I have to give credit where credit is due. Microsoft has definitely made performance tuning easier in SQL Server 2012. Performance tuning usually starts with finding your top offenders so you can get the biggest bang for your tuning bucks. For the first time, you can capture a workload using extended events and find top offenders inside of Management Studio without having to write a single line of T-SQL or use any third party tools.

Below is a five minute demo. It was recorded in 1080p HD so I strongly recommend changing the quality of the video to that setting. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did making it. If for any reason the video doesn’t show below you can also watch it here.