As a Microsoft SQL Server DBA, monitoring and analyzing your server’s performance and troubleshooting issues is essential. One of the most effective ways to do this is by utilizing the built-in data collection, which records a wealth of information.
In this session, we will explore six collections (Logs and traces) that can provide valuable insights into your server’s configuration, health, and performance.

• Default trace
• SQL Error log
• SQL Agent Error log
• Cluster log Always On availability group
• AlwaysOn_health
• System_health

I will show you each one's default location, retention, and content captured. We will discuss how to access and interpret these logs and demonstrate how they can be used to identify and diagnose issues such as failed logins and deadlocks, the health of the Windows cluster and availability group, and schema changes. By effectively utilizing the SQL Blackbox, you can ensure the smooth operation of your server and maintain the highest performance and reliability.

Prerequisite: Familiar with SQL Server administration

Goals:
1. Know the default location, retention, and content of the six built-in SQL Server logs/collections.
2. Know how information from these collections can be extracted for different troubleshooting scenarios and ensure reliable and highly available database systems.