This topic is a summarized version of the performance counters used by System Monitor and Performance Logs and Alerts, hosted by the Performance console in Windows Server. These counters collect and display information about system performance when you configure a graph, log, or alert.

The Windows Server family defines the performance data it collects in terms of objects, counters, and instances. A performance object is any resource, application, or service that can be measured. Using System Monitor and Performance Logs and Alerts, you can select performance objects, counters, and instances to collect and present data about the performance of system components or installed software.

Each object has performance counters that are used to measure various aspects of performance, such as transfer rates for disks or, for processors, the amount of processor time consumed. The object may also have an instance, which is a unique copy of a particular object type; not all object types support multiple instances.

When evaluating the performance of your system by using performance counters, it is important that you holistically look at all area of the system: processor, memory, storage, network, and the Microsoft Dynamics AX application. For more information on the counter provided by Windows operating system, see Windows Server documentation and Windows Resource Kit. For more information on the counters provided by the Microsoft Dynamics AX application, see the Server and Database Administration Guide.