SQL Server Trace – Find Columns in a Trace File

sql serversql-server-2012trace

while tackling and unexpected CPU spike that was happening every 10 min one of my colleagues prepared a server side trace as follows:

-- Create a Queue
declare @rc int
declare @TraceID int
declare @maxfilesize bigint
declare @DateTime datetime

set @DateTime = '2015-09-03 10:50:00.000'
set @maxfilesize = 10240 --10GB

-- Please replace the text InsertFileNameHere, with an appropriate
-- filename prefixed by a path, e.g., c:\MyFolder\MyTrace. The .trc extension
-- will be appended to the filename automatically. If you are writing from
-- remote server to local drive, please use UNC path and make sure server has
-- write access to your network share

exec @rc = sp_trace_create @TraceID output, 2, N'H:\profiler\BocssTrace_20150903.trc', @maxfilesize, @Datetime
if (@rc != 0) goto error

-- Client side File and Table cannot be scripted

-- Set the events
declare @on bit
set @on = 1
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 14, 8, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 14, 1, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 14, 9, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 14, 6, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 14, 10, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 14, 14, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 14, 11, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 14, 35, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 14, 12, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 15, 15, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 15, 8, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 15, 16, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 15, 9, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 15, 13, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 15, 17, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 15, 6, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 15, 10, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 15, 14, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 15, 18, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 15, 11, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 15, 35, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 15, 12, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 17, 8, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 17, 12, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 17, 1, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 17, 9, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 17, 6, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 17, 10, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 17, 14, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 17, 11, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 17, 35, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 10, 15, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 10, 8, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 10, 16, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 10, 9, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 10, 17, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 10, 2, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 10, 10, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 10, 18, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 10, 11, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 10, 35, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 10, 12, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 10, 13, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 10, 6, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 10, 14, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 12, 15, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 12, 8, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 12, 16, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 12, 1, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 12, 9, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 12, 17, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 12, 6, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 12, 10, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 12, 14, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 12, 18, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 12, 11, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 12, 35, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 12, 12, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 12, 13, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 13, 8, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 13, 12, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 13, 1, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 13, 9, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 13, 6, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 13, 10, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 13, 14, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 13, 11, @on
exec sp_trace_setevent @TraceID, 13, 35, @on


-- Set the Filters
declare @intfilter int
declare @bigintfilter bigint

exec sp_trace_setfilter @TraceID, 10, 0, 7, N'SQL Server Profiler - 9db2b190-7855-4588-be4f-9d6567cfa929'
-- Set the trace status to start
exec sp_trace_setstatus @TraceID, 1

-- display trace id for future references
select TraceID=@TraceID
goto finish

error: 
select ErrorCode=@rc

finish: 
go


/*
--stop trace
exec sp_trace_setstatus 2, 0
--remove trace
exec sp_trace_setstatus 2, 2
*/

SELECT * FROM sys.traces

question:

Can I work out exactly what trace columns has he put in this trace, without having access to the .trc file?

Best Answer

You can utilize the trace catalog views in SQL Server to get information about a given trace. Just pass in the ID of the trace you are interested in, code below pulls trace ID of 1, which is the default trace.

--  Gets all Events for a given trace id
SELECT a.[EventID], b.[name] AS [Even Name], a.[ColumnID], c.[name] AS [Column Name], d.[name] AS [Category]
FROM fn_trace_geteventinfo(<trace ID>) AS a --<<Put the trace ID you are interested in
    INNER JOIN sys.trace_events AS b ON a.EventID = b.Trace_Event_ID
    INNER JOIN sys.trace_columns AS c ON a.ColumnID = c.Trace_Column_ID
    INNER JOIN sys.trace_categories AS d ON b.Category_ID = d.Category_ID
ORDER BY a.[EventID], a.[ColumnID]

This will give you the Event Name and Column Name being used by the trace. enter image description here