How do I monitor active database sessions in Jam SQL Studio?

Open Tools > Session Browser, select a connection, and you'll see a live grid of all active sessions showing SPID, user, database, status, CPU usage, reads, writes, command, and wait type. Click any row for full session details including the executing SQL text.

How do I kill a runaway session in Jam SQL Studio?

Select the session you want to terminate in the Session Browser grid, then click the Kill Session button. A confirmation dialog shows the session details and the SQL text being executed. Confirm to issue the appropriate kill command for your database engine.

Which databases does the Session Browser support?

The Session Browser supports SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MySQL. Each engine uses its native session metadata (sys.dm_exec_sessions, V$SESSION, pg_stat_activity, or SHOW PROCESSLIST) and kill commands.

Can I view locks held by a session?

Yes. Click on any session row to open the Session Detail panel, then switch to the Locks tab. You'll see all locks held by that session, including the lock type, resource, and mode. The blocked/blocking chain is visualized so you can quickly identify deadlock sources.

How do I analyze wait events for a session?

The Session Browser displays wait type and wait duration directly in the main grid. For deeper analysis, click a session row and open the Wait Events tab to see a breakdown of cumulative wait statistics, including wait type, total wait time, and signal wait time.

Last updated: 2026-03-15

Session Browser

Monitor active database sessions across Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and MySQL from a single interface. Browse running queries, inspect locks and wait events, and kill runaway sessions before they impact your workload.

Getting Started

The Session Browser gives DBAs real-time visibility into what is happening on a database server. Use it to find long-running queries, diagnose blocking chains, and terminate problematic sessions.

How to Open the Session Browser

Open Jam SQL Studio and connect to the database server you want to monitor
Click Tools > Session Browser from the main menu
Select the connection from the dropdown
The session grid loads automatically, showing all active sessions

The Session Browser grid showing active database sessions with columns for SPID, user, database, status, CPU, reads, writes, command, and wait type — The Session Browser grid showing active sessions on a SQL Server instance.

Browsing Sessions

The main grid displays one row per active session. Each row includes the key columns a DBA needs at a glance:

SPID / PID - The session or process identifier
User - The login or role running the session
Database - The database context for the session
Status - Running, sleeping, suspended, or other engine-specific states
CPU - Cumulative CPU time consumed by the session
Reads / Writes - Logical I/O counters
Command - The current command type (SELECT, INSERT, AWAITING COMMAND, etc.)
Wait Type - The wait event the session is currently blocked on, if any

Filtering and Sorting

Click any column header to sort the grid ascending or descending. Use the filter bar above the grid to narrow results:

Filter by user to isolate sessions from a specific application login
Filter by database to focus on a single database
Filter by status (e.g., show only running sessions) to hide idle connections
Use the search box for free-text search across all columns

Session Detail

Click any row in the session grid to open the detail panel below. The detail panel shows:

Full SQL text - The complete query or batch currently being executed
Plan handle - A link to view the cached execution plan (SQL Server)
Session properties - Login time, client hostname, application name, transaction isolation level, and other connection-level settings

Lock Viewer

The Locks tab in the session detail panel shows all locks held by the selected session. This is essential for diagnosing blocking scenarios:

Lock type - Row, page, table, or database-level locks
Lock mode - Shared, exclusive, update, intent, and schema locks
Resource - The specific object or row being locked
Blocked/Blocking chain - Visual indicator showing which sessions are waiting on this session and which session this one is waiting on

Wait Event Analysis

The Wait Events tab breaks down where a session is spending its time. Each wait event entry shows:

Wait type - The specific wait event (e.g., PAGEIOLATCH_SH, LCK_M_X, ASYNC_NETWORK_IO)
Wait duration - How long the session has been waiting on the current event
Cumulative waits - Total wait time and wait count for the session's lifetime
Signal wait time - Time spent in the runnable queue after the resource became available

Killing Sessions

When you identify a runaway query or a session causing excessive blocking, you can terminate it directly from the Session Browser:

Select the problematic session in the grid
Click the Kill Session button in the toolbar
Review the confirmation dialog, which shows the session ID, user, database, and the SQL text being executed
Click Confirm to issue the kill command

PostgreSQL and MySQL offer two kill modes: Cancel Query (cancels the running query but keeps the connection alive) and Terminate Session (kills the entire connection). SQL Server and Oracle terminate the full session.

The kill command is engine-specific (see the multi-engine support table below). The session grid refreshes automatically after the kill completes.

Multi-Engine Support

The Session Browser works across all supported database engines, adapting its queries and kill commands to each platform:

Feature	SQL Server	Oracle	PostgreSQL	MySQL
Session list	sys.dm_exec_sessions	V$SESSION	pg_stat_activity	SHOW PROCESSLIST
Kill command	KILL	ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION	pg_cancel_backend / pg_terminate_backend	KILL QUERY / KILL
Lock viewer	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wait events	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Open cursors	—	Yes	—	—

Session detail panel showing full SQL text, lock information, and wait event breakdown for a selected session — The session detail panel showing SQL text, locks, and wait events for a selected session.

Key Capabilities

Real-time session monitoring - Browse all active sessions with key metrics including CPU, I/O, and wait information
Multi-engine support - Works with SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MySQL using native session metadata
Lock viewer - Inspect locks held by any session and visualize blocked/blocking chains
Wait event analysis - Drill into wait types and durations to diagnose performance bottlenecks
Kill sessions - Terminate runaway queries with a confirmation dialog and engine-appropriate kill commands
Filtering and sorting - Quickly narrow down sessions by user, database, status, or free-text search

Ready to Monitor Your Sessions?

Download Jam SQL Studio and start browsing database sessions today.

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