Configuration Element (DTA)
Specifies a user-specified configuration consisting of existing and hypothetical physical design structures for the Database Engine Tuning Advisor to analyze when tuning a workload.
Syntax
<DTAInput>
    <Server>...</Server>
    <Workload>...</Workload>
    <TuningOptions>...</TuningOptions
    <Configuration [SpecificationMode="Relative" | "Absolute"]>
    ...code removed here...
    </Configuration>
</DTAInput>
Element Attributes
| Configuration Attribute | Description | 
|---|---|
| SpecificationMode | Optional. Specifies whether Database Engine Tuning Advisor should analyze the specified configuration in relation to the current existing configuration, or as a completely new, standalone one. Use a string data type to specify this attribute with one of the following allowed values: 
Allowed ValueDescription
 
Relative
 
Evaluates the specified configuration in relation to the current existing configuration of physical design structures (indexes, indexed views, partitioning) in the database that is being tuned. For example:
 
Absolute
 
Evaluates the specified configuration as a standalone configuration. When Absolute is specified, Database Engine Tuning Advisor does not consider the existing configuration. For example:
  | 
Element Characteristics
| Characteristic | Description | 
|---|---|
| Data type and length | None. | 
| Default value | None. | 
| Occurrence | Optional. Can use once for each DTAInput element. | 
Element Relationships
| Relationship | Elements | 
|---|---|
| Parent element | |
| Child elements | 
Example
For a usage example of this element, see the XML Input File Sample with User-specified Configuration (DTA).