SentryOne User Guide - downloads.sentryone.com · Add button to open the list of available Instances. 3 . Select the Instances that you wish to configure rights for from the list

1 CoverPage

USER GUIDE

SentryOne User Guide | 1

2 TableofContents

1. CoverPage 1

2. TableofContents 2-5

3. Welcome 6

4. InstallationandMaintenance 7

5. SecurityOverview 8

5.1. RightsBasedSecurity 8-11

5.2. RoleBasedSecurity 11-13

6. SentryOneClient 14

6.1. ClientInterface 15-16

6.1.1. NavigatorPane 16-18

6.1.2. EventViewPane 18-19

6.1.3. ConditionsPane 19-21

6.1.4. SettingsPane 21-25

6.1.5. ClientAlerts 25-26

6.1.6. Menus 26-29

6.1.7. UserPreferences 29-33

6.1.8. LicenseManagement 33-35

6.2. NavigatorNodes 35

6.2.1. FavoriteTargets 35-36

6.2.2. Virtualization 36

6.2.3. AllTargets 36-38

6.2.3.1. DefaultSite 38-39

6.2.3.2. Targets 39-41

6.2.3.3. Instances 41-42

6.2.4. SQLServerRegistrations 42

6.2.5. ContactManagement 42-45

6.2.6. SchedulesandWindows 45-48

6.2.7. ObjectGroups 48-51

6.2.8. MonitoringService 51

6.2.8.1. MonitoringServiceSettings 51-55

6.2.8.1.1. SMTPConfiguration 55-58

6.2.8.2. SiteConfiguration 58-60

6.2.8.3. InventoryView 60-61

6.2.8.4. MonitoringServiceLoadBalancingandFaultTolerance 61

6.2.8.5. ActionsLog 61-63

6.2.8.6. SystemStatus 63


6.2.8.7. ServiceConfigurationUtility 63-64

6.2.8.8. MonitoringServiceLogonAccount 64

6.3. CommonTasks 64

6.3.1. Reporting 64-71

6.3.2. AddingNotes 71-73

6.3.3. MonitorAdditionalInstances 73-75

6.3.4. ConnecttoInstallation 75-76

7. AlertingandResponseSystem 77-78

7.1. Conditions 78-80

7.1.1. ConditionSettings 80-84

7.1.1.1. FilterEditor 84-85

7.1.2. GeneralConditions 85-92

7.1.3. FailsafeConditions 92-94

7.1.4. AuditConditions 94-96

7.1.5. AdvisoryConditions 96-102

7.2. Actions 103-109

7.2.1. ActionBehaviors 109-111

7.2.2. MessageEditing 111-117

7.3. Settings 117-120

7.3.1. SQLServerSettings 120-126

7.3.2. SSASSettings 126-127

7.3.3. WindowsSettings 127-129

7.4. ResponseRulesets 129-132

7.4.1. ResponseRulesetExamples 132-136

7.5. OutputContentMatch 136-137

8. SentryOneEventManager 138

8.1. HistoryFilter 138-139

8.1.1. FilterEditor 139-140

8.2. CalendarView 140-144

8.3. ListView 144-145

8.4. CustomEventViews 145

8.4.1. WorkingWithCustomEventViews 145-148

8.4.2. FilteringProcess 148

8.4.3. FilterProcessFlowchart 148-149

8.4.4. LevelingBackupsAcrossaSANorNAS 149-151

8.5. ChainingandQueuing 151

8.5.1. EventChains 151-160


8.5.2. JobQueuing 160-163

8.6. ClearingFailedInstances 163-164

8.7. CopyJob/AlertWizard 164

8.8. ConflictViewer 164-165

8.9. EventObjectInformationWindow 165-166

8.10. Multi-serverAdministration(MSX/TSX) 166-167

8.11. RuntimeStats 167-168

8.12. Toolbars 168-170

8.13. ExtendedJobStepLogging/SSISLogging 170

8.13.1. ExtendedJobStepLogging(SQLServer2005+) 171

8.13.2. EnablingSSISLogging 171-172

9. SentryOnePerformanceAnalysis 173-177

9.1. Dashboard 177-181

9.1.1. DashboardResolutions/Retention 181-182

9.1.2. Baselining 183-187

9.1.3. PerformanceMetrics 187-194

9.2. Processes 194-196

9.3. DiskActivity 196-200

9.4. DiskSpace 200-203

9.5. TopSQL 204-208

9.5.1. PlanExplorer(integrated) 208-211

9.5.1.1. PlanExplorerSessions 211-212

9.5.1.2. SQLPerformance.comPlanUpload 212-214

9.5.1.3. PlanDiagramOptions 214

9.5.1.4. IndexAnalysis 214-216

9.5.2. TopSQLRuntimeStats 216-217

9.6. AlwaysOn 217-224

9.7. QueryPlans 224-225

9.8. Indexestab 225-229

9.8.1. FragmentationManager 229-232

9.9. SSASUsageTotals 233

9.10. BlockingSQL 233-236

9.11. Deadlocks 236-240

9.12. QuickTraces 240-243

9.13. PerformanceAnalysisOverview 243-245

9.14. PerformanceAnalysisToolbar 245-246

9.15. DataGrids 246-247


9.16. VirtualMachineSupport 247

9.17. cloud.sentryone.com 247-249

9.17.1. ServerDetails 249-250

9.17.2. ServerHealthStatus 250-252

10. ImportantConcepts 253

10.1. EventConnectorArchitecture 253-254

10.2. ExecutionAgents 254-255

10.3. ExecutionEngines 255-256

10.4. EventStores 256

10.5. EventStoreConnections 256-257

10.6. EventProviders 257

10.7. EventSources 257-258

10.7.1. SQLServerAgentJobs 258

10.7.2. SQLServerAgentAlerts 258-259

10.7.3. ReportingServicesReports 259-260

10.7.4. SQLServerAgentLog 260

10.7.5. WindowsTasks 260-261

10.7.6. WindowsEventLogs 261

10.8. EventObjects 261-262

10.8.1. ActiveEventObjects 262

10.8.2. StatusEvents 262-263

10.8.3. HybridEventObjects 263

10.8.4. EventInstances 263-264

11. Appendix 265

11.1. sp_sentry_mail_20 265-268

11.2. sp_sentry_dbmail_20 268-272

11.3. WatchedServerObjects 272-273

11.4. ExecuteActionParameters 273-275

11.5. SentryOneDatabaseMaintenance 275-276

11.6. RelocatingtheSentryOneDatabase 276-277

11.7. WatchingServersAcrossDomains 277

11.8. HotKeyList 277-279

11.9. SentryOnePowerShellModule 279-282

12. ContactInformation 283

13. Index 284-291


3 Welcome

ThankyouforinstallingSentryOne.Togetupandrunninginnotime,pleasereviewtheSentryOneQuickStartGuide.

Ifyouhaveanytechnicalquestions,orforhelpwithinstallationorconfigurationissues,pleasedon’thesitatetocontactus:

Email:[email protected]

Phone:704-895-6241

TollFree:855-775-7733

SupportForum:http://support.sentryone.com


http://www.sentryone.com/help/qs/


http://support.sentryone.com/

4 InstallationandMaintenance

INSTALLATIONPleaserefertotheSentryOneQuickStartGuidefordetailedinstructionsoninstallationandsetupoftheSentryOneClientandtheSentryOneMonitoringService.

MAINTENANCEJustaswithanyotherSQLServerdatabase,itisimportantthatregularmaintenanceactivitiesbeperformedontheSentryOnedatabasetoensureoptimalperformance.PleaseseetheSentryOneDatabaseMaintenancetopicformoredetailsandrecommendations.



5 SecurityOverview

TheQuickStartGuidecoversthefollowingtopicsrelatedtoSentryOneSecurity,includingrequiredpermissionsforthevariousSentryOnecomponents.

SecurityTopic Description

MonitoringServiceSecurity ThistopicdiscussesthepermissionsrequiredbytheSentryOneMonitoringServiceaccountwhenwatching(monitoring)Instances.

ClientSecurityThistopicdiscussesthepermissionsrequiredwhenrunningtheSentryOneClient,includingscenariosinwhichtheClientconnectsdirectlytoamonitoredserver.

WatchingServersAcrossDomains

Thistopicisabriefoverviewoftheoptionsavailableforwatching(monitoring)serversacrossdomains,includinginformationaboutpass-throughauthenticationandconfiguringSentryOneSiteswithinyourenvironment.

Non-WindowsEnvironment Thistopicdiscussestheoptionsforwatching(monitoring)Instancesinanon-Windowsenvironment,includingpass-throughauthentication.

SentryOnePerformanceAnalysis

SeethissectionforadvancedinformationabouttheSentryOneSecurityRequirements,includingPortRequirementsformonitoredservers.

AzureSQLDatabaseandSQLDataWarehouse

ThistopiccoverssecurityaspectsspecifictoAzureSQLDatabaseandSQLDataWarehouse.

TheUserGuidecoversthefollowingtopicsrelatedtorestrictinguseraccesswithinSentryOne.

SecurityTopic Description

RightsBasedSecurity ThistopicdiscussesrestrictinguseraccesswithintheSentryOneClientbasedonWindowsandSQLServerAuthenticationaccounts.

RoleBasedSecurity ThistopicdiscussesrestrictinguseraccesswithintheSentryOneClientbasedonSentryOneDatabaseroles.

