In first part of this series, we learnt briefly about First Responder Kit, its installation process and all of its stored procedures. In this part we will explore the stored procedures of First Responder Kit, sp_Blitz.
sp_Blitz
sp_Blitz is part of the SQL Server First Responder Kit, an open-source set of scripts designed to diagnose overall health of SQL Server. Running this script in SSMS will give you a prioritized list of stuffs on your server right now.
Why Use sp_Blitz
- Quickly detects overall Sql Server health issue like configuration issues, missing backups, and performance bottlenecks etc.
- Provides prioritized recommendations with explanations and solutions
- Helps both beginner and expert DBAs troubleshoot SQL Server efficiently
When Run sp_Blitz
- When you are taking responsibility of a new SQL Server database
- Before declaring a server as ready for production
- On a scheduled basis for continuously monitoring the overall health
Output of sp_Blitz
- Priority - stuffs are sorted based on the priority. 1 is the most urgent and progressively becomes less urgent. You should focus to sort out priority upto 49 first.
- FindingsGroup - stuffs are grouped based on their category
- Findings - briefly describes about the issue
- Details - you will get more info about the issues in this column
- DatabaseName - the database having the problem. If it's null, it's a server-wide problem.
- URL - you will get the details of the issue along with resolutions in the given url
Figure:- 1 - Sample Output of sp_Blitz
Most useful parameters
You can run the sp_Blitz without any parameters. However, you can use below important parameters.
- @CheckServerInfo = 1 adds low-priority FYI rows like data size, server size
- @CheckUserDatabaseObjects = 0 if you don’t control the user db contents and you don’t want to see any problems with them
Use Cases of sp_Blitz
Use Case 1: Automating Health Checks
You can schedule sp_Blitz to run daily and store results in a table for trend analysis. This helps to detect issues early, reducing downtime risks.
EXEC sp_Blitz @OutputDatabaseName = 'DBATools', @OutputSchemaName = 'dbo', @OutputTableName = 'Blitz';
Use Case 2: Performance Troubleshooting in Production
A critical business application starts slowing down. Running sp_Blitz helps to identify the health issue within minutes.
Use Case 3: Bench Marking
Before declaring a server as production, you can run sp_Blitz and benchmark the Sql Server health and later you compare for any degradation.
Conclusion
sp_Blitz is an essential tool for SQL Server DBAs to quickly diagnose and monitor their databases. Whether it’s detecting performance bottlenecks, finding security vulnerabilities, or optimizing configurations, sp_Blitz simplifies SQL Server monitoring and ensures smooth operations.