The Desktop Execution Trace Toolkit stores trace data in memory. By default, you can keep at most 100,000 events in the toolkit.

If you reach the memory buffer limit, the toolkit removes the oldest events from memory and overwrites the oldest data in the table pane. Therefore, the table pane always contains the latest trace data.

Tip If you want to ensure that the toolkit does not overwrite trace data, click the Data tab and select Stop Tracing from the When Exceed Limit pull-down menu. The toolkit stops executing trace sessions when the number of events you specified reaches the maximum value.

When you trace large applications or execute long trace sessions, you can use the following techniques to improve the efficiency of the memory buffer.

  • Increase the memory buffer limit—Click the Data tab and change the default number in the Maximum Events field. Ensure that the maximum value is adequate for the applications you want to trace so that you do not lose any trace data.
  • Deselect unused events—Click Capture Settings on the Home tab to select only relevant events or types so that you can avoid using excessive memory.
  • Enable logging trace data—Select Enable Logging on the Data tab, specify a log file, and select Discard Oldest from the When Exceed Limit pull-down menu. When you execute a trace session indefinitely, the Desktop Execution Trace Toolkit logs all the trace data to the log file so that you can view all the trace data later and do not need to worry about the toolkit running out of memory.