5.1 RightsBasedSecurity

SentryOnesupportsrestrictingservervisibilitywithintheSentryOneClientthroughtheapplicationofRightsBasedSecurity.BothusersandgroupscanbeassignedalimitedsetofvisibleSites,TargetGroups,orInstanceseffectivelyrestrictingwhatthelogged-inusercansee.Certainobjectsandcommandsarealsodisabledforrestrictedusers,seeObjectsHiddenfromRestricted



https://cdn.sentryone.com/help/qs/#Monitoring Service Security.html

https://cdn.sentryone.com/help/qs/#Client Authentication and Monitored Servers.html

https://cdn.sentryone.com/help/qs/#Watching_Servers_Across_Domains.html

https://cdn.sentryone.com/help/qs/#Watching_Servers_Across_Domains.html

https://cdn.sentryone.com/help/qs/#Pass-through_Authentication.html

https://cdn.sentryone.com/help/qs/#Security_in_non-Windows_Network_Environments.html


https://cdn.sentryone.com/help/qs/#SQL_Sentry_Performance_Advisor.html

https://cdn.sentryone.com/help/qs/#SQL_Sentry_Performance_Advisor.html

https://cdn.sentryone.com/help/qs/#Performance_Advisor_Security_Requirements.html

https://cdn.sentryone.com/help/qs/#Performance_Advisor_Security_Requirements.html

https://cdn.sentryone.com/help/qs/#Performance Advisor Required Ports.html

https://cdn.sentryone.com/help/qs/#Azure SQL Database and Data Warehouse Security.html

https://cdn.sentryone.com/help/qs/#Azure SQL Database and Data Warehouse Security.html

Usersformoreinformation.ConfiguringRightsBasedSecurityintheSentryOneClientisatwostepprocess.

1. First,aSentryOneuserisassociatedwitheitheraWindowsorSQLServerAuthenticationaccount.

2. Next,aSentryOneuserorgroupofusersisassignedrightswhichwillrestrictservervisibilitywithintheSentryOneClient.

YoumayalsoassociateaWindowsActiveDirectorysecuritygroupwithaSentryOnegroup.ThisallowsyoutoeasilymanageSentryOneClientSecurityforalargenumberofusers.TheActiveDirectorygroupcanbespecifiedfromthegrouppropertiestabintheLoginfield.

1.ASSOCIATEAUSERWITHANACCOUNTThefirststepinconfiguringRightsBasedSecurityistoassociateaSentryOneuserwitheitheraWindowsaccountoraSQLServerAuthenticationaccount.ThisaccountshouldbethesameaccountthattheuseruseswhenopeningtheSentryOneClient(seealso:ConnecttoInstallation).Followthestepsbelowtoassociateauserwithanaccount:

1. IntheNavigatorpane,expandtheContactsnodeandthentheUsersnode.2. Double-clicktheuseryouwishtoassignanaccountto,orselectOpenfromthecontextmenu.Ifnouserexistsyoucandouble-clickontheUsersnodetocreateanewuser.

3. Onthepropertiestab,theLoginfieldisusedtospecifywhichaccountwillbeassignedrightswithintheSentryOneClient.

IftheuserconnectstotheSentryOneInstallationusingIntegratedWindowsAuthentication,entertheirusernameintheLoginfieldasDomain\Username.IftheuserconnectstotheSentryOneInstallationusingSQLServerAuthentication,simplyentertheirSQLServerLoginname.

4. Savetheuser,usingtheSavebuttonfoundonthetoolbar.

Iftheuserorgrouphasbeennewlycreated,itmaybenecessarytosaveandthenreopentheuserorgroupbeforetheRightstabbecomesavailable.

2.ASSIGNRIGHTSTOAUSERORGROUPTheRightstabislocateddirectlybesidethePropertiestabwheneditingauserorgroup.Onceauserhasbeenassociatedwithanaccount,youmaythenrestrictwhichserversarevisibleforthatuser,usingtheRightstab.Alternatively,youmaychoosetoassignrightstogroupsofusers.BothusersandgroupscanbeassignedalimitedsetofvisibleInstances,effectivelyrestrictingwhatthelogged-inusercansee.Followthestepsbelowtoassignrightstoauserorgroup:

1. FromeithertheUserorGroupeditor,clicktheRightstabatthetopoftheeditor.Ifanyrestrictionshavebeenpreviouslyassignedtheywillbelisted,otherwisethelistwillbeinitiallyempty.

2. AtthebottomoftheRightstab,selecttheAddbuttontoopenthelistofavailableInstances.

3. SelecttheInstancesthatyouwishtoconfigurerightsforfromthelist.4. TheInstanceswillbeaddedtotheRightstabwithcheckboxestoAlloworDenyvisibility.5. Aftersavingthechanges,theUserwillonlybeabletoseethoseInstancesintheRightstabthathaveAllowvisibility(Seethenotebelowformoreinformation).IfnoInstancesexistintheRightstab,theuserorgroupcanseeallInstances,unlesstheyareamemberofanothergroupthathasarestrictedsetofvisibleInstances.


VISIBILITYOFSERVERS(IMPLICITVERSUSEXPLICITDENIAL)Beawareofthefollowingwhenassigningrights:

Onceyoudefinerightsforauserorgroup,anySite,TargetGroup,orInstancewhichdoesnothaverightsexplicitlydefined,willbeimplicitlydeniedtothatuserorgroup.

i.e.auserorgroupwillbedeniedvisibilityforanySite,TargetGroup,orInstancewhichisnotlistedintheirrightstabwithanAllowcheckmark.

WhenyouconfigureRightsBasedSecurityforSitesandTargetGroupsalsobeawareofthefollowing:

AnyParentnode(beitaSiteorTargetGroup)withaDenypermissionexplicitlyconfiguredwilloverrideanyofitschildnodesAllowpermissions.IfaParentnodeisbeingimplicitlydenied,becauserightsarenototherwiseexplicitlydefinedforit,Allowpermissionsconfiguredforanyofitschildnodeswillbehonored.

ADDITIONALINFORMATIONMembershipofthesysadminfixedserverroleisneededtodothefollowingactions(bothoutlinedabove):

1. Edittheloginassociatedwithauser2. Assignrightstousersandgroups

ToensurethatauserhasrightstologintotheSentryOneDatabase,butdoesnothaverightstomodifytheirownpermissions,addtheusertotheallow_alldatabaseroleoftheSentryOneDatabase,andensuretheuserisnotamemberofthedb_datawriterrole.FormoreinformationabouttheavailableSentryOneDatabaserolesseetheRoleBasedSecuritytopic.

OBJECTSHIDDENFROMRESTRICTEDUSERSTheseSentryOneClientrestrictionsareappliedtoanyuserwithRightsBasedSecurityconfigured:

ThefollowingNavigatorNodeswillbehidden/unavailable:

Contacts*MonitoringServiceGroupMonitoringServicesObjectGroups

* Note:TheContactsnodewillnotbehiddeniftheuserissysadminfortheSentryOneDatabase

Thefollowingcommandsareunavailable

Toolsmenu->ManageResponseRulesetsAllTargetscontextmenu->ShowSystemStatusAllTargetscontextmenu->ShowMonitoringServiceList

Additionally,ClientAlertsandobjectnoteswillonlybevisibleforthoseInstancesinwhichtheuserhasrights.

APPLICATIONOFUSERS/GROUPSRIGHTS:Scenario:

Thereare100servers.


Thereare20users.ThereneedstobetwodifferentgroupsGroupA(10Users)andGroupB(10Users)withvisibilitytodifferentservers.GroupAshouldhaveaccesstoservers1-50GroupBshouldhaveaccesstoservers51-100Oneoftheusers(AllButOne)shouldhaveaccesstoallbutoneoftheserversallowedinGroupAandGroupB.

Setup:

1. Addthe20usersintheClient.2. CreateaGroupAwithrightstoservers1-50byaddingthemontheRightstabandcheckingAllow

3. CreateaGroupBwithrightstoservers51-100byaddingthemontheRightstabandcheckingAllow

4. AddtheuserstotheirrespectivegroupsontheGroups->Propertiestab.5. CreateuserAllButOneandaddtobothgroups.6. OntheRightstabfortheAllButOneuserselectDenyfortheservertheusershouldnotbeabletoaccess.

SentryOnewillcheckgroupsforrestrictedInstancesfirst.Afterthegroupmembershiphasbeenevaluated,userInstancerestrictionsareevaluated.Note:TheDenyoverridesanyAllowthatisconfiguredthroughagroup.

5.2 RoleBasedSecurity

InordertoprovideamoresecureenvironmentandstillallownonSystemAdministratorstotakeadvantageofSentryOne'smanyfeatures,rolesareplacedontheSentryOneDatabaseduringitsinstallationorupgrade.Userscanbeplacedintheserolesallowingthemaccesstothefeaturestheyneed,whilerestrictingaccesstootherfeaturesthatmaybeaboveandbeyondtheirparticularresponsibility.

SETTINGUPROLEBASEDSECURITYRoleBasedSecurityisprimarilyconfiguredthroughT-SQLstatementsorbyusingSSMStosetupdatabaserolesinSQLServer.FirstmakethepersonaUserontheSentryOnedatabaseandaddthemtotheallow_allrole.ThisprovidesfullaccesstotheSentryOnedatabase.

FromhereyoucanaddtheUsertoanyofthecustomdeny_rolestorestrictthatUser'saccesstothedifferentfunctionsofSentryOne.Therolenamesareself-explanatory.Typicallythereisaroletodenyupdatingthespecifiedinformation,andonetodenyreadingtheinformationatall.

