Convert text plan to graphical?

28 Apr 2006 2:12 PM

Mike Jansen

Does anyone know of a utility that you can copy and paste a text version of
an execution plan or even the BinaryData column from Profiler and recreate
the graphical execution plan?

Being able to capture the plan in profiler is good, but a graphical
representation of this would help when you have a lot of plans to go
through.

Thanks,
Mike

28 Apr 2006 5:47 PM

Michael Hotek

SQL Server 2005 does this automatically. Never heard of anything for 2000.
But, I don't use graphical showplans anyway, so I wouldn't be the best
person to ask. I can find things a lot more quickly in a text based
showplan once you get used to reading them.

--
Mike
http://www.solidqualitylearning.com
Disclaimer: This communication is an original work and represents my sole
views on the subject. It does not represent the views of any other person
or entity either by inference or direct reference.

Show quote

"Mike Jansen" <mjansen_n***@mail.com> wrote in message
news:eLqoQ3saGHA.4916@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Does anyone know of a utility that you can copy and paste a text version
> of an execution plan or even the BinaryData column from Profiler and
> recreate the graphical execution plan?
>
> Being able to capture the plan in profiler is good, but a graphical
> representation of this would help when you have a lot of plans to go
> through.
>
> Thanks,
> Mike
>
>

28 Apr 2006 8:59 PM

Mike Jansen

> SQL Server 2005 does this automatically. Never heard of anything for
> 2000. But, I don't use graphical showplans anyway, so I wouldn't be the
> best person to ask. I can find things a lot more quickly in a text based
> showplan once you get used to reading them.

I've got SQL Server 2000. I'm capturing Show Plan All but I'd like to be
able to reformat what I'm getting. All I need to capture is BinaryData and
Profiler shows the text in the text window, but if I export the trace as a
trace table, all I have is BinaryData column.

Copying and pasting each row from profiler is too tedious. Manually parsing
and decyphering the BinaryData column for Show Plan All is too tedious.

Is the format for BinaryData for Show Plan All published anywhere? I've
searched high and low and come up with nothing.

Thanks,
Mike

28 Apr 2006 10:17 PM

Erland Sommarskog

Mike Jansen (mjansen_n***@mail.com) writes:

> I've got SQL Server 2000. I'm capturing Show Plan All but I'd like to
> be able to reformat what I'm getting. All I need to capture is
> BinaryData and Profiler shows the text in the text window, but if I
> export the trace as a trace table, all I have is BinaryData column.
>
> Copying and pasting each row from profiler is too tedious. Manually
> parsing and decyphering the BinaryData column for Show Plan All is too
> tedious.
>
> Is the format for BinaryData for Show Plan All published anywhere? I've
> searched high and low and come up with nothing.

Your best bet should be to open the trace in Profiler. (There is an
option Open From Trace Table.)

Have you tried to simply interpret the data as it was text?

--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esq***@sommarskog.se

Books Online for SQL Server 2005 at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2005/downloads/books.mspx
Books Online for SQL Server 2000 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/previousversions/books.mspx

1 May 2006 12:50 PM

Mike Jansen

> Your best bet should be to open the trace in Profiler. (There is an
> option Open From Trace Table.)

> Have you tried to simply interpret the data as it was text?

I can interpret the text data but the graphical format is much faster for
isolating the performance issues, especially if I'm pouring through many
execution plans. It looks like that's my only option for SQL Server 2000.
I just thought I'd investigate other ways or throw together my own utilities
to help optimize my own performance analysis process, but its looking like
it will take more time to put something together than it will save me.

Thanks for your input.