--To see if default trace is enabled SELECT* FROM sys.configurations WHERE configuration_id = 1568 --To enable default trace sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1; GO RECONFIGURE; GO sp_configure 'default trace enabled', 1; GO RECONFIGURE; GO --To query contents of default trace file SELECT TE.* , T.* FROM sys.fn_trace_gettable(CONVERT(VARCHAR(150)
, ( SELECT TOP 1 f.[value] FROM sys.fn_trace_getinfo(NULL) f WHERE f.property = 2)), DEFAULT) T JOIN sys.trace_events TE ON T.EventClass = TE.trace_event_id
More info:
http://www.databasejournal.com/features/mssql/a-few-cool-things-you-can-identify-using-the-default-trace.html
https://www.simple-talk.com/sql/performance/the-default-trace-in-sql-server---the-power-of-performance-and-security-auditing/