ROLES


Role Description

allow_allProvidesfullaccesstoSentryOne'sfeatures.Placeallnon-saUsersinthisrole,thenaddtodenyrolestorestrictaccess.

deny_actions_read DeniestheabilitytoviewallGeneral,Failsafe,Audit,andAdvisoryConditionactions.

deny_actions_updateDeniestheabilitytomakechangestoanyactions,butallowstheviewingofthosesettings,makingthem"read-only".

deny_appsettings_update DeniesanychangesmadeundertheSentryOneMonitoring Service > Settingsnode.

deny_contact_updateDeniestheabilitytoupdateinformationforindividualUsers,butallowsviewingtheinformation,makingit"read-only".

deny_contactgroup_update DeniestheabilitytoupdateGroupinformation,makingit"read-only".

deny_customconditions_update Deniestheabilitytoenable,disable,create,oreditAdvisoryConditions.

deny_eventchain_read DeniestheabilitytoviewEventChaininformation.

deny_eventchain_update DeniestheabilitytomakechangestoEventChains.

deny_settings_connection_read DeniestheabilitytoviewinformationundertheSettingstabattheInstancelevel.

deny_settings_connection_update DeniestheabilitytomakechangesundertheSettingstabattheInstancelevel.

deny_settings_object_read DeniestheabilitytoviewinformationundertheSettingstabattheObjectlevel.

deny_settings_object_update DeniestheabilitytomakechangesundertheSettingstabattheObjectlevel.

deny_settings_source_read DeniestheabilitytoviewSourceinformationfromtheSettingstab.

deny_settings_source_update DeniestheabilitytomakechangestoSourceinformationfromtheSettingstab.

deny_site_update DenieschangesmadetoSiteConfiguration.

deny_watch_connection DeniestheabilitytowatchorstopwatchinganInstance.


deny_watch_object DeniestheabilitytowatchorstopwatchinganindividualObject.

ANEXAMPLEForexample,youmayhaveajuniorDBAthatneedstobeabletouseSentryOne'sCalendarViewtocheckforanyfailuresorlongrunningjobsovernight,butyoudon'twantthemtobeabletomakechangestoanyofSentryOne'ssettings.

First,addtheirloginasaUserontheSentryOnedatabase.Next,placethatUserintheallow_allrole.ThiswillensuretheUserhasaccesstoalltheinformationtheyneedwhilebeingexplicitlydeniedanyinformationspecifiedintheadditionalrolesinwhichyouplacethem.Finally,forthisexample,youmaywanttoaddthisUsertoall"deny_"rolesexcepttheonesendingin"_read".ThiswilldenychangestoanysettingsalongwiththeabilitytowatchorstopwatchinganInstanceorobject.

ItisalsoimportanttorememberthatloginsusingSQLServerAuthenticationmustbespecifiedintheSentryOneClientInstanceinformationaswell.GototheFile Menu -> Connect to Installation,unchecktheboxmarked"IntegratedWindowsAuthentication",andentertheUser'sloginandpassword.YouwillthenhavetorestarttheSentryOneClient.ThesenewsettingswillremainineffectonthisSentryOneClientuntilexplicitlychangedagain.

Note: The roles starting with "db_" are SQL Server default roles placed on every database. Useof these roles in the SentryOne database may cause unpredictable behavior.

Role Description


6 SentryOneClient

TheSentryOneClientprovidesaseamlessexperienceforservermonitoringandoptimization,querytuning,alerting,andjobscheduling,allwithinthesamethinclientinterface.

ThissectiondiscussesthedifferentelementsoftheSentryOneClient.

ClientInterfaceNavigatorPaneEventViewPaneConditionsPaneSettingsPaneClientAlertsMenusUserPreferencesLicenseManagement

NavigatorNodesFavoriteTargetsVirtualizationAllTargets

DefaultSiteTargetsInstances

SQLServerRegistrationsContactManagementSchedulesandWindowsObjectGroupsMonitoringService

MonitoringServiceSettingsSMTPConfiguration

SiteConfigurationInventoryViewMonitoringServiceLoadBalancingandFaultToleranceActionsLogSystemStatusServiceConfigurationUtilityMonitoringServiceLogonAccount

CommonTasksReportingAddingNotesMonitorAdditionalInstancesConnecttoInstallation


6.1 ClientInterface

TheSentryOneClientinterfaceisdividedupintothreemainareas.Thefirstarea,positionedalongtheleftsideoftheClientbydefault,containstheNavigatorandEventViewpanes.Thesecondarea,positionedalongtherightsideoftheClientbydefault,containstheActionsandSettingspanes.TheWorkspaceareaoccupiesthecenterposition.TheSentryOneClienthasbeendesignedwithanenhancedmultipledocumentinterface(MDI).Allpanesaremovable,dockable,andresizable.Thepanescanalsobesettoauto-hidewhennotinusetoallowforalargerviewableWorkspacearea.

WORKINGWITHPANESBoththeNavigatorandEventViewpanesandtheConditionsandSettingspanescanbeenabledordisabled.Inaddition,thepushpinfeaturecanbeusedtoauto-hidethepanesallowingforalargerWorkspacearea.Thesepanescanalsobedockedorundockedallowingtheworkspacetobecustomizedtobestfityourworkstyle.IntheeventthatthepanesareclosedtheycaneasilyberestoredfromtheViewmenu.

WORKSPACELAYOUTThedimensionsoftheClientPanesandWorkspaceAreaaresavedautomaticallywhenyouclosetheClient.ThedefaultconfigurationcanberestoredbyselectingtheResetLayoutoptionfromtheToolsmenu.

STATUS BARAtthebottomoftheSentryOneClientisastatusbardividedintofoursections.Eachdisplaysinformationincluding:

Thecurrentstatusfortheactiveview(left)

Thecurrentprogressfortheactiveview(middle)

Thecurrentlocationoftheactivewindowrelativetothenavigationtree(right)

TheClientAlertstatusindicator(red-errors,yellow-warnings,green-allok)

Jumpto:

NavigatorPane


EventViewPaneConditionsPaneSettingsPaneClientAlertsMenusUserPreferencesLicenseManagement

6.1.1 NavigatorPane

TheNavigatoristhetree-viewpanepositionedontheleftsideoftheclientbydefault.ThevariousnodeswithintheNavigatorareusedasthestartingpointindirectingmanyfunctionsoftheSentryOneClient,suchasviewinganEventCalendar,oraPerformanceAnalysisDashboard.TheNavigatornodesarealsousedasthestartingpointtoaccessthevariouslevelsofConditionsandSettingswithintheAlertingandResponseSystem.Rightclickingonanodewillaccessitscontextmenu.

NAVIGATORPANEOVERVIEW

NAVIGATORPANEELEMENTSEach object in your SentryOne Enterprise will have an associated icon. Several of the node iconsin the Navigator pane will vary based on conditions, such as Instance status, or watched status.

INSTANCESTATUSAgreenarrowindicatesthattheInstancehasanOnlinestatus.

AredcircleindicatesthattheInstancehasanOfflinestatus.

AredexclamationpointindicatesthattheInstancerequiresattention.OftenassociatedwiththeSQLServerAgentbeingoffline.


AnemptycircleindicatesthattheInstancehasawatchedstatusbutisnotbeingactivelymonitored.ThiscanhappeniftheMonitoringServicehasstoppedortheInstancebelongstoasitewithoutanactiveMonitoringService.

InstanceStatusisdeterminedbytheSentryOneMonitoringService'sabilitytocollectinformationfromtheInstance.IfanInstancehasagreenarrowthisindicatesthattheInstancehasanOnlineStatus.IfanInstancehasaredcirclethisindicatesthatanInstancehasanofflinestatus.

ThefollowingisasimplifiedversionofhowInstanceStatusinformationisobtainedanddisplayedintheSentryOneClient.

1. TheSentryOneMonitoringServicefirstgathersInstanceStatusinformation.2. ThisInstanceStatusinformationiswrittentotheSentryOnedatabase.3. TheSentryOneClientretrievesthisInstanceStatusinformationfromthedatabaseanddisplaysit.

YoucanselectanyInstancenodetoaccessadditionalstatusinformation.Atooltipwilldisplaythestatus(Offline/Online),theLastMonitoringServiceInstanceTime,andanyapplicableerrorinformation.

WATCHEDSTATUSAtargetmustfirstbesetto'Watched'beforeSentryOnewillbeginmonitoringit.To'Watch'atargetusetheright-clickcontextmenuofthetarget.YoucanalsohideunwatchedtargetssotheywillnotdisplayintheNavigatorPaneintheUserPreferences(Tools->UserPreferences->Navigator->HideUnwatchedInstances).FormoreinformationaboutwatchingtargetsandobjectsseetheWatchingInstancesandObjectstopic.

Agrayed-outiconindicatesthattheInstance/objectisnotbeingwatched.

AcolorediconindicatesthatInstance/objectisbeingwatched.

INSTANCEICONSThedifferenttypesofInstancesarerepresentedwithdifferenticons.Refertothetablebelow.

SQLServerInstance

AnalysisServicesInstance

WindowsInstance

REDTEXTINTHENAVIGATORPANEIfthelabeltextforanodeisredthisindicatesthataneventobjecthasarecentfailure.Failurescascadefromtheobjectleveluptothehighestgrouplevelcontainingtheobject.Youcanclearajobfailurethroughtheright-clickcontextmenuofthejob,byselectingClearedFailedStatus.YoumayalsoadjusthowlongfailureswillbedisplayedintheNavigatorthroughtheUserPreferences(Toolsmenu->UserPreferences->Navigator->HighlightEventFailuresinNavigatorfor).

SNOOZINGOBJECTSINTHENAVIGATOR


AllTargets(Global),Sites,Groups,andTargetscanbesnoozedviaarightclickcontextmenuintheNavigatorpane.SnoozinganobjectpreventsanySentryOneactionsfromoccurringwhilethesnoozeisineffect.Thesnoozestatusisinheritedbyobjectslowerinthehierarchy.Forexample,snoozingtheAllTargets(Global)nodewilleffectivelystopallSentryOneactionsintheenvironmentforthedurationofthesnooze.

