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An easier way to work with the SQL Server Error Log

There are three main ways to access the SQL Error Log: via the SSMS GUI, via the system stored procedure sp_readerrorlog or the extended stored procedure xp_readerrorlog. The code below I have close to hand in a Snippet and I probably use it every day. It copies the contents of the SQL error log and optionally the SQL Agent error log to a temporary table. Once there you query it for specific information. This can be also be done by using parameters 3 and 4 of sp_readerrorlog but for me this is a little more flexible.

 /*
sp_readerrorlog can take 4 optional parameters, they are:
    1. The number of the error log file you want to read: 0 = current, 1 = Archive #1, 2 = Archive #2, etc...
    2. Log file type: 1 or NULL = error log, 2 = SQL Agent log
    3. Search string 1: String one you want to search for
    4. Search string 2: String two you want to search for to further refine the results
*/
----------------
-- Current SQL Error log
---------------
IF EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM tempdb..sysobjects WHERE id=OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#ErrorLog'))
    DROP TABLE #ErrorLog

CREATE TABLE #ErrorLog (
       logdate DATETIME
       ,processinfo VARCHAR(200)
       ,info VARCHAR(8000)
       )
GO

INSERT INTO #ErrorLog
EXEC sp_readerrorlog 0
       ,1
GO

CREATE CLUSTERED INDEX ix_date ON #ErrorLog (logdate)
GO
   
-- Show the last 10,000 errors within the last 24 hours
SELECT TOP 10000
    logdate
    ,processinfo
    ,info
FROM #ErrorLog
WHERE logdate > DATEADD(HOUR, - 24, GETDATE())
ORDER BY 1 DESC

-----------------
-- Current SQL Agent log
-----------------
IF EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM tempdb..sysobjects WHERE id=OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#ErrorLogAgent'))
    DROP TABLE #ErrorLogAgent

CREATE TABLE #ErrorLogAgent (
       logdate DATETIME
       ,processinfo VARCHAR(200)
       ,info VARCHAR(8000)
       )
GO

INSERT INTO #ErrorLogAgent
EXEC sp_readerrorlog 0
       ,2
GO

CREATE CLUSTERED INDEX ix_date ON #ErrorLogAgent (logdate)
GO

-- Show the last 10,000 errors within the last 24 hours
SELECT TOP 10000
    logdate
    ,processinfo
    ,info
FROM #ErrorLogAgent
WHERE logdate > DATEADD(HOUR, - 24, GETDATE())
ORDER BY 1 DESC



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