertipsisvery
helpfulwhentryingtosolveaproblemorforjustdoinggeneralanalysisonyourdatabaseinstances.
Solution
FollowingisalistofusefulcommandsthatcanberunusingQueryAnalyzer.Alotofthisinformationcanberetrieved
usingEnterpriseManager,butitisoftenfastertousethesecommandsdirectlyinQueryAnalyzeraswellasmore
detailedinformationisprovided.Eachofthesecommandshasdifferentfunctionalityandknowingthatthecommand
existsandwhattypesofinformationtheyproduceisextremelyhelpfulinmanagingyourSQLServerenvironment

Command

Purpose

sp_helpdb

Thisgivesyouinformationaboutalldatabasesinthe
instanceorspecificinformationaboutonedatabase.

fn_virtualfilestats

Thiscommandwillshowyouthenumberofreadand
writestoadatafile.Usesp_helpdbwiththedatabase
nametoseethelogicalfilenumbersforthedatafilesand
thedatabaseid.

fn_get_sql()

ReturnsthetextoftheSQLstatementforthespecified
SQLhandle.ThisissimilartousingDBCC
INPUTBUFFER,butthiscommandwillshowyou
additionalinformation.Thiscanalsobeembeddedina
processeasierthenusingtheDBCCcommand
MSSQLTipsadditionalinfo

sp_lock

Thiscommandshowsyouallofthelocksthatthesystem
iscurrentlytrackingThisissimilartoinformationyoucan
seeinEnterpriseManager.

sp_help

Thiscommandgivesyouinformationabouttheobjects
withinadatabase.Thecommandwithoutanobjectname
willgiveyoualistofallobjectswithinthedatabase.

sp_who2

Givesyouprocessinformationsimilartowhatyousee
whenusingEnterpriseManager.

sp_helpindex

Givesyouinformationabouttheindexesonatableaswell
asthecolumnsusedfortheindex.

SampleUsage
sp_helpdb
sp_helpdbdatabasename

SELECT*FROM::
fn_virtualfilestats(dabaseid,
logicalfileid)
SELECT*FROM::
fn_virtualfilestats(1,1)

DECLARE@Handle
binary(20)
SELECT@Handle=
sql_handleFROM
sysprocessesWHERE
spid=52SELECT*
FROM
::fn_get_sql(@Handle)

sp_lock
sp_lockspid
sp_lockspid1,spid2

sp_help
sp_helpobjectname

sp_who2
sp_who2spid

sp_helpindexobjectname

MSSQLTipsadditionalinfo
sp_spaceused

Thiscommandshowsyouhowmuchspacehasbeen
allocatedforthedatabase(orifspecifiedanobject)and
howmuchspaceisbeingused.

sp_spaceused
sp_spaceusedobjectname

DBCCCACHESTATS

Displaysinformationabouttheobjectscurrentlyinthe
buffercache.

DBCCCACHESTATS

DBCCCHECKDB

Thiswillchecktheallocationofallpagesinthedatabase
aswellascheckforanyintegrityissues.

DBCCCHECKDB

LatestSQLServerTips
SQLServerMonitoringwithPowershell
andtheSQLServerPlatform:Data
Collection(Part1of3)
TheSQLServerJobManagementYou
WishYouHad

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5/14/2015

SQLServerCommandLineToolsToManageYourServer

TroubleshootingCommonSQLServer
BulkInsertErrors
SQLServerAnalysisServiceLevelsof
Granularity

DBCCCHECKTABLE

Thiswillchecktheallocationofallpagesforaspecific
tableorindexaswellascheckforanyintegrityissues.

DBCCDBREINDEX

Thiscommandwillreindexyourtable.Iftheindexnameis
leftoutthenallindexesarerebuilt.Ifthefillfactorissetto
0thenthiswillusetheoriginalfillfactorwhenthetablewas
created.