Asnoozecanbeendedearlyviatherightclickcontextmenuofasnoozedobject.

NOTE:ChangingthesnoozestatusofanobjectisloggedtotheActionsLogviatheAuditConditionSnooze Status Changed.

ADDITIONALINFORMATIONForadditionalinformationaboutthespecificnodesdisplayedintheNavigatorPane,seetheNavigatortopic.

6.1.2 EventViewPane

TheEventViewpaneisusedtofilterwhatisshownintheEventCalendarview.

When you have a Calendar open to switch to the Event View, click the Event View tab at thebottom of the pane.

EVENTVIEWTABSThe following are descriptions for the various Event View tabs:

Filter- Used for general filter settings including run status, review status, duration, andopen text filters.Properties - Displays a description of the view along with time settings and an objectcount. For more details see below.Connections -Displays the Instances and Instance text filters for the current view.Objects- Displays individual Event Objects added to the current view.Event Sources- Allows you to determine the display properties of each Event Source.

Tab FormattingThe formatting of the tab text indicates whether certain filters are enabled or disabled. If an eventsource is deselected, the tab name will be gray. If any objects or categories are selected for asource, the tab name will be in bold. Additionally, any runtime or other filters set on the Filter tabwill cause that tab name to bold.


Activating FiltersAfter making filter selections, activate the filter by clicking the Apply Filter button near the bottomof the filter menu. When the filter is active, the "Apply Filter" button will have a blue background.

NOTE: Runtime filters do not affect status event objects.

Using Text FiltersMultiple keywords are separated with a semicolon (;). A plus sign (+) is used in front of anykeyword(s) that you want to apply using an "and" operator. Otherwise the keyword will be appliedwith an "or" operator. Text filters can be applied to the Event Object Name, the step text, or to thename of the object owner. If filters are entered in two or more of these text boxes, they will beapplied with an "and" operator.Removing FiltersAny filter settings can be removed from the active view by clicking Remove Filter. This button isnot available on Custom Event Views and other views containing multiple Instances, to ensure afilter is always applied to these views and thus minimize the chance of overloading the SentryOneClient with too much event data.Saving a Filter as a ViewTo save the active filter settings to a Custom Event View, select Save View As from the Filemenu.

PROPERTIES TABThe Properties Tab displays basic descriptive information about the current view. Additionally, thistab provides controls to set the default time slice for this view. This allows you to specify thenumber of days, amount of time, and start time shown for this view every time it is opened. Whena Performance Monitor is placed on a Custom Event View, it is applied to all monitorable objectswithin the view. The View Totals box, at the bottom, allows you to see exactly how many objectswill be monitored.The following are descriptions of the View Totals values.

Connections- The total number of SQL Server instances and Windows Instancesassociated with the view.

Objects From Instances- Gives a count of all objects from those Instances that meetthe filter criteria.

Individual Objects- The number of objects added by the Edit Individual Objects button.

Total Objects- The total objects in the view.

Total Monitored Objects- The total amount of objects that actually have PerformanceMonitors attached to them.

Total Monitorable- The total number of those objects which can have PerformanceMonitors attached to them (SQL Agent Jobs, Reporting Services Reports, and WindowsTasks).


6.1.3 ConditionsPane

This topic covers information related to the Conditions pane. For a comprehensive list of allavailableActionsincludinginformationaboutconfiguringalertspleaseseetheActionstopicwhichispartoftheSentryOneAlertingandResponseSystemtopicset.TheConditionsPaneisdisplayedontherightsideoftheSentryOneClientbydefault.TheConditionspaneisusedtoconfigureActionsinresponsetoConditionsbeingmet,aspartoftheSentryOneAlertingandResponseSystem.ActionscanbedefinedinresponsetocertainConditionsbeingmetwithinyourenvironment.YoucanchoosefromavarietyofActions,dependingonwhichConditionisbeingrespondedto.

AllConditionsworkontheprincipleofinheritance.ThismeansthatifyouconfigureanActioninresponse to aConditionbeing met at the Global level (All Targets), it will be automatically passeddown to all applicable objects below it. This allows you to define GlobalConditionsfor the mostcommon issues across your environment once, and have those passed down to every monitoredserver automatically. You can further refine Conditions at each level as needed.For a visualrepresentation of how inheritance works within SentryOne see the Alerting and Response SystemHierarchy diagram.

EachConditionthatyouconfigureinyourenvironmentwillhaveanassociatedbehavior.ThebehaviorcontrolshowtheConditionwillbecarriedoutrelativetoanyinheritedConditions.TherearethreeConditionbehaviorsavailable:OverrideInheritedActions,CombinewithInheritedActions,andDisabled.ForacompleteexplanationandexampleusagescenarioforeachbehaviorseetheActionBehaviorsectiontopic.

VIEWTheConditionspaneisdisplayedontherightsideofthescreenbydefault.IfyoudonotseetheConditionspane,usetheViewmenu(View->GeneralActions/FailsafeActions/AuditActions).EachConditiontypehasanassociatedActionstabwhereActionscanbeconfiguredinresponsetoConditionsbeingmet.

Conditionspanesections:

Inherited-ThissectiondisplaystheconfiguredActionsthatarebeinginheritedbythecurrentlyselectedobject.

ConfiguredActionsintheInheritedSectionhaveaStatuscolumnwhichindicatesiftheyapplytothecurrentlyselectedobject.

ConfiguredActionswithaStatusofEnabledhaveGreentext.

ConfiguredActionswithaStatusofDisabledaregrayedout.

Explicit-ThissectiondisplaystheconfiguredActionsthatareexplicitlysetatthecurrentobjectlevel.

AnActionthatisExplicitlydisabledwillhaveRedtext.ConfiguredActionswithaStatusofEnabledhaveGreentext.

SNOOZINGACONDITION/ACTIONAlertscanbesnoozedorsuppressedforaperiodoftimebyrightclickingontheCondition/ActionintheConditionsPaneandselectingoneofthefollowingoptions:


SnoozethisCondition/ActionCombination-SnoozesthespecificCondition/ActionthatisselectedSnoozethisConditionforAllActions-SnoozesallinstancesoftheselectedConditionregardlessoftheActionassignedtoitSnoozethisActionforAllConditions-SnoozesallinstancesoftheselectedActionregardlessoftheConditionassignedtoit

Additionally,youcanselectwhetherthesnoozeaffectsjustthehierarchicalobjectthatyouselected(Site,Group,Target,Instance)oritaffectsallobjects.

ConditionsthathavebeensnoozedwillhaveagraybackgroundintheConditionsPane.

OnceaCondition/Actionissnoozed,itcanbeunsnoozedbyrightclickingonthesnoozedobjectandselectingtheUnsnoozeoption.Alternatively,youcanunsnoozeallsnoozedConditions/ActionsthroughtheToolsmenu->UnsnoozeAlloption.

6.1.4 SettingsPane

TheSettingspaneiswheresettingsareconfiguredforInstances,Sources,andObjects.Thistabisalso where performance counter thresholds are configured when a counter is selected. Settingscanbeconfiguredglobally,attheInstancelevel,orattheobjectlevel,andjustlikeConditionstheyworkontheprincipleofinheritance.SeeConditionspaneformoreinformation.

CONNECTIONSETTINGSConnectionsettingscanbeappliedatthegloballevelorforanindividualInstance.Toadjustthesettingsatthegloballevel,selectthedevicesnodeandthenselecttheSettingstabtodisplay.TherearethreetypesofsettingsforanInstance;MaintenanceWindow,MiscellaneousandSynchronization.

MAINTENANCEWINDOWSETTINGMaintenanceWindowsettingsallowatimeframetobespecifiedwhereFailsafeNotificationswillbedisabledwhilemaintenanceactivitiestakeplaceonthatInstance.ThiswillpreventexcessivenotificationsthatmayoccurifawatchedInstanceistemporarilyinaccessibleduringtheseactivities.LogActionswillstillbeenabledduringthiswindow,butanyExecuteorSendActionswillnotfire.

MISCELLANEOUSSETTING(SQLSERVER2005ANDABOVE)Auto-enableSQLServerAgentTokens

OnSQLServer2005andabove,SQLServerAgentTokensaredisabledasasecuritymeasure.TheymustbeenabledtoallowSentryOnetowatchAlertsontheseservers.SelectingTrueallowsSentryOnetoautomaticallyenablethesetokenswhenanAlertiswatchedona2005andaboveserver.MoreinformationcanbefoundinSQLServerBooksOnline.

Auto-RecyclelargeSQLServerAgentLogs

ThissettingdetermineswhetherornottoautomaticallyrecyclelargeagentlogfilesinSQLServer2005andabove.

MaximumQueueLength


http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms130214.aspx

Thissettingspecifiesthemaximumnumberofjobsthatcanbequeuedatonetimeonthisserver.SeeJobQueuingformoreinformation.Thedefaultsettingis5.

CollectMemorybyCategoryData(SSAS)ThissettingisusedtoprovidemoredetailthanthebasicCleanermemorydata,butishigheroverheadtocollect. Usecautionwhenenablingtoensureitdoesnotimpactperformance.ThedefaultvalueforthissettingisFalse.

AZURESQLDATABASESETTINGAllowSentryOneMonitoringObjectsinTarget

Inordertoprovidethebestexperience,somefeaturesofmonitoringanAzureSQLDatabaserequiresafewsmalltablesandprocedurestobestoredinthetargetdatabase.TheseobjectswillbecreatedandmaintainedinaSentryOneschema.Ifyouchoosenottoallowthemonitoringobjectstobecreated,thefeaturesdependentuponthem(e.g.,TOPSQLcollection)willbedisabledforthetargetdatabase.ThisissettoFalsebydefault,butcanbechangedgloballyoroverriddenatthetargetlevel.

