BI performance counter: % Processor Time

Applies to

Operating System

Description

The percentage of time the processor is utilized. A rule of thumb is to watch out for servers with over 80% constant usage. This counter can be inaccurate in virtual environments as CPU resources can change frequently. For virtual environments use System\Processor Queue Length.

Resolved by

DBAs

Suggested solutions

  1. Determine whether the CPU activity is coming from SQL Server, you can use tools such as Perfmon or Task Manager to check for other programs on the server consuming CPU (e.g. anti-virus, IIS, etc.). If these programs are utilizing CPU take measures reduce the CPU activity or move the applications off the server
  2. Indexing, look for high CPU queries. Reduce sorting and hash operations
  3. Upgrade CPU capacity
  4. Ensure Windows Power Plan is set to High Performance
  5. or virtual servers ensure the host is not oversubscribed

Additional research

Optimizing SQL Server CPU Performance

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