Returns a row per performance counter maintained by the server. For information about each performance counter, see Using SQL Server Objects.
object_name
nchar(128)
Category to which this counter belongs.
counter_name
Name of the counter.
instance_name
Name of the specific instance of the counter. Often contains the database name.
cntr_value
bigint
Current value of the counter.
cntr_type
int
Type of counter as defined by the Windows performance architecture. See WMI Performance Counter Types or your Windows Server documentation for more information on performance counter types.
Requires VIEW SERVER STATE permission on the server.
If the installation instance of your SQL Server fails to display the performance counters of the Windows Operating System, use the following Transact-SQL query to confirm that performance counters have been disabled.
SELECT COUNT (*) FROM sys.dm_os_performance_counters
If the return value is 0 rows, the performance counters have been disabled. You should then look at the setup log and search for error 3409, "Reinstall sqlctr.ini for this instance, and ensure that the instance login account has correct registry permissions" This denotes that performance counters were not enabled. The errors immediately prior to the 3409 listing should indicate the root cause for the failure of performance counter enabling. For more information about setup log files, see How to: View SQL Server 2005 Setup Log Files
15 September 2007