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Configure the priority boost Server Configuration Option

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This topic describes how to configure the priority boost configuration option in SQL Server 2014 by using SQL Server Management Studio or Transact-SQL. Use the priority boost option to specify whether Microsoft SQL Server should run at a higher Microsoft Windows 2008 or Windows 2008 R2 scheduling priority than other processes on the same computer. If you set this option to 1, SQL Server runs at a priority base of 13 in the Windows 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 scheduler. The default is 0, which is a priority base of 7.

Important

This feature will be removed in a future version of Microsoft SQL Server. Do not use this feature in new development work, and modify applications that currently use this feature as soon as possible.

In This Topic

Before You Begin

Limitations and Restrictions

  • Raising the priority too high may drain resources from essential operating system and network functions, resulting in problems shutting down SQL Server or using other operating system tasks on the server.

Security

Permissions

Execute permissions on sp_configure with no parameters or with only the first parameter are granted to all users by default. To execute sp_configure with both parameters to change a configuration option or to run the RECONFIGURE statement, a user must be granted the ALTER SETTINGS server-level permission. The ALTER SETTINGS permission is implicitly held by the sysadmin and serveradmin fixed server roles.

Using SQL Server Management Studio

To configure the priority boost option

  1. In Object Explorer, right-click a server and select Properties.

  2. Click the Processors node.

  3. Under Threads, select the Boost SQL Server priority check box.

  4. Stop and restart SQL Server.

Using Transact-SQL

To configure the priority boost option

  1. Connect to the Database Engine.

  2. From the Standard bar, click New Query.

  3. Copy and paste the following example into the query window and click Execute. This example shows how to use sp_configure to set the value of the priority boost option to 1.

USE AdventureWorks2012 ;  
GO  
EXEC sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1;  
GO  
RECONFIGURE ;  
GO  
EXEC sp_configure 'priority boost', 1 ;  
GO  
RECONFIGURE;  
GO

For more information, see Server Configuration Options (SQL Server).

Follow Up: After you configure the priority boost option

The server must be restarted before the setting can take effect.

See Also

RECONFIGURE (Transact-SQL)
Server Configuration Options (SQL Server)
sp_configure (Transact-SQL)