SYNCHRONIZATIONSynchronizationType

This setting refers to how the SentryOne Client will respond if it discovers the data intheSentryOneDatabaseisnotuptodate.ThedefaultistoshowamessageboxwarningoftheconditionandaskingiftheSentryOneClientshouldsynchronizetheinformationitself.

SynchronizationThreshold

The amount of time that must pass since the last successful synchronization bytheSentryOneMonitoringServicebeforetheClientattemptstosynchronizedirectlywiththetarget.

IMPORTANT: This situation may suggest that the SentryOne Monitoring Service is notretrieving data from this Instance. If this is the case, verify that the SentryOne MonitoringServiceisrunning,andcheckforanyentriesintheFailsafelog.

EVENTOBJECTSETTINGSTo display the Settings for an object type, select the object in either the Navigator or on theCalendar,thenselecttheSettingstab.Foreachcategoryinthedrop-downlistforthejob,globalsettings are displayed. This means that it will be automatically inherited by all SQL Agent JobsunlessoverriddenattheindividualInstanceorjoblevel.

NOTE:Not all event types have object settings, for example, Maintenance Plans or SQL ServerAgent Log.

QueuingSettingsFor SQL Server Agent Jobs only, the Settings screen is used to configure a job’s behaviorwhenqueuinganotherjob,orwhenitisqueuedbyanotherjob.SeeJobQueuingformoreinformation.

RUNTIMETHRESHOLDSSETTINGSIn the Runtime Thresholds section, a value forMinimum Runtime Threshold PercentandMaximumRuntimeThresholdPercentcanbespecified.FortheglobalMinimumThreshold,10%


isusuallyagoodstartingvalue,andfortheMaximumThreshold,250%isusuallyagoodstartingvalue. Thismeansthatanytimeajobrunsforlessthan10%orlongerthan250%ofit's averageruntimeanotificationwillbesent.Iftoomanymessagesarebeingreceived,thesesettingscanbeadjustedasneeded.Explicit time-basedthresholds canalsobespecified. Anytimeanexplicit time-basedthresholdisspecifiedit will overridethepercentagebasedthresholdsfor that object. Time-basedthresholdsare usually less valuable at the global level, particularly the MinimumRuntime Threshold whichdoesn'thavemuchvalueatallglobally.ExplicitruntimethresholdstendtobemoreapplicableattheactualInstanceorobjectlevelforoverridingtheglobalpercentagethresholdsonacase-by-casebasis.

NOTE:OnenotificationwillbesentoncetheMaximumRuntimeThresholdhasbeenmetandaseparatenotificationwillbesentonceithascompleted.

Forexample,considerajobthathasagreatdealofvolatilityinruntimesuchasatransactionlogbackup,whichcanrunforanywherebetween30secondsand30minutes,andit'saverageruntimeis 5 minutes. To avoid unnecessary percentage-based threshold notifications for the job, oneoption would be to set its Maximum Runtime Thresholdto "35 Minutes" and MinimumRuntimeThresholdto"20Seconds". This canbedonebyselectingeither thejob's nodeintheNavigatororaninstanceofthejobonthecalendar,thenfollowthesamestepsasabovetoaccessandchangethejob'sruntimethresholdsettings.

NOTE: RuntimeThresholdmessagesforReportingServicesReportscompletinginlessthantwominuteswillnotbeprocesseduntiltheyarecomplete.

GENERALEVENTSOURCESETTINGSAuto-watchNewObjects

ThissettingdetermineswhetherornotSentryOnewillautomaticallywatchanynewobjectsthat appear for this event source. It is highly recommended that Auto-watch is set toTrueforallsourcesatthegloballevel,sothatnonewobjectswillslipthroughthecracksandbemissedbySentryOne.ThedefaultsettingisTrue.

MaximumRowstoSynchronize

Use this setting to adjust the amount of historical data to collect fromthis source at anygiven time. This setting is most applicable during the initial synchronization process, toprevent tens or hundreds of thousands of rows frombeingsynchronized fromanexistingserver,whichcancausecontentionissueswiththeSentryOnedatabase.Thedefaultsettingis5000.

MissedRunThreshold

Thesettingdetermineshowmuchtimemustpassinorderforanobjectruntobeconsideredmissed.Thedefaultvalueforthissettingis5minutes.

PERFORMANCECOUNTERSETTINGSThe Performance Counter ('Monitoring Event Object Performance' in the on-linedocumentation)Settingsscreenisusedtosettheminimumandmaximumvaluesforthecounterthresholds of that particular counter. These will be used to trigger thePerformance Counter:Threshold MinandMaxconditions if any conditions are enabled for them. This option is only


available when selecting a specific performance counter fromthe Navigator Pane. There can beonlyoneminimumandonemaximumvalueforagivencounter,regardlessofhowmanyobjectsarelinkedtothecounter.

BLOCKINGSQLSETTINGSCollectionSettings

TheMinimumBlockDurationsettingdetermineshowlongblockingmustoccurbeforetheblockingconditionistriggered.Thedefaultforthissettingis15seconds.

TOPSQLSETTINGSRuntimeThresholds

TheMaximumRuntimeThresholdvalueisusedwhentriggeringtheTopSQL:RuntimeThresholdMaxcondition.Thedefaultvalueissetto1houratthegloballevelandissetatlowerlevelstobeinheritedbytheparent.Ateachlevel,thisvaluecanbeoverriddenorchanged.

TOPSQLSOURCESETTINGSCollectionSettings

TheMinimumDurationsettingdeterminestherequireddurationforaTopSQLeventtobecollected.Thedefaultsettingis5seconds.Forsafetyreasons,itcannotbereducedbelow100msunlessoneoftheCPU,ReadsorWritesfiltersis>0.

TheMinimumCPU,MinimumReads,andMinimumWritessettingscanalsobeusedtofiltertheTopSQLeventscollected.Thesesettingsare0bydefault.

TheCollectTraceEvents,CollectStatementEvents,andCollectExecutionPlanssettingsspecifywhetherornotthesearecollected.AllaresettoTruebydefault.

IfCollectTraceEventsisdisabled,SentryOnewillnotstartatraceorcollectanyTopSQLeventsfromamonitoredtarget.IfCollectStatementEventsisdisabled,statement-levelinformationwillnotbeavailableinthePlanExplorerStatementsTreewhenviewingaqueryplan.IfCollectExecutionPlansisdisabled,TopSQLeventcollectionwilloccurasnormal,howeverqueryplaninformationwillnotbeautomaticallycollectedforthoseevents.PlaninformationcanstillbecollectedondemandfromwithinaPlanExplorersession,however.

WARNING:Onsystemswithveryhightransactionvolumesthatalsomakeextensiveuseofscalarfunctions,enablingCollectStatementEventsmaycauseanegativeimpactontheperformanceofthemonitoredtarget,regardlessoftheeffectiveTopSQLfiltersettingsorthenumberofeventsactuallycollected.Seealso:Performanceimpact:SQLtraceanduserdefinedscalarfunctions

TheRunningEventsPollingIntervalsettingspecifieshowoftentheservicechecksforrunningevents,primarilyforthepurposeofcapturingqueryplaninformation.ThissettingdoesnotimpacttheactualTopSQLeventscollected.Thedefaultsettingis5seconds.

TheCollectQueryStatssettingenablesthecollectionofquerystats.Thissettingmustbesetto


http://sqlblog.com/blogs/linchi_shea/archive/2009/06/15/performance-impact-sql-trace-and-user-defined-scalar-functions.aspx


trueinorderfortheQueryStatsareaintheTopSQLtabtowork.NotethatinordertocollectquerystatsforAzureSQLDatabaseTargetsthe“AllowSentryOneMonitoringObjectsinTarget”settingundertheAzureSQLDatabaseConnectionsettingscategorymustalsobesettoTrue.

TheQueryStatsSampleIntervalspecifieshowoftentosamplequerystats.

TheFilterTimeSpanspecifiesthebaselengthoftimeoverwhichthecollectionfilterswillbeappliedtoQueryStats.

TheFilterFactoriscalculatedbydividingtheQueryStatsSampleIntervalbytheFilterTimeSpan.ThecollectionfilterssuchasMinimumDurationaremultipliedbythisvaluewhenappliedtoQueryStatscollection.

DEADLOCKSOURCESETTINGSCollectionSettings

Thissettingdeterminesifthedeadlockstatementcollectionisenabled.ThedefaultvalueisTrue.

SQLSERVERAGENTJOBSETTINGSQueuingSettings

Thesesettingsareusedtodeterminethebehaviorofajobwhenitisqueuingotherjobsorwhenthejobisbeingqueued.FormoreinformationseeJobQueuing.

SSASSETTINGSCollectionSettings

TheMinimumDurationvalueistheamountoftimerequiredforastatementtobelogged.Thedefaultforthissettingis1second.

TheCollectMDX/DMX/XMLAEventssettingdetermineswhetherornotthecommandcollectionisenabled.ThedefaultsettingisTrue.

6.1.5 ClientAlerts

TheClientAlertstatusindicatorislocatedinthebottomrighthandcorneroftheSentryOneClient.WhenanAlertstatusisdetected,apopupwithinformationaboutthealertisdisplayed.Youmaychoosetoeitherpinthealert,dismissit,oropentheClientAlertswindow(clickonthealerttext).ClientAlertsaredesignedtogiveyouactionableinformationaboutproblemsinyourmonitoredenvironment.ToopentheClientAlertsdialog,double-clickthestatusindicatorinthebottomrightofthescreen.

