Log Reader Software

Question

Log Reader Software

shew

SSChampion

Points: 11389
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June 1, 2004 at 9:33 am

#162599
I’ve been asked to find software that will read the SQL Server log to:
- Identify anyone making DDL changes
- Identify anyone making data changes (i.e., UPDATE, INSERT, DELETE)
Does such a product exist for Microsoft SQL Server 2000? SQL Profiler "kinda" fits the bill, but it takes a lot of disk space, and you can easily lose data if it crashes or fills up a disk. And it could simply be turned off if someone wanted to "mess with" the data.
TIA,
Jon

Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)

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RSP SSCrazy Points: 2614 More actions · Answer 1

Indeed. You can check out Lumigent's ENTEGRA, that does exactly what you are looking for. It doesn't have much overhead, and does not use triggers. It may be a bit pricey, but if that's not an issue, it is a GREAT auditing Product. I can put you in touch with a Senior Sales Rep at Lumigent if you are interested. Please email me.

Chuck Ritenour SSC-Addicted Points: 420 More actions · Answer 2

Try LogPI - it's advertised on the SqlCentral web site all over the place, does this and more.

Thanks, and don't forget to Chuckle

davidc@trinityapex SSC Veteran Points: 235 More actions · Answer 3

You can also evaluate LogPI, which has been reviewed on sqlservecentral. It is not bad also.

yaweah Default port Points: 1489 More actions · Answer 4

You should be aware that both of these products DO NOT AUDIT stored procedures execution(who executed which procedure and with what parameters). We are currently in the process looking for a product that will provide this functionality. Does any one of such a product?

shew SSChampion Points: 11389 More actions · Answer 5

yaweah,

That's VERY interesting. Could you elaborate a bit?

Thanks,

Jon

Greg Charles SSC-Forever Points: 45403 More actions · Answer 6

Lumigent's Log Explorer works well if you are only interested in finding out, after the fact, who did something. It doesn't do continuous auditing like Entegra.

Greg

Bruce Pettus Old Hand Points: 374 More actions · Answer 7

We are evaluating several products for auditing with the goal of tracking object and data changes. Entegra is one of the products. "SQL Power Tools" and "SQL Guard" are others.

I'm partial to tools like "SQL Guard" because it is more of a network sniffer. It can track all activity sent to the server and even activities originated on the server.

David Colborne Valued Member Points: 52 More actions · Answer 8

Go to http://controlcompliance.com and click on "Products".

Please give my name in any contact.

Dave Colborne

Antares686 SSC Guru Points: 125444 More actions · Answer 9

You could also check out ApexSQL Log which has free lifetime upgrades.

However I suggest you first look at things you need to do for the future to be proactive as opposed to reactive.

1) Eleminate all DBAs except for 1 or 2 and setup a strict change management process but make sure you include a emergency change piece, audit then only needs to be occasional on DDL and as a way to verify the DBAs are following the guidelines.

2) Setup triggers to snapshot the data before and after and log to the tables who requested the change and when modified. In addition deletes should not actually occurr on the tables but instead use a marker for delete which you set and place the requesting into a modified by column. Then a nightly,weekly or whanever process can remove the rows. Include host for further auditing.

3) Move all users from having direct access to the tables to haveing view rights thru controlled views and control data changes thru Stored Procedures to maximize auditing code and limit potential tampering. Avoid Dynamic SQL completely unless you build in strict code for catching potential injection attacks. Log bad data actions with user and host.

Then if you need to audit further a log reader will be best. One thing to keep in mind is that i application uses a generic login for users log will not tell you who the requester was. That has to be built by you.

Scott McGarrell SSC Rookie Points: 34 More actions · Answer 10

I've been told by several sources that Imceda is coming out with a couple of tools that will address this. ETA is w/in a month.

frank singleton-130084 SSC Enthusiast Points: 183 More actions · Answer 11

Don't wait for Imceda, it could be a while. It's worth your while to check out ApexSQL Log They have a tool that will audit DDL and data and have great support.

Frank-

Jason Hall Hall of Fame Points: 3906 More actions · Answer 12

Imceda's auditing solutions are now both available for general download.

SQL Watch will alert via SMTP mail whenever a DDL change occurs on a database. It will alert and also report on the old status of the objects as well as the new status.

SQL Forensics will monitor every command sent to SQL Server and tell you who/what/where/when etc...

So if someone executes any statement (even a select statement or failed transaction) you'll be able to see what user, their IP address, application, etc...

Feel free to send me any questions you have: jhall@imceda.com

Arun Benjamin SSCommitted Points: 1614 More actions · Answer 13

Quest Software (previously Imceda) Litespeed now has the Log reader inbuilt in the software. it works very much fine in reading both the online/offline database logs and also the transaction log backup files, and it provides a variety of options.