I need to check how fast our database runs on a new server compared to our old one. I know the best way would be to set up proper monitoring tools and track real user activity over time, but we don’t have the resources or time for that right now.
What I’m looking for is something simple that I can run quickly to get a basic idea of performance differences. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just good enough to tell us if the new setup is better or worse. I want to avoid anything that might give false results since that would be more harmful than helpful.
Ideally this would test actual SQL Server operations rather than just general system benchmarks. Even better would be if I could run tests using our real database instead of sample data. Has anyone done something similar before?
Use SQL Server Management Studio’s execution plan analysis to compare performance between both systems. Run the same queries on each server, capture the actual execution plans, and check elapsed time plus logical reads. This worked great when I migrated our financial database last year. Test queries that match your normal workload - if you run big monthly reports, test those exact procedures. Run tests when both systems have similar loads, and do multiple runs since caching affects results. You’ll get solid performance data without needing extra tools or complicated setup.
have u thought about running ur heaviest production queries on both servers? like, what kind of workload are u dealing with - mostly reads, writes, or a mix? it could give u a pretty quick overview of the performance difference.
try using ostress.exe from ms - its free and simulates loads on ur db. point it at both servers with same scripts, then compare results. way better than just single queries, u’ll see how each system handles load.