What tools are available to stress/benchmark SQL Server?

A. There are a couple of unsupported "as-is" Microsoft products :-

1. SQL Load Simulator. (Microsoft supplied multi-threaded ODBC utility). backoffice.microsoft.com/downtrial/moreinfo/sqldrk.asp
2. TPC-B. (Microsoft Supplied). ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/sql/unsup-ed/benchmarkkit/bench.zip
3. SQLHDTST.EXE. Back Office Resource Kit. I/O utility simulating SQL 6.5.
4. SQL 7 IO Stress. www.microsoft.com/sql. New utility just for stressing i/o subsystems - SQL 7.0 style.


Also 3rd party programs :-

1. Mercury. www.merc-int.com
2. Blue Curve. www.bluecurve.com
3. SQA
4. Benchmark Factory. www.benchmarkfactory.com