DBCCCHECKTABLE
(tableName')

MSSQLTipsadditionalinfo

DBCCDBREINDEX
(tablename,indexname,
fillfactor)
DBCCDBREINDEX
(authors,'',70)
DBCCDBREINDEX
('pubs.dbo.authors',
UPKCL_auidind,80)

DBCCPROCCACHE

Thiscommandwillshowyouinformationaboutthe
procedurecacheandhowmuchisbeingused.Spotlight
willalsoshowyouthissameinformation.

DBCCPROCCACHE

DBCCMEMORYSTATUS

DisplayshowtheSQLServerbuffercacheisdividedup,
includingbufferactivity.

DBCCMEMORYSTATUS

DBCCSHOWCONTIG

Thiscommandgivesyouinformationabouthowmuch
spaceisusedforatableandindexes.Information
providedincludesnumberofpagesusedaswellashow
fragmentedthedataisinthedatabase.

MonitorSQLServerTransactionLog
FileFreeSpace

DBCCSHOWCONTIG
DBCCSHOWCONTIG
WITHALL_INDEXES
DBCCSHOWCONTIG
tablename

DBCCSHOW_STATISTICS Thiswillshowhowstatisticsarelaidoutforanindex.You
canseehowdistributedthedataisandwhethertheindex
isreallyagoodcandidateornot.

DBCCSHRINKFILE

DBCC
SHOW_STATISTICS
(tablename,indexname)

Thiswillallowyoutoshrinkoneofthedatabasefiles.This
isequivalenttodoingadatabaseshrink,butyoucan
specifywhatfileandthesizetoshrinkitto.Usethe
sp_helpdbcommandalongwiththedatabasenametosee
theactualfilenamesused.
MSSQLTipsadditionalinfo

DBCCSHRINKFILE
(filename,sizeinMB)
DBCCSHRINKFILE
(DataFile,1000)

DBCCSQLPERF

Thiscommandwillshowyoumuchofthetransactionlogs
arebeingused.

DBCCTRACEON

Thiscommandwillturnonatraceflagtocaptureeventsin
theerrorlog.TraceFlag1204capturesDeadlock
information.

DBCCTRACEOFF

Thiscommandturnsoffatraceflag.

DBCC
SQLPERF(LOGSPACE)

DBCC
TRACEON(traceflag)

DBCC
TRACEOFF(traceflag)

FreeSQLServerLearning
NextSteps

Avoiding,Detecting,
andRepairingSQL
ServerDatabase
Corruption

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DatabaseAdmins
againstVMAdmins?
KeepingthePeace
withSANLess
clusters.

Getfamiliarwiththesecommandlinefunctionsthatyoucanputtouseimmediately
Taketimetolearnmoreaboutthesedifferentoptionsandwhenspecificcommandsshouldbeusedandhowthey
shouldbeused
Lookforfuturetipsoneachofthesecommands

LastUpdate:7/28/2006

Abouttheauthor
GregRobidouxisthePresidentof
EdgewoodSolutionsandaco
founderofMSSQLTips.com.

TheArtofStress
FreeDatabase
Administration

SQLServerAudit
withSQLCompliance
ManagerandSQL
Secure

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Tuesday,January28,20149:47:14PMSaritHod

ReadTheTip

CanyoupleasementionSQLS*PlusthisisagreatfreecommandlinetoolforSQLServer

Saturday,November03,20122:26:33AMRon

ReadTheTip

Thanks.
DoyouhaveupdatesforSS2008R2?

Wednesday,July18,20122:01:25PMJeremyKadlec

ReadTheTip

Sandip,
Iwouldcheckoutthesetips:
http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertipcategory/25/maintenance/
http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertipcategory/91/maintenanceplans/
HTH.
Thankyou,
JeremyKadlec

Wednesday,July18,20121:51:21AMsandipdeshmukh

ReadTheTip

informationregardingSQLServerCommandLineToolsToManageYourServerisverygoodwithallimportant
information.
thanks,
ifposibblepleasesendmethealldatabasescriptwhichicanuseforDatabasemaintanance.

thanks&Regards,
SandipDeshmukh

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SQLServerCommandLineToolsToManageYourServer
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