Azure SQL Profiler helps review captured database activity for an Azure SQL database. Use it to inspect recent statements and understand workload behavior over a short troubleshooting window.
When To Use It
- Activity changes too quickly to catch live.
- You need recent statement evidence.
- You are investigating application-generated workload.
- You want context before using Query Store or performance tuning.
Workflow
- Open the Azure SQL database.
- Select Profiler.
- Review recent statements and timing.
- Open plan detail where available and review Azure SQL Execution Plans.
- Compare expensive statements with Queries and Query Store.
How To Use Azure SQL Profiler
Azure SQL Profiler is useful when live activity changes too quickly to catch manually. It gives short-window statement context so you can see what the application recently sent to the database. Use it during application troubleshooting, deployment validation, and incidents where users report intermittent slowness.
Profiler evidence should be combined with longer-term workload pages. A statement seen in Profiler may be important because it runs at the exact incident time, but Azure SQL Queries and Azure SQL Query Store help show whether it is frequent, regressed, or expensive over time. If the statement appears blocked or delayed, compare with Azure SQL Waits and Azure SQL Locks.
Use Profiler carefully on busy production systems. Capture enough evidence to understand the workload, then move to query and wait pages for deeper analysis.
If a captured statement has plan detail, use the plan viewer to identify expensive operators and ask whether the issue is query shape, indexing, blocking, service tier, or elastic pool pressure.
Azure SQL Profiler FAQ
When should I use Profiler instead of Query Store?
Use Profiler for recent statement context. Use Query Store for historical plan, runtime, and regression analysis.
Can Profiler prove root cause?
It can identify statements around an incident, but root cause usually needs query, wait, lock, or plan evidence.
What should I record from Profiler?
Record the statement, time, application context, duration, and any related waits or alerts.