Quick Start

This guide will walk you through running your first stress test with SQL Query Stress. We’ll cover both the CLI and GUI approaches.

CLI Quick Start
GUI Quick Start

Run Your First Stress Test

Generate Sample Configuration

Create a sample configuration file to use as a starting point:

sqlstresscmd -x

This creates a sample.json file in your current directory.

Review the Configuration

Open sample.json to see the configuration structure:

sample.json

{
  "CollectIoStats": true,
  "CollectTimeStats": true,
  "CommandTimeout": 0,
  "ConnectionTimeout": 15,
  "DelayBetweenQueries": 0,
  "EnableConnectionPooling": true,
  "ForceDataRetrieval": false,
  "KillQueriesOnCancel": true,
  "MainDbConnectionInfo": {
    "ApplicationIntent": 0,
    "ConnectTimeout": 15,
    "Database": "Northwind",
    "EnablePooling": true,
    "IntegratedAuth": false,
    "Login": "dbUser",
    "MaxPoolSize": 2,
    "Password": "!Se8ret",
    "Server": ".\\SQLEXPRESS"
  },
  "MainQuery": "SELECT * FROM Customers",
  "NumIterations": 10,
  "NumThreads": 1,
  "ParamDbConnectionInfo": {
    "ApplicationIntent": 0,
    "ConnectTimeout": 0,
    "Database": "",
    "EnablePooling": true,
    "IntegratedAuth": true,
    "Login": "",
    "MaxPoolSize": 0,
    "Password": "",
    "Server": ""
  },
  "ParamMappings": [],
  "ParamQuery": "",
  "ShareDbSettings": true
}

Customize Connection Settings

Edit the MainDbConnectionInfo section to match your SQL Server instance:

"MainDbConnectionInfo": {
  "Server": "localhost",
  "Database": "YourDatabase",
  "IntegratedAuth": true,
  "Login": "",
  "Password": "",
  "EnablePooling": true,
  "ConnectTimeout": 15
}

Set IntegratedAuth to true for Windows Authentication, or false and provide Login and Password for SQL Authentication.

Customize Your Query

Update the MainQuery field with your test query:

"MainQuery": "SELECT * FROM YourTable WHERE YourCondition = 1"

Configure Load Parameters

Set the number of threads and iterations:

NumThreads: Number of concurrent connections (e.g., 10 for 10 concurrent users)
NumIterations: Number of times each thread executes the query (e.g., 100)

"NumThreads": 10,
"NumIterations": 100

Run the Stress Test

Execute the stress test with your configuration:

sqlstresscmd -s sample.json -t 1

The -t 1 parameter specifies a 1-second timeout between status updates.

Review Results

The tool will display real-time progress and a summary when complete, including:

Total execution time
Queries executed per second
Average query duration
I/O statistics (if CollectIoStats is enabled)
Time statistics (if CollectTimeStats is enabled)

Expected Output

You should see output similar to this:

Starting stress test...
Threads: 10 | Iterations: 100
Progress: [==================] 100%

Summary:
- Total queries: 1000
- Duration: 45.2 seconds
- Queries/sec: 22.1
- Avg duration: 452ms

Configuration Options

Statistics Collection

CollectIoStats: Collect SQL Server I/O statistics (logical reads, physical reads)
CollectTimeStats: Collect execution time statistics

Connection Settings

EnableConnectionPooling: Enable ADO.NET connection pooling
ConnectionTimeout: Seconds to wait for connection before timeout
MaxPoolSize: Maximum number of connections in the pool

Execution Settings

CommandTimeout: Query timeout in seconds (0 = no timeout)
DelayBetweenQueries: Milliseconds to wait between query executions
ForceDataRetrieval: Force retrieval of all result data
KillQueriesOnCancel: Kill running queries when test is cancelled

Parameterized Queries

Use ParamQuery and ParamMappings to execute queries with dynamic parameters:

ParamQuery: Query that returns parameter values
ParamMappings: Map parameter columns to query parameters
ParamDbConnectionInfo: Connection settings for parameter query (or use ShareDbSettings: true)

Run Your First Stress Test

Launch SQL Query Stress

Open the SQLQueryStress application. You’ll see the main interface with connection settings, query editor, and configuration options.

Configure Database Connection

At the top of the window, configure your database connection:

Server: Enter your SQL Server instance (e.g., localhost, .\SQLEXPRESS)
Database: Select or enter your database name
Authentication: Choose Windows Authentication or SQL Server Authentication
If using SQL Authentication, enter login credentials

Click Test Connection to verify your settings.

Write Your Query

In the query editor panel, enter the SQL query you want to stress test:

SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE Country = 'USA'

The query editor supports syntax highlighting and IntelliSense-like features.

Configure Load Settings

Set your load parameters:

Number of Threads: How many concurrent connections (e.g., 10)
Number of Iterations: How many times each thread runs the query (e.g., 100)

For your first test, start with conservative values like 5 threads and 10 iterations.

Configure Options

Click the Options button to configure:

Connection pooling settings
Statistics collection (I/O stats, time stats)
Command timeout
Delay between queries

Default settings are usually fine for initial testing.

Run the Test

Click the GO button to start the stress test.You’ll see:

Real-time progress indicators
Current execution statistics
Queries completed
Elapsed time

Review Results

When the test completes, review the results in the statistics panel:

Total duration: How long the test took
Actual queries executed: Total query executions
Queries/second: Throughput metric
Average duration: Average query execution time
I/O statistics: Logical and physical reads (if enabled)
Exceptions: Any errors encountered

You can also view detailed results in the Data tab.

Using Parameterized Queries

For more advanced testing, you can use parameterized queries:

Define Parameter Query

Click the Parameter button to open the parameter configuration dialog.Enter a query that returns parameter values:

SELECT CustomerID, OrderDate FROM Orders

Map Parameters

In your main query, use parameters:

SELECT * FROM OrderDetails 
WHERE CustomerID = @CustomerID 
AND OrderDate = @OrderDate

Map the columns from your parameter query to the query parameters.

Run with Parameters

Each thread iteration will use different parameter values from your parameter query results.

Tips for Effective Stress Testing

Start Small

Begin with low thread counts and iterations. Gradually increase load to understand your system’s limits.

Monitor Server Resources

Use SQL Server Management Studio or Performance Monitor to watch CPU, memory, and I/O while testing.

Test Realistic Scenarios

Use queries and parameters that mirror your actual application workload.

Collect Statistics

Enable I/O and time statistics to get detailed performance metrics.

Next Steps

Advanced Configuration

Learn about advanced configuration options and features

Best Practices

Discover best practices for SQL Server stress testing

Get Started

Guides

Configuration

Advanced

Reference

Run Your First Stress Test

Expected Output

Configuration Options

Run Your First Stress Test

Using Parameterized Queries

Tips for Effective Stress Testing

Start Small

Monitor Server Resources

Test Realistic Scenarios

Collect Statistics

Next Steps

Advanced Configuration

Best Practices

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Guides

Configuration

Advanced

Reference

​Run Your First Stress Test

​Expected Output

​Configuration Options

​Run Your First Stress Test

​Using Parameterized Queries

​Tips for Effective Stress Testing

Start Small

Monitor Server Resources

Test Realistic Scenarios

Collect Statistics

​Next Steps

Advanced Configuration

Best Practices

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Run Your First Stress Test

Expected Output

Configuration Options

Run Your First Stress Test

Using Parameterized Queries

Tips for Effective Stress Testing

Next Steps