[dba-SQLServer] SQL Server hanging

JWColby jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com
Wed Aug 9 14:51:52 CDT 2006


Is there any way to tell what is going on with SQL Server when it hangs? 

I am trying to import these tens of millions of records into SQL Server.
They are flat file comma delimited text files, 3 million recs / file.
Everything is working fine, I have ~12 files imported (36 million records)
and I am humming along.  I have about 6 import processes running (import and
export data manager) at once and of course things slow down but suddenly
none of the imports is progressing at all.  I try to connect with EM and
when I try to expand the "databases" tree it gives an error connecting,
"unable to obtain a lock" or some such.  I let the import functions continue
to run but 20 minutes later still not a single more record imported.  So I
use task manager to shut down all of the import processes, shut down EM,
shut down the SQL Server manager normally, unload it, shut off the computer,
restart it.  Try to connect with enterprise manager and no go.  In fact it
APPEARS to be locked up.  When I go in with task manager and look at the
process, it is slowly gaining "memory used" until it basically runs out then
starts increasing the page file size, until that hits about 1.7g and then
that too stops incrementing but EM is still hung.

CPU usage is now down about 2%, no "more" memory being grabbed by EM, the
page file is static, but EM is hung.

I need to find out what is going on here.  I have about 12 of these 3
million record text files imported and don't want to have to clean it out
and start over, but worse, I have no clue why it stopped working.  Is there
any (free) tool that will tell me what SQL Server thinks it is up to?  If I
can't get EM to see the databases I am basically hosed here.

John W. Colby
Colby Consulting
www.ColbyConsulting.com




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