Goals of Monitoring

After Microsoft® SQL Server™ version 7.0 is installed and running, you can monitor the server to:

Determine whether it is possible to improve performance. For example, by monitoring the response times for frequently used queries, you can determine if changes to the query or indexes on the tables are needed.
Determine user activity. For example, by monitoring users attempting to connect to SQL Server, you can determine if security is adequately set up.
Troubleshoot any problems or debug application components, such as stored procedures.
Test applications and development systems. For example, by monitoring SQL queries as they are executed, you can determine if they are written correctly and producing the expected results.