Database CPU Pressure
Category: CPU · Also known as: High Database CPU Metacounter score
WISdom’s composite CPU pressure score for the database is high this minute - a single rolled-up health number built from the underlying counters.
What this finding means
Section titled “What this finding means”WISdom’s composite CPU pressure score for this database, on a 0 to 100 scale, was high for the minute. The score is a weighted roll-up of the CPU-related performance counters and wait statistics attributable to this database, so it is one number that moves when any of its components move.
Why it matters
Section titled “Why it matters”The composite exists so you can watch one number instead of a dozen, and so that a moderate rise across several counters, which no single threshold would catch, still surfaces. Its job is to tell you where to look; the counters underneath tell you what to do.
How WISdom detects it
Section titled “How WISdom detects it”WISdom rolls the CPU performance counters and wait statistics for the database into one weighted score per minute, then compares it to the four-week maximum for this minute-of-day. The rule is always evaluated and returns a score every minute.
| Collected from | WISdom Database CPU metacounter - a weighted composite of the perf counters and wait stats for CPU at the database level. |
| Compared with | Max value for category during 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after of the same minute in the past 4 weeks |
| Related screen | Performance Metrics |
How it is scored
Section titled “How it is scored”This rule is always evaluated, so it reports a value every minute whether or not it is elevated. It contributes an incident score of 2 when the value exceeds the four-week maximum for this minute-of-day.
How to read the numbers
Section titled “How to read the numbers”Score against History max for this minute-of-day; the delta is the only comparison that means anything, since the absolute score is relative to this database. Always open the underlying counters, because the fix differs completely between scheduler pressure, parallelism, and compilation, and the composite cannot distinguish them for you.
What normally causes it
Section titled “What normally causes it”- A small number of expensive statements dominating processor time.
- Parallelism, with trivial queries going parallel and consuming multiple schedulers each.
- A compile or recompile storm burning CPU on plan generation.
- Genuine growth in concurrent work against unchanged core count.
What this finding is not
Section titled “What this finding is not”- Not a host measurement. This is the database’s contribution. If Host CPU Pressure is normal while this is high, this database is the heavy consumer among several on a host that is coping.
- Not actionable at the score level. Nothing is ever fixed by improving a composite. Open the counters.
- Not comparable between databases. Weighting is relative to each database’s own history.
What are some possible resolutions?
Section titled “What are some possible resolutions?”The options below are ranked. Option 1 fixes the cause where it lives and costs nothing; option 3 spends money or escalates, so try it last.
1. Open the counters behind the score
Section titled “1. Open the counters behind the score”The score is a composite. See which counter moved, because the fix is completely different for signal waits, parallelism, and compilation.
2. Tie the score to this minute’s sessions
Section titled “2. Tie the score to this minute’s sessions”A high score with a known heavy statement is a tuning job. A high score with nothing notable running points at something outside this database.
3. Treat it as a capacity signal
Section titled “3. Treat it as a capacity signal”Only when the score stays high across many intervals and no single statement explains it. Use the trend, not the peak.