Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) is an infrastructure for management data and operations on Windows-based operating systems. It allows administrators to automate administrative tasks on remote computers and provides management data to other parts of the operating system and products.

WMI is a set of extensions to the Windows Driver Model that provides an operating system interface for managing Windows components. It is based on the Common Information Model (CIM) standard and supports scripting languages, .NET, COM, DCOM, SOAP, and WQL queries

The WMI Performance Adapter service, also known as WmiApSrv, is a system service that runs in the background on Windows operating systems. It is responsible for collecting performance data from various sources on your computer and making it available through Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). This service acts as an intermediary between performance counters and the WMI infrastructure, allowing administrators and developers to access and manipulate system performance data programmatically

Key Functions of WMI Performance Adapter Service:

• System Monitoring: The service collects performance data such as CPU usage, memory usage, disk activity, and network traffic. You need this data to monitor performance and troubleshoot problems
• Third-Party Applications: Many third-party applications rely on WMI to gather system information and perform management tasks. The WMI Performance Adapter service gives them a standard interface to do this
• Remote Management: WMI allows remote management of Windows-based systems. It is what lets administrators monitor and control multiple computers from a central locatio

Example code, to fix in a SQL server:

mofcomp "%programfiles(x86)%\Microsoft SQL Server\130\Shared\sqlmgmproviderxpsp2up.mof"

SQL version 110, 120, 130, 140, 150

From my SQL Server DBA handbook.