The High-Performance DBA: CPU Under Pressure, Part 2: Troubleshooting SQL Server

This article outlines a disciplined approach to troubleshooting SQL Server CPU pressure, emphasizing the use of wait statistics and thread scheduling metrics to distinguish between true CPU bottlenecks and other resource constraints. It explains how complex issues like thread pool exhaustion can manifest as either zero throughput or massive CPU spikes caused by internal management overhead. Ultimately, the author recommends starting any investigation by identifying recent environmental changes before moving into deeper SQL Server diagnostics.