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Welcome to SQLSupport.org! In today's blog post, we'll be focusing on using SQL Profiler templates to conduct performance audits. SQL Profiler is a powerful tool available in SQL Server 2016 and 2017 capable of capturing and analyzing SQL Server events such as the execution of a stored procedure, a user logging on to SQL Server, or a SQL batch completing. With SQL Profiler, you can audit your database performance and identify any bottlenecks or issues that might be affecting your database system's overall efficiency.

To begin with, let's explore how to set up a performance trace with SQL Profiler. After launching SQL Profiler, you'll need to create a new trace. To do this, navigate to the File menu and select "New Trace". Once the "Connect to Server" dialog box appears, input your server name and authentication details. After connecting to the server, a "Trace Properties" dialog box will appear. Here, you'll need to select the template that best fits your auditing needs.

-- SQL Server code
-- Start a new trace
EXEC sp_trace_create @trace_id output, 0, N'Insert Trace Name', @maxfilesize, NULL 
GO 
-- Set the events and columns needed for the trace
EXEC sp_trace_setevent @trace_id, 10, 1, @on 
EXEC sp_trace_setevent @trace_id, 10, 2, @on 
GO 
-- Start the trace
EXEC sp_trace_setstatus @trace_id, 1 
GO

Once your trace is set up, SQL Profiler will start capturing the selected events based on your chosen template. The captured data can then be saved directly to a table in your SQL Server database for further analysis. This makes it possible to create reports or perform additional queries on the data to better understand your server's performance.

The use of SQL Profiler is not limited to SQL Server alone. In MySQL 5.7, there is a similar tool called Performance Schema, and in DB2 11.1, the Activity Monitor provides a similar function. These tools allow you to monitor the performance of your database and troubleshoot any issues that may arise.

For Azure SQL users, SQL Profiler is unfortunately unavailable. However, you can use Extended Events (XEvents) instead. XEvents is a lightweight performance monitoring system that uses very few performance resources. Similar to SQL Profiler, XEvents allows you to monitor your database and server performance, making it a vital tool for performance auditing.

In conclusion, SQL Profiler and its counterparts in MySQL and DB2 offer an invaluable way to track and monitor the performance of your database systems. Whether you're using SQL Server 2016 or 2017, MySQL 5.7, DB2 11.1, or Azure SQL, understanding how to use these performance monitoring tools is essential for conducting effective performance audits and maintaining a healthy database environment.