Edit

Configure the priority boost (server configuration option)

  • Article

Applies to: SQL Server

This article describes how to configure the priority boost configuration option in SQL Server by using Transact-SQL.

Important

This feature will be removed in a future version of SQL Server. Avoid using this feature in new development work, and plan to modify applications that currently use this feature.

Use the priority boost option to specify whether SQL Server should run at a higher 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 scheduler. The default is 0, which is a priority base of 7.

Limitations

Raising the priority too high might 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. This setting doesn't make the SQL Server process run at the highest operating system priority.

You don't need to use priority boost for performance tuning. If you do use priority boost, it can interfere with smooth server functioning under certain conditions, and you should only use it under exceptional circumstances. For example, Microsoft Product Support Services might use priority boost when they investigate a performance issue.

Important

Don't use priority boost in a SQL Server failover cluster instance (FCI).

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.

Remarks

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

Use Transact-SQL

This example shows how to use sp_configure to enable advanced options, and then set the value of the priority boost option to 1.

USE [master];
GO
EXEC sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1;
GO
RECONFIGURE;
GO
EXEC sp_configure 'priority boost', 1;
GO
RECONFIGURE;
GO

Related content