sys.fn_xe_file_target_read_file (Transact-SQL)

SQL Server 2012

Reads files that are created by the Extended Events asynchronous file target. One event, in XML format, is returned per row.

Caution note Caution

SQL Server 2008and SQL Server 2008 R2 accepts trace results generated in XEL and XEM format. SQL Server 2012 Extended Events only supports trace results in XEL format. We recommend that you use SQL Server Management Studio to read trace results in XEL format.

Topic link icon Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions

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sys.fn_xe_file_target_read_file ( path, mdpath, initial_file_name, initial_offset )

path

The path to the files to read. path can contain wildcards and include the name of a file. path is nvarchar(260). There is no default.

mdpath

The path to the metadata file that corresponds to the file or files specified by the path argument. mdpath is nvarchar(260). There is no default.

Note Note

SQL Server 2012 does not require the mdpath parameter. However, it is maintained for backward compatibility for log files generated in previous versions of SQL Server.
initial_file_name

The first file to read from path. initial_file_name is nvarchar(260). There is no default. If null is specified as the argument all the files found in path are read.

Note Note

initial_file_name and initial_offset are paired arguments. If you specify a value for either argument you must specify a value for the other argument.
initial_offset

Used to specify last offset read previously and skips all events up to the offset (inclusive). Event enumeration starts after the offset specified. initial_offset is bigint. If null is specified as the argument the entire file will be read.

Column name

Data type

Description

module_guid

uniqueidentifier

The event module GUID. Is not nullable.

package_guid

uniqueidentifier

The event package GUID. Is not nullable.

object_name

nvarchar(256)

The name of the event. Is not nullable.

event_data

nvarchar(max)

The event contents, in XML format. Is not nullable.

file_name

nvarchar(260)

The name of the file that contains the event. Is not nullable.

file_offset

bigint

The offset of the block in the file that contains the event. Is not nullable.

Requires VIEW SERVER STATE permission on the server.

A. Retrieving data from file targets

The following example gets all the rows from all the files. In this example the file targets and metafiles are located in the trace folder on the C:\ drive.

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SELECT * FROM sys.fn_xe_file_target_read_file('C:\traces\*.xel', 'C:\traces\metafile.xem', null, null);
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