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Create a trace (SQL Server Profiler)

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Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Managed Instance

This article describes how to use SQL Server Profiler to create a trace.

Create a trace

  1. On the File menu, select New Trace, and connect to an instance of SQL Server.

    The Trace Properties dialog box appears.

    if Start tracing immediately after making connection is selected, the Trace Properties dialog box fails to appear, and the trace begins instead. To turn off this setting, navigate to Tools > Options, and clear the Start tracing immediately after making connection check box.

  2. In the Trace name box, type a name for the trace.

  3. In the Use the template list, select a trace template on which to base the trace, or select Blank if you don't want to use a template.

Save a trace

  1. To save the trace results, do one of the following steps:

    • Select Save to file to capture the trace to a file. Specify a value for Set maximum file size. The default value is 5 megabytes (MB).

      Optionally, select Enable file rollover to automatically create new files when the maximum file size is reached. You can also optionally select Server processes trace data, which causes the service that is running the trace to process trace data instead of the client application. When the server processes trace data, no events are skipped even under stress conditions, but server performance might be affected.

    • Select Save to table to capture the trace to a database table.

      Optionally, select Set maximum rows, and specify a value.

    Caution

    When you don't save the trace results to a file or table, you can view the trace while SQL Server Profiler is open. However, you lose the trace results after you stop the trace and close SQL Server Profiler. To avoid losing the trace results in this way, select Save on the File menu to save the results before you close SQL Server Profiler.

  2. Optionally, select the Enable trace stop time check box, and specify a stop date and time.

  3. To add or remove events, data columns, or filters, select the Events Selection tab. For more information, see: Specify Events and Data Columns for a Trace File (SQL Server Profiler)

  4. Select Run to start the trace.

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