SQL Server Load Testing Tool: Query Loading Ramp
July is Database Health Monitor Month!
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Query Loading Ramp is a Windows desktop application for SQL Server load testing. It lets you write a T-SQL query and then hammer a SQL Server instance with that query across many simultaneous connections, simulating real-world concurrent user load. You configure the number of concurrent sessions, a ramp-up period (so connections are added gradually rather than all at once), and a total run duration — then the app takes care of spinning up all the workers and keeping them running.
During the load run, the app tracks live statistics: total executions completed, average query duration, error count, and SQL Server CPU utilization (sampled from sys.dm_os_ring_buffers every 5 seconds). You can watch these metrics update in real time as the load climbs, which lets you observe how your query and server behave under increasing pressure. There’s also a configurable CPU safety ceiling — if SQL Server CPU exceeds your threshold, the run stops automatically to protect the server.
The app supports parameterized queries, so instead of running the exact same query every iteration, each worker can cycle through a set of parameter values loaded from a CSV file or pasted directly in. This makes the load much more realistic — you can drive thousands of unique WHERE clause values rather than letting the query plan cache turn everything into a trivial lookup.
After a run completes, a results summary is shown with throughput, timing, and error statistics. Configurations (connection info, query, session counts, timing settings) can be saved to .qlr files and reloaded later, making it easy to repeat the same test against different servers or after schema changes.
Here is a short video showing how to use Query Loading Ramp for load testing on SQL Server. Query Loading Ramp is part of Database Health Monitor.
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SQL Server Load Testing Features: Query Loading Ramp Summary
- Windows desktop application for SQL Server load testing
- T-SQL query execution across configurable concurrent sessions
- Ramp-up period and total run duration settings
- Live statistics for executions, query duration, errors, and CPU utilization
- Parameterized queries via CSV files or direct value input
- Results summary with throughput, timing, and error statistics
- Configuration saving to reusable .qlr files