YoumaydisablestatusalertpopupsorchangetherecurrenceintervalthroughtheUserPreferences(Toolsmenu→User Preferences →SystemStatus).

Thefollowingcolorscorrespondtothedifferentalertlevels:

AlertLevel Description

Green

(NoAlerts)

AGreenstatusindicatesthattherearenoalerts.

Yellow

(Warning)

AYellowstatusistheWarninglevelindicator.WarninglevelalertsaregeneratedwhenthereisaproblemwhichwilllimitthefullfunctionalityofSentryOne.ThiscouldincludetheSQLServerAgentbeingoffline.


Red

(Error)

ARedstatusistheErrorlevelindicator.Errorlevelalertsaregeneratedwhenthereisasignificantprobleminyourmonitoredenvironment,suchaswhenaInstancehasbeendetectedasoffline,orifthereisaproblemsynchronizingdata.

IfyouwouldliketoconfigurenotificationsforInstanceStatusandMonitoringServiceerrorsbesuretoreviewtheavailableFailsafeConditions.

ConcerningtheHistorySynchronizationFailedAlert

IfyouseethefollowingClientAlerterrormessageconcerninghistorysynchronization:

History Synchronization Failed: Message: SQL Server Agent has information logging turned on. The log will fillquickly in this state. Agent log history synchronization will be paused until information logging is turned off.

ThiserrorindicatesthatInformationloggingisenabledfortheSQLServerAgentlog.Withthislevelofloggingenabled,theAgentlogwillquicklygrowbeyond1megabyteinsize.TheoverheadassociatedwithreadingtheSQLServerAgentlogwhenitgrowstothissizecancauseperformanceproblems.SentryOnewillnotsynchronizetheAgentloguntilInformationloggingisdisabled.

Informationloggingcanbeturnedoffasfollows:

1. FromSSMS(SQLServerManagementStudio),right-clicktheErrorLogsfolderwithintheSQLServerAgentgroupnodefortheassociatedserver,andselecttheConfigurecommand.

2. UncheckInformation,andclickOKtosave.

FormoreinformationaboutSQLAgentlogsynchronizationissues,seethisKBarticle.

6.1.6 Menus

ThemenusandtoolbarsareusedtooperatetheSentryOneClient.Theoptionsavailablewithinthemenuswillvarydependingontheactivewindow.FormoreinformationaboutthetoolbarsseethePerformanceAnalysistoolbartopicandtheEventCalendartoolbartopic.

FollowingaredescriptionsofthecommandsfoundinthevariousSentryOnemenus.

TheFileMenu:

Item Hotkey Description

NewInstance n/a AddanewInstancetotheNavigatorPane.

NewPlanExplorerSession n/a OpensanewPlanExplorerSession.

Open n/a OpenExecutionPlanfiles.

ConnecttoInstallation... n/a SpecifytheSentryOneDatabaseandauthenticationinformationfortheclient.

Save Ctrl+S Savechangestotheactivewindow.

SaveViewAs n/a Renameandsavetheactiveview.

Close Ctrl+W Closetheactivewindow.

ExportData Ctrl+E ExportEventListViewsandvarioustabsofPerformanceAnalysis.


http://answers.sqlsentry.com/questions/124/i-keep-getting-errors-about-log-files-how-can-i-fi.html

PageSetup n/a Setthepageoptionsforprinting.

Print n/a Printtheactivewindow.

PrintPreview n/a Previewtheactivewindowforprinting,exportingandsendemailoptions.

RecentFiles n/a DisplayalistofrecentlyopenedPlanExplorerfiles.

Exit Ctrl+Q ExittheSentryOneClient.

TheViewMenu:

Item Description

Navigator ViewtheNavigatorPane

EventView ViewtheEventViewPane

PlanHistory ViewthePlanHistoryPane

Conditions ViewtheConditionsPane

Settings ViewtheSettingsPane

StartPage ViewtheStartPage

TheCalendarMenu:

Item Description

ShowConflicts Exploreconflictsforspecifiedtimerange.

ViewStyle SelecttheviewstyleforEventCalendar.

TheReportsMenu:

FormoreinformationabouttheReportingoptionsinSentryOneseetheReportingtopic.

Item Description

EventCalendar EventCalendarassociatedreports.

PerformanceAnalysis PerformanceAnalysisassociatedreports.

General Generalreports.

ReportDeploymentSettings SQLServerReportServerlocationthatyouwishtodeployyourreports.

DeployReports DeploysthereportstothelocationspecifiedintheReportDeploymentSettings.


ImportReports UsedtoimportfuturereportscreatedbytheSentryOnedevelopmentteam.

TheToolsMenu:


UserPreferences Ctrl+O SettheSentryOneClientUserPreferences.

FindObject Ctrl+F Objectsearchtool,usedtofindEventObjectswithintheSentryOneClient.

ManageResponseRulesets n/a OpensallResponseRulesetsforediting.

ResetEventViewFilter n/a RestoresEventviewFiltersettingstodefault.

ResetLayout n/a RestorestheLayouttodefault.

DownloadLatestAdvisoryConditionsPack n/a DownloadslatestAdvisoryConditionpackfromSentryOne.

TheWindowMenu:

Item Description

Cascade Cascadeactivewindowsintheworkspaceview.

TileVertical Tileactivewindowsverticallyintheworkspaceview.

TileHorizontal Tileactivewindowshorizontallyintheworkspaceview.

Tabbed Displayactivewindowsontabsintheworkspaceview.

ShowTabsonMultipleLine Allowsmultiplerowsoftabstobedisplayed.

Auto-RotatePerformanceAnalysisTabs

Auto-rotatesthroughtheactivePerformanceAnalysiswindowswhenenabled.TherotationdoesnotchangetheactivetabofaPerformanceAnalysiswindow.Therefore,whichevertabisselectedasactivewillberefreshedasthewindowsrotate.

ActiveWindowsName AlltheActiveWindowsarelistedhere.

TheHelpMenu:


SentryOneHelp Ctrl+HorF1

OpenstheSentryOneUserGuide.

Item Description


SentryOneQuickStartGuide

Ctrl+F OpenstheSentryOneQuickStartGuide.

SetupWizard n/a StartstheSentryOneSetupWizard.

CheckforUpdates n/a ConnectswithSentryOne'sonlinerepositoryandverifiesthatyouhavethelatestversion.

ManageLicenses n/a OpenstheLicenseEntrywindowwhereyoucanviewandmanageSentryOneLicenses.

SQLPerformance.comPost n/a CreateapostonSQLPerformance.com

StartRemoteSupportSession

n/a EnteraPinandlaunchasupportsession.

Logging n/a

OptionstoenabletraceloggingfortheSentryOneClientandMonitoringServicefortroubleshootingpurposes.PleasecontactSentryOnesupportbeforeyouenablelogging.Logsarestoredintheinteractiveuser'sAppData\Local\SentryOnedirectory.

About n/a Displayscurrentversion,licensinginformation,expiration.


6.1.7 UserPreferences

ToreviewtheuserpreferencessetinyourSentryOneClient,selectUserPreferencesfromtheToolsMenu.TheRestoreDefaultscommandwillresetallUserPreferencestothedefaultvalue.UserPreferencesallowyoutocustomizethebehaviorandappearanceofyourSentryOneClient.

CALENDAR

Settings Description

CalendarRefreshInterval SettherefreshratefortheCalendar

ShowEventsAsConflictsAfter Specifythedurationthattwoormoreeventinstancesmustoverlapbeforebeingshownasaconflict

ShowPopupsFor Setthepersistenceofpopupmessagesonthecalendar

DefaultdaysforGlobalandGroupviews

Setthedefaultnumberofdaystodisplaywhenopeningtheseviews

PersistCalendarFilterBetweenViews Selecttosavethefiltersettingsbetweenviews


http://www.sqlperformance.com/

Auto-scrollCalendartoCurrentTime SelecttoenableAuto-ScrollfortheCalendaraftertherehasbeennouseractivityforaperiodoftime.

Maximumrowstoreturnforcalendar/listviews

Limitingthisvaluehelpstoavoiddelaysinloadingviewsduetoalargevolumeofdata.

ShowRunningandHistoricalEventsinRecurringWindowifDurationExceeds

ThisvaluedetermineswhateventswillappearintheRecurringWindowatthetopoftheCalendarview.

DefaultintervalwhenusingJumpTo

InstancecontextmenusSetthetimeintervalwhichwillbeshownwhenusingJumpToInstancecontextmenus

NAVIGATOR


HighlightEventFailuresinNavigatorfor

SetthelengthoftimetodisplayfailedeventsinredwithintheNavigator.IfyouenabletheUntilClearedoptionfailureswillremaininreduntiltheyaremanuallycleared.

Automaticallyclearopenfailuresifasubsequentrunissuccessful

IfthesubsequentrunofanobjectissuccessfulthenodewillnolongerbemarkedasfailedintheNavigatorpane.

Showboldtextforfailures Itemswillbecomeboldandredintheeventofafailure.

RefreshFailuresinNavigatorEvery

SpecifyhowoftentheNavigatorpanewillberefreshedtoshowfailures.

ShowFailuresforUnwatchedObjects

EnablethissettingtodisplayunwatchedobjectsinredwithintheNavigatorpaneafterfailure.

HideUnwatchedInstances

EnablethissettingtohideunwatchedInstancesintheNavigatorpane.

DefaultEventViewStyle

SelectthedefaultviewtoshowwhenopeninganEventCalendar.

