Oct 01, 2012  ExpressProfiler (aka SqlExpress Profiler) is a simple and fast replacement for SQL Server Profiler with basic GUI and integration with Red Gate Ecosystem project. Mutants and masterminds character generator 3e. Can be used with both Express and non-Express editions of SQL Server 2005/2008/2008r2/2012/2014 (including LocalDB) Distribution package contains both standalone version of.

NOTE: As I was writing up this post I discovered the news that SQL Profiler is deprecated as of the release of SQL Server 2016. If this also affects the underlying SQL Server tracing APIs, then this news may affect the long-term future of the Express Profiler. For now, however, it is a tool that I recommend.

Express Profiler is a simple Open Source alternative to the SQL Profiler that ships with the full SQL Server Management Studio. This is particularly useful when working with SQL Server Express databases, as the Express version of the Management Studio does NOT include the SQL Profiler.

Usage of the Express Profiler should be self-explanatory to anyone familiar with the SQL Profiler.

Here are some details about Express Profiler from the project page:

• ExpressProfiler (aka SqlExpress Profiler) is a simple and fast replacement for SQL Server Profiler with basic GUI
• Can be used with both Express and non-Express editions of SQL Server 2005/2008/2008r2/2012/2014 (including LocalDB)
• Tracing of basic set of events (Batch/RPC/SP:Stmt Starting/Completed, Audit login/logout, User error messages, Blocked Process report) and columns (Event Class, Text Data,Login, CPU, Reads, Writes, Duration, SPID, Start/End time, Database/Object/Application name) – both selectable
• Filters on most data columns
• Copy all/selected event rows to clipboard in form of XML
• Find in 'Text data' column
• Export data in Excel’s clipboard format

While I have found Express Profiler to be a good and useful tool, it is not as fully-featured as the SQL Profiler. Here are some key 'missing' features in Express Profiler:

• No way to load a saved trace output, although that feature is on the roadmap for the tool.
• No way to save trace output directly to a database table.
• Fewer columns can be included in the trace output, and many fewer events can be traced. In my experience, however, the columns and events that I find myself using in most cases are all available.
• As there are fewer columns in the output, there are fewer columns on which to filter. Again, the most common/useful columns and events are covered.
• No way to create trace templates for use with future traces.

Despite these limitations, I recommend this tool for situations where the full SQL Profiler is not available.

Hello,

I'm a bit confused as to whether or not it is possible to use the SQL Profiler on the Web/Express edition of SQL Server.

It says 'No', but with this foot note:

SQL Server Web, SQL Server Express, SQL Server Express with Tools, and SQL Server Express with Advanced Services can be profiled using SQL Server Standard and SQL Server Enterprise editions.

That led me to do an actual test. I installed SQL Server 2014 Express edition on my workstation, including the SQL Profiler, and was able to connect the profiler to the instance and run traces without any apparent problems.

Maybe this is because I'm running both locally, or perhaps because I also have a full developer version SQL Server 2008 installed? Any hints or answers would be appreciated, I would hate to configure my new (upcoming) server with the Web edition, and then find out that I was unable to use the Profiler (which is the only reason I would choose Standard instead of Web edition).

thanks

iosman

• This topic was modified 4 months, 3 weeks ago by iosman123.