What is the method of viewing SQL Server logs?

To view SQL Server logs, you can use the following methods:

1. To view the log information of a SQL Server instance, open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), connect to the target SQL Server instance, right-click on the server name, and select the “Activity Log” option. This will open the “Activity Log Viewer” to display the SQL Server’s log information.
2. SQL Server utilizes Error Log files to store error logs in a specific location. These logs can be viewed by locating and opening the files. By default, the Error Log files are located at: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQLXX.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Log\ERRORLOG, where XX represents the version number of SQL Server.
3. SQL Server also offers a few system stored procedures to view logs. For instance, the sp_readerrorlog stored procedure can be used to read the contents of the error log file. When using the sp_readerrorlog stored procedure, you can specify the index number of the error log file to be read and any search criteria.
4. Utilizing third-party tools: You can also take advantage of third-party tools to view SQL Server logs, such as Log Parser or ApexSQL Log. These tools offer additional features and options to facilitate easier viewing and analysis of log information.

You can view SQL Server log information, such as error logs, query logs, and transaction logs, regardless of the method used, for troubleshooting and performance optimization purposes.