Promptmetoselectaproductwhenleft-clickingtoopenanode

DetermineswhetherornottopromptfortheproducttousewhenopeninganInstance.Whenuncheckedthedefaultviewfordevice/Instancenodeswillbeused.

DefaultviewforTarget/Instancenodes

DetermineswhatactionSentryOnewilltakewhenyouclickonaTargetorInstancenode.



Auto-synchNavigatorwiththeselectedtab

EnablethissettingtosynchobjectsselectedinthecurrenttabwiththeNavigatorpane.

Auto-synchSettings/Actionswiththeselectedtab

EnablethissettingtosynchobjectsselectedinthecurrenttabwiththeSettingsandConditionspane.

Single-clickopensnewtabs

Enablingthissettingwillallowtheopeningofnewtabswithasingleclick.

Persistlast"JumpToTime"value

Enablethissetting,andeachtimetheJumptoTimecontextmenuitemisused,theprevioustimeselectionwillbehighlightedbydefault.

ShowwarningwhenAlertwatchfailsduetodisabledSQLAgentAlertTokens.

Ifenabled,SentryOnewillwarnyouifyoutrytowatchanAlertonaSQLServer2005andaboveInstanceanddon'thaveAgentTokensenabled.

SynchronizeSQLServerregistrationsanytimearegistrationgroupisexpanded

Ifenabled,SentryOnewillsynchronizeregisteredserversundertheSQLServersnodeanytimearegistrationgroupisexpanded.Whennotchecked,theoptionto"SynchronizeSQLServerGroups..."canbeusedintheNavigatorpanetodothis.

ManuallymanagefoldersforReportingServices

AllowsyoutocreateandmanagefoldersbeneaththeReportingServicesnode.

DefaultStartupAction Determinesthefirsttabdisplayedonstartup.

COLORSMostoftheelementsintheEventCalendarviewmayhavetheircolorscustomized.BesideeachcolorselectionisaPickbutton.WhenyouselectaPickbutton,theColorpaletteisdisplayed.TheDefaultbuttonisusedtoresetallcolorstotheirdefaults.

GRAPHS

Item Description

MaximumrowstoreturnforgraphsonRuntimeStats

Limitstheamountofdatashowninruntimegraphsforperformancereasons.

Maximumrowstoreturnforperformancegraphs

Limitstheamountofdatashowninperformancegraphsforperformancereasons.

UPDATES



Item Description

Automaticallycheckforsoftwareupdatesonstartup

Whenchecked,SentryOnewillautomaticallycheckforupdatesonstartup.Checkedbydefault.AnInternetconnectionisrequired.

AutomaticallycheckforAdvisoryConditionsPackupdates

Whenchecked,SentryOnewillautomaticallycheckforanupdatedAdvisoryConditionsPackwhenlaunchingtheGloballevelConditionsList.Checkedbydefault.Aninternetconnectionisrequired.

SYSTEMSTATUS

Item Description

SystemStatusRefreshInterval Thissettingcontrolshowoftenthesystemstatusscreenisrefreshed.

ShowSuccessfulTasksforupto SetthelengthoftimesuccessfultaskswilldisplayontheSystemStatusscreen.

DisableStatusPopups IfenabledClientalertstatusmessagepopupswillnotbedisplayed.

ClientAlertRecurrenceInterval Thissettingcontrolstherecurrenceintervalforalertpopups.

PERFORMANCEANALYSIS

Item Description

ShowoptionsonQuickTracelaunch

Whenchecked,certainoptionsareavailablewhenaQuickTraceislaunchedmanually.Whenunchecked,thelastoptionsconfiguredwillbeused.Optionsincludeduration,rowstocollect,etc.

TabAuto-rotationFrequency Whenusedinconjunctionwith"Window>Auto-rotatePerformanceAnalysisTabs,"itdetermineshowoftenthetabchanges.

PerformanceAnalysisOverviewRefreshInterval Usedtoconfigurehowoftendataisrefreshed.

Defaulttimespanforhistorymode DefinestheHistoryModedashboard'sdefaulttimerange.

PerformanceAnalysisOverviewSkin UsedtoselecttheskincolorforthePerformanceAnalysisOverviewscreen.

WarnonActualPlanExecution

Ifthisoptionisenabled,whentheActualPlancommandisselectedtheuserwillbeaskedto'ConfirmQueryExecution'beforethePlanwillbecollected.Youcandisablethesewarningsbyunselectingthissetting.

DefaultActualPlanCollectionMode DefineswhetherornotliveprofiledataiscollectedbydefaultwhenanActualPlanisretrieved.


LiveProfileDataCollectionInterval Defineshowoftenliveprofiledataiscollectedduringqueryexecution.

Onlysavehistorywhencommandtextorconnectionsettingschange

Ifenabled,queryplansessionswillonlygeneratehistoryentrieswhenthecommandtextorconnectionsettingsarechanged.

AllowopeningmultiplePerformanceAnalysisinstancesforthesameTargetusingtheNavigator

Ifchecked,PerformanceAnalysistabswillnotbereusedforthesameTarget.

DefaultLinkStyle Defineshowoftenliveprofiledataiscollectedduringqueryexecution.

DefaultDashboardMode DefinesthedefaultDashboardmodewhenopeningPerformanceAnalysisforatarget.

PrompttoSaveSessionUponExit Ifchecked,apromptwilldisplayuponexittosavetheactivetabsandpanes.

Item Description

6.1.8 LicenseManagement

SentryOneisgenerallylicensedperindividualmonitoredtarget.ThisincludesproductsforWindowsServer,SQLServer,AnalysisServices,VMware,andAzureSQLDB.WinSentry,andVSentrycanbelicensedpercore.Thisismostoftenusedinvirtualizedenvironments.Hypervisorhostsarelicensedbasedontheirnumberofprocessorcores,andanyvirtualmachinesmanagedbythehostarelicensedforallrelevantproducts.LicensingisindependentoftheSentryOneClient,andthereisnolimittothenumberofClientswhichmaybeinstalledinyourenvironment.LicensingisalsoindependentofthenumberofSentryOneMonitoringServicesinstalledinyourenvironment.

ANALYTICSPLATFORMSYSTEMANDSQLDATAWAREHOUSELICENSINGThelicensingforMicrosoftAnalyticsPlatformSystem(APS)andSQLDataWarehouse(SQLDW)differfromthetraditionalSentryOnelicensingmodel.MonitoringforthesetypesofTargetsisdependentonlicenseunits.InordertomonitoranAPSorSQLDWTarget,anumberoflicenseunitsequaltoorgreaterthanthenumberofcomputenodesonthetargetisrequired.Ifthenumberofcomputenodesexceedsthenumberoflicenseunits,monitoringwillbesuspendeduntiladditionallicenseunitsareapplied.Forexample,ifasixcomputenodeSQLDWtargetisbeingmonitoredwithasixnodelicense,thentwoadditionalnodesareaddedtotheSQLDWenvironmenttoaccommodateincreasedactivity,monitoringwillstopuntilanupdatedlicensethatincludesadditionallicenseunitsisapplied.

FREELICENSEOFSQLSENTRYFORMONITORINGTHEREPOSITORY


INSTANCEItispossibletoobtainafreelicenseofSQLSentryforthepurposeofmonitoringtheSQLServerinstancethatcontainstheSentryOnedatabase.Thefreelicenseisavailablewhenanyofthefollowingistrue:

Five(5)ormoreSQLSentrylicensesareownedOne(1)ormore(core-based)licenseisowned

IMPORTANT NOTE: The free license will NOT appear in the license count in the Help >Aboutwindow,whetherornotthefreelicenseisused.There are no annual software maintenance costs for the free license, and the license isperpetual.

THEHARDWAREKEYYourSentryOnelicensehasahardwarekeywhichistiedtothelocationofyourSentryOneDatabase(denotedbytheSQLServerinstancename).IfforanyreasonyoudecidetorelocatetheSentryOneDatabase,thishardwarekeycanbeupdatedthroughourCustomerPortalbyanyauthorizedaccountholder.Asalways,youmaycontactSentryOnesupportifyouhaveanyproblems.IfyouareplanningonmovingtheSentryOneDatabase,pleaseseetheRelocatingtheSentryOneDatabasetopic.

APPLYINGANEWLICENSEYoucanmanageyourlicensewithintheSentryOneClientwiththeManage Licensescommand,whichcanbefoundthroughtheHelpMenu(Help menu → Manage Licenses).TheManageLicensescommandwillbringuptheLicenseEntrywindow.

SelectEdittoupdatethelicense.SelectCleartocleartheexistingtext.Toenteranewlicense,youcaneithercopyandpastethelicensetextintothewindow,ordrag-and-dropalicensefileintothespaceprovided.ClickSavetoapplythelicense.

TheSentryOneClientwillberestartedtoensurethatthenewlicensesettingstakeeffect.

LICENSEOVERVIEWIfyouwouldliketoviewadditionallicenseinformationsuchasthenumberoflicensesappliedthroughouttheenvironment,youcanusetheAboutcommand,whichcanbefoundthroughtheHelpMenu(Help menu → About).

TogetanoverviewofhowyourlicensesareappliedthroughoutyourenvironmentyoucanalsousetheInventorynode,whichcanbefoundintheConfigurationgroupintheNavigatorPane.

Double-clickingtheInventorynodewillbringupthetargetsWorkspaceArea,whichwilllisteverytargetthatSentryOnehasevermonitored.Acheckmarkindicatesthatthetargetiscurrentlybeingwatched.Anemptycheckboxindicatesthatthetargetisnotbeingwatched.

