Analyzing Performance Logs

Once you set up performance logging, you can use the logs to record performance data. When you are ready at a later date to view and work with the data, you must access and view the logs to try to interpret the data using the techniques previously discussed. The method of viewing the log data depends on the log type and its format.

Analyzing Counter Logs

After you create a counter log, you can replay data collected in binary format to analyze the results much like you do with live performance information you're collecting in System Monitor. In Performance Monitor, select the System Monitor entry in the left pane, and then press Ctrl+Q to display the System Monitor Properties dialog box. Alternately, you can right-click the System Monitor details pane and select Properties from the shortcut menu.

Next, as shown in Figure 16-10, click the Source tab. In the Data Source panel, select Log Files, and then click Add to open the Select Log File dialog box. You can now select the log file you want to analyze. By default performance logs are stored in C:PerfLogs.

Select the saved counter log

Figure 16-10. Select the saved counter log

Click Time Range so you can specify the time window that you want to analyze by dragging the Total Range bar to specify the appropriate starting and ending times. Drag the left edge to the right to move up the start time. Drag the right edge to the left to move down the end time.

Afterward, select the Data tab so that you can choose the performance counters to view. Click the Add button. This displays the Add Counter dialog box, which you can use to select the counters that you want to analyze. Only counters that you logged are available. If you don't see a counter that you want to work with, you must modify the log properties, restart the logging process, and then check the logs another time.

When you are finished configuring counters to view, click Close, and then click OK. In System Monitor, use the View Graph, View Histogram, and View Report options on the toolbar to display performance information based on the counters selected.

Analyzing Trace Logs

You can examine trace log data by using the Tracerpt command-line utility. Tracerpt processes trace logs and allows you to generate trace analysis reports and comma-delimited text files for the events generated. The parameters for Tracerpt are summarized in Table 16-3.

Table 16-3. Parameters for Tracerpt

Parameter

Description

–o [filename]

Sets the text output file to which the parsed data should be written in comma-delimited format. The default is Dumpfile.csv.

–summary [filename]

Sets the name of the text file to which a summary report of the data should be written. The default is Summary.txt.

–report [filename]

Sets the name of the text file to which a detailed report of the data should be written. The default is Workload.txt.

–rt <session_name [session_name …]>

Sets the real-time event trace session data source to use instead of a converted log file.

–config <filename>

Specifies a settings file containing command options.

–y

Answers Yes to all questions without prompting.

The most basic way to use Tracerpt is to specify the name of the trace log to use. By default trace logs are written to C:PerfLogs, so if a log in this directory was named SysP_000002.etl, you could analyze it by typing the following:

tracerpt C:PerflogsSysP_000002.etl

Here, three files are created in the current directory: The parsed output is written to Dumpfile.csv, a summary report is written to Summary.txt, and a detailed report is written to Workload.txt.

You could also specify the exact files to use for output as shown in the following example:

tracerpt C:Perflogs SysP_000002.etl -o c:sysp.csv -summary c:sysp-summary.txt
-report sysp-report-.txt
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