March 12, 2010 at 4:31 am
Hi
Just wondered what you used for monitoring SQL Server ?
I'm after a DBA tool that will ideally give us an overall health check - e.g. listing any failed agent jobs, sql server errors, cluster failovers, highlighting problems with disk space, databases etc. Preferably we'd be able to drill down to look at performance issues, bottlenecks etc.
It should also not be that intrusive.
Sorry the spec is a little vague, but I'd be grateful for any recommendations.
I've looked at the Redgate tool (Response), but it is a bit limited. I see that Idera, DBArtisan and Quest all have tools available.
Thanks for any help/advice,
D
March 12, 2010 at 8:36 am
Microsoft SCOM (System Center Operations Manager) seems to be a good one, especially for a shop with large amount of SQL Server instances.
March 12, 2010 at 9:07 am
As dbychen said, Looks like SCOM is the you need for monitoring. By the way how many instances you have and how many of them on cluster?
March 12, 2010 at 9:33 am
I've used a variety of tools and am currently in a shop that used the ideara Diagnostic manager tool. IT seems to get the job done. I'd say take a look at all of them and see what works best for your environment. A lot of shops prefer to create thier own tool to do monitoring as well. If you search this site you will find numerous articles on ways people accomplished this.
-Luke.
March 12, 2010 at 11:30 am
I've also used Idera's Diagnostic Manager & was satisfied with it.
However, tools change, new features get added, so it's probably best to get current demo versions and give them a try to make sure you get the best info & don't rely on foggy memories (like mine).
March 12, 2010 at 12:07 pm
The purposes of a monitoring tool is different from that of a diagnostic one. You will want to get an overall picture, such as availability and general performance status, for the instances you are managing with a monitor tool. In case of observing symptoms of possible problem for an instance, you then use a diagnostic tool to look into the possible causes to the problem. These tools may have both functions in certain areas, but a diagnostic tool may not be the best choice for monitoring, and vise versa.
March 15, 2010 at 9:10 am
Hi DG 9336,
I spotted your post on the forum about looking for a SQL Server monitoring tool, and I thought I’d get in touch as I have some info about SQL Response that may be of interest to you (I’m the SQL Response product manager at Red Gate Software). I read that you have found SQL Response a little limited in the past, so I thought I’d let you know that we’re currently developing a major release of SQL Response (version 2) that will add more SQL Server monitoring functionality, with a user interface that’s also being shaped by feedback from the SQL Server community. If you’re interested in reading more about the development work on SQL Response v2 so far, take a look at the Future of Monitoring blog: http://www.thefutureofmonitoring.com. We really value the opinions of the SQL Server community and welcome any feedback, so if you would like to find out more about SQL Response v2 and how you could also become involved, please email us using the contact details at Future of Monitoring. We would be really happy to hear from you!
Ben Rees
SQL Response Product Manager
Red Gate Software.
March 15, 2010 at 9:44 pm
Stay away from Embarcadero - hugely overpriced and limited actual monitoring stuff.
I highly recommend SQL Sentry's Performance Advisor. Contact Peter Shire (pshire@sqlsentry.net) and tell him TheSQLGuru sent you and you might get a discount and I might get a referral fee. I have numerous clients using the product and I have never heard of a client dropping the product.
Best,
Kevin G. Boles
SQL Server Consultant
SQL MVP 2007-2012
TheSQLGuru on googles mail service
March 17, 2010 at 5:04 am
We just installed SQLSentry and are happy with it. Actually installed the 30 day eval and immediately identified processes that were causing frequent blocking. After correcting these our users were happier. Subsequently we ordered the product. Like the interface and especially the historical time line. You know those times when a user passes you at the coffee station and say "it was really slow today about 45 minutes ago, or same time yesterday". I'm sure other products do this too, but we can go back to that point to see who was doing what from an application and job standpoint. It has been in here about 2 weeks and we love it.
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