Ifyouwouldliketoreclaimalicense,clickonthecheckboxtostopwatchingthattarget.Thatlicensecanthenbeappliedtoanothertargetasneeded.


https://www.SentryOne.com/portal

SEEALSOInstances

RelocatingtheSentryOneDatabase

6.2 NavigatorNodes

TheSentryOneNavigatorsectioncontainsthefollowingtopics:

FavoriteTargetsVirtualizationAllTargets

DefaultSiteTargetsInstances

SQLServerRegistrationsContactManagementSchedulesandWindowsObjectGroupsMonitoringService



6.2.1 FavoriteTargets

EachSentryOneClienthasitsownuniqueFavoriteTargetsgroup.TheFavoriteTargetsgroupisusedtodefineaviewofTargetsandInstancesspecifictothatindividualSentryOneClient.Thisisusefulinalargeenvironment,asitallowsanindividualusertoeasilyspecifyasubsetofTargetsandInstanceswhichtheyareresponsiblefor.YoumaytoggledisplayingtheFavorite TargetsnodewiththeShowFavoriteTargetsbuttonlocateddirectlyabovetheNavigatorpane.

WhenyouaddaTargetoranInstancetoyourFavoriteTargets,ifitisnotalreadyapartofyourSentryOneEnvironment,itwillbeaddedtotheDefaultSiteoftheAllTargetsnode.WhenyouaddaTargetorInstancetoyourFavoriteTargetsthatisalreadyapartofyoursharedSentryOneEnvironment,theTargetorInstancewillnotbeduplicated.Asmentionedearlier,theFavoriteTargetsgroupisuniquetoeachSentryOneClientanddefineaviewofyourlargerSentryOneEnvironment.


ChangesyoumakeregardingtheWatchedstatus,ortoanyconfiguredSettings,Conditions,andActionsfromthecontextoftheFavoriteTargetsgroupnodewillbemirroredintheAllTargetsnode.Inthesameway,changesmadetoTargetsandInstancesfromthecontextoftheAllTargetsnodewillalsobemirroredbacktoanyFavoriteTargetgroupswhichtheybelong.

6.2.2 Virtualization

TheVirtualizationnodehousesthesupportforVMwareandHyper-Vvirtualizationoptions.

VMWAREToaddavCenter,right-clickontheVMwarenodeandselecttheAdd vCenteroption.Entertheservernameanddisplayname,theneitherenteryourcredentialsorchecktheboxtouseSSPI.YoucanalsoselectwhichSitewillberesponsibleforthemonitoringofthevCenter.

InordertoaddavCenter,theMonitoringServicemustbeaconfigureduseronthevCenterimplementationandmusthaveread-onlyaccessattheminimum.

NOTE:IfusingSSPIauthentication,besuretoselectaSitewheretheMonitoringServicehasatleastread-onlyaccesstothevCenter.

HYPER-VWheneveraHyper-VGuestorHostismonitoredwithSentryOne,itwillappearundertheHyper-Vnode.IftheHostismonitoredwithSentryOne,allofthatHost'sGuestswillappearaswell.IfonlyaGuestiswatchedwithSentryOne,thatGuest'sHostwillbedisplayed.

6.2.3 AllTargets

TheAllTargetsnodeistherootnodeoftheSentryOneClientandcanbefoundinthetoppositionoftheNavigatorPane.AllTargetsthatareregisteredacrosstheentireSentryOneenterprisecanbefoundwithinAllTargets.

TheAllTargetsnodecanbeusedtoconfigureGlobalConditionsandSettingswithintheSentryOneAlertingandResponseSystem.TheAllTargetsnodecanalsobeusedtoviewtheEventGlobalViewCalendaroraPerformanceAnalysisSharedTargetsoverview.

AllTargetsContextMenu

RightclickontheSharedGroupsnodetoaccessitscontextmenu.Thefollowingcommandsareavailable:

Command Description MoreInformation

Open→EventCalendar OpenstheEventManagerGlobalViewofyourSentryOneenterprise.

EventCalendar

Open→PerformanceOverview OpensthePerformanceAnalysisSharedTargetsOverview.

PerformanceAnalysisOverview

AddSite AddsanewSitenodebeneaththeSharedGroupsNode.

SiteConfiguration

DefaultSite


AddConnection AddsanewConnectiontotheDefaultSite.Connections

DefaultSite

GLOBALLEVELOFTHEALERTINGANDRESPONSESYSTEMTheAllTargetsnodeisusedtoconfigureGlobalConditionsandSettingswithintheSentryOneAlertingandResponseSystem.WhentheAllTargetsnodeisselectedintheNavigatorpane,theassociatedgloballevelConditionsandSettingspanewillbeavailable.IfyoudonotseetheConditionsandSettingspanewhentheAllTargetsnodeisselected,usetheViewMenutobringupthedesiredpane.ConditionsandSettingsconfiguredattheAllTargetslevelareglobalinnature.ThismeansthatwhenaConditionorSettingissetattheSharedGrouplevelitwillautomaticallypropagatedownthroughoutyourSentryOneenvironment.

Example:

YouconfigureaSendEmailActionfortheSQLAgentJob:FailureconditionattheAllTargetsgloballevel.

AnemailwillnowbesentanytimeanAgentJobfailsacrossyourentiremonitoredenvironment.

OnceGlobalConditionsandSettingsareconfigured,moregranularconfigurationscanbemadewhereneededatthelowerlevels.FormoredetailsonhowGlobalConditionsandSettingsareinheritedthroughoutyourSentryOneenvironment,andinformationaboutsettingupalertingforyourSentryOneinstallation,seetheAlertingandResponseSystemtopic.

GLOBALVIEWSYoucanaccessGlobalViewsofyourSentryOneenterprisethroughtheAllTargetsnode.ThiscanbedonebyeitherdoubleclickingtheAllTargetsnodeorbyusingitsright-clickcontextmenu.ThedefaultnumberofdaysfortheGlobalCalendarviewisoneday,andcanbeadjustedintheUserPreferences.

ThePrimarypurposeoftheGlobalViewsisgiveyouinsightintowhatishappeningacrossyourenterprisewithouthavingtoopenindividualEventCalendarsorPerformanceAnalysisdashboardsatthetargetlevel.FutureandrunningeventsaredisabledintheEventCalendarGlobalview,butyoucanadjusttheruntimefilterandotherfiltercriteriaontheEventViewfiltertabtofurtherrefinethedisplayforpersonalpreferences.FormoreinformationaboutthePerformanceAnalysisSharedTargetsOverview,seethePerformanceAnalysisOverviewtopic.

ALLTARGETSCHILDNODESJumpto:

→DefaultSite

→Targets

→Instances



6.2.3.1 DefaultSite

SitesrepresentalogicalgroupingofTargets,Instances,andMonitoringServiceswithinyourSentryOneenvironment.IfyouareupgradingfromapreviousversionofSentryOneyouwillnoticethattheSitesdisplayedbeneaththeAllTargetsnodedirectlyreflectthosesitesyoupreviouslyconfiguredwithintheSiteConfigurationnode.IfyouareanewuseryouwillnoticethattheInstancesyouaddedusingtheQuickstartwizardareallcontainedintheDefaultSite.

WhenaSitenodeisselectedintheNavigatorpanetheassociatedSitelevelConditionsandSettingspanewillbeavailable.IfyoudonotseetheConditionsandSettingspanewhentheSitenodeisselected,usetheViewMenutobringupthedesiredpane.ConditionsandSettingsconfiguredattheSitelevelapplytoallTargets,Instances,andObjectsinthatSite.ThismeansthatwhenaConditionorSettingisconfiguredattheSitelevelitwillautomaticallypropagatedownthroughoutthatSite.

SiteContextMenu

RightclickonanySitenodetoaccessitscontextmenu.Thefollowingcommandsareavailable:


AddTarget AddsanewTargettotheselectedSite. Targets

AddTargetGroup AddsanewTargetGrouptotheselectedSite. Targets

AddConnection AddsanewConnectiontotheselectedSite. Connections

DeleteSite DeletesaSitefromtheSharedGroupnode.AnyTargetsorgroupscontainedwithintheSitemustfirstbedeletedbeforeasitecanbedeleted.ThiscommandisnotavailablefromtheDefaultSitenode.

Warning:TheDeleteTargetcommandispermanent,seetheTargetstopicformoreinformation.

n/a

RenameSite RenamesthecurrentlyselectedSite. n/a

OpenPerformanceAnalysis

OpensaPerformanceAnalysisOverviewforeveryTargetintheSite.

PerformanceAnalysisOverview

MONITORINGSERVICESBeneatheverySitenodethereisaMonitoringServicesnode.ThisMonitoringServicesnodecontainstheMonitoringService(s),identifiedbytheirassociatedTargetname(s),thatareresponsibleforcollectinginformationpertainingtothatsite.

TheSentryOneMonitoringServiceisaWindowsServicewhichisresponsibleforcollectingeventhistory,eventstatus,andperformancerelatedinformationandstoringthatinformation


intheSentryOneDatabase.MonitoringServicesarealsoresponsibleforsendingnotificationsbasedonevents.

TheMonitoringService(s)withinaSiteareresponsibleforgatheringinformationaboutthosewatchedTargetsandInstancescontainedwithinthatsamesite.AvailableMonitoringServicescanbeassignedtoSiteseitherthroughtheSiteConfigurationnodeorbydragginganddroppingaMonitoringServicewithintheNavigatorpane.This enables you to control exactly whichMonitoring Services watch which Targets, and can be critical for scenarios where you havemultiple servers located at different geographic locations. Having a Monitoring Service for eachgeograpic location minimizes network traffic across the WAN.

For more information see the Monitoring Services and Site Configuration topics.

TARGETSBeneatheverySitenode,areitsassociