Using the Activity Monitor to Actively Monitor Application Locks

(Paul C Zikopoulos) One of the most frustrating tasks that database administrators (DBAs) have to perform is trying to figure out when one database application's request is blocking another. Sure, most databases have built-in deadlock detectors and timeouts to help these sorts of issues work themselves out. However, being able to easily identify applications or requests that block others could significantly enhance the end-user experience of your system with minimal intervention.

As any DBA who has ever had to deal with concurrency issues resulting from varying application locks can attest, investigating lock chains involves a significant annoyance factor and time investment.