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Description of the Replay Markup Language (RML) Utilities for SQL Server

Article ID: 944837 - View products that this article applies to.

INTRODUCTION

The Microsoft SQL Server support team uses several internally written utilities to ease the work that is related to a typical customer support case. This article describes one utility suite that is called the Replay Markup Language (RML) Utilities for Microsoft SQL Server. Database developers and system administrators can use the RML Utilities for SQL Server to work with SQL Server 2000, SQL Server 2005, and SQL Server 2008.

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You can use the RML Utilities for SQL Server to perform the following tasks:

You can determine the application, the database, the SQL Server login, or the query that is using the most resources.
You can determine whether the execution plan for a batch is changed when you capture the trace for the batch. Additionally, you can use the RML Utilities for SQL Server to determine how SQL Server performs each of these execution plans.
You can determine the queries that are running slower than before.

After you capture a trace for an instance of SQL Server, you can use the RML Utilities for SQL Server to replay the trace file against another instance of SQL Server. If you also capture the trace during the replay, you can use the RML Utilities for SQL Server to compare the new trace file to the original trace file. You can use this technique to test how SQL Server behaves after you apply changes. For example, you can use this technique to test how SQL Server behaves after you do the following:

You install a SQL Server service pack.
You install a SQL Server hotfix.
You update a stored procedure or a function.
You update an index or create an index.

Version history

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Version number	Description
9.01.0109	The current Web release that supports SQL Server 2000, SQL Server 2005, and SQL Server 2008
9.00.0023	The previous Web release that supports SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 2005
8.10.0010	The initial Web release that supports SQL Server 7.0 and SQL Server 2000

This current version of the RML Utilities for SQL Server supersedes any earlier versions. You must uninstall any earlier version of the RML Utilities for SQL Server before you install the current version. The current version of the RML Utilities for SQL Server provides support for SQL Server 2000, SQL Server 2005, and SQL Server 2008. Additionally, the current version of the RML Utilities for SQL Server contains important software updates, improved features and reports, and performance and scalability improvements.

How to obtain the RML Utilities for SQL Server

The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

The RML Utilities for SQL Server, x86 version

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Download the RMLSetup_X86.msi package now.

(http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=7EDFA95A-A32F-440F-A3A8-5160C8DBE926&displaylang=en)

The RML Utilities for SQL Server, x64 version

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Download the RMLSetup_AMD64.msi package now.

(http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=B60CDFA3-732E-4347-9C06-2D1F1F84C342&displaylang=en)

Note Microsoft provides the RML Utilities for SQL Server as-is. Microsoft Customer Support Services (CSS) does not provide support or updates for the RML Utilities for SQL Server. If you have a suggestion or if you want to report a bug, you can use the e-mail address in the "Problems and Assistance" topic in the Help file (RML Help.pdf). The Help file is included with the RML Utilities for SQL Server.

Benefits of the RML Utilities for SQL Server

The RML Utilities for SQL Server are very useful if you want to simulate application testing when it is impractical or impossible to test by using the real application. For example, in a test environment, it may be difficult to generate the same user load that exists in the production environment. You can use the RML Utilities for SQL Server to replay a production workload in a test environment and assess the performance impact of changes, such as an upgrade to SQL Server 2008 or the application of a SQL Server service pack. Additionally you can use the RML Utilities for SQL Server to analyze and compare various replay workloads. This kind of regression analysis would otherwise be a difficult process that you would have to perform manually.

The Help file contains a "Quick Start" topic. This topic includes a brief exercise that will familiarize you with each RML utility. To open the Help file, click Start, point to All Programs, point to RML Utilities for SQL Server, point to Help, and then click RML Help.