Detecting SQL Server Activity

[cjb110]

I would like to detect if SQL Server is 'doing anything'. I know this is vague so a bit of background: I have a GUI that starts a long set SQL server processes (its a financial model), and in order to overcome the extremely cack network we have, I start this SQL process via a SQL agent job, so that the 'server' owns the process rather than the user running the GUI. Now I've got control logic in the sql, updating timestamps in tables etc, but I would like a 'backup' to this. Originally I thought about using the sql server cpu activity which I can get via WMI, and some kinda of threshold value...so if cpu >33% then the server is likely to working and not idling? But I just wondered if there was a better way? I'm using SQL Server 2000 and VB6 (yea you can laugh!)

[Garth J Lancaster]

I think you're on the right track - SQL server has some of its own performance counters, they might be of good use to you - this shows a list http://www.extremeexperts.com/SQL/Articles/SQLCounters.aspx[^] see [SQL Server:Databases - Transactions/sec] for instance 'g'