"Working with SQL Server 2008 and I cannot find Activity Monitor. It appears to have gone missing."

No wonder if you were asking this and landed on this page. When you begin working with SQl 2008, you may find yourself searching for Activity Monitor. I spent few minutes searching for Activity Monitor. Luckily, I manage to find it somehow.

In SQL 2005, you could find Activity Monitor by opening the Management folder in SQL Server Management Studio. This is no longer the place to find Activity Monitor. Here are the two new ways to launch Activity Monitor:

1. Open Management Studio. Select the icon on the toolbar that is the furthest right

2. In Object Explorer, right click on the server and select Activity Monitor. Please note that the Activity Monitor is not available in the context menu unless you select the server. You cannot launch the Activity Monitor when you select a database, another folder, etc.

I wonder why this change in interface is made from Microsoft. If they made it to make your life easier, I am not sure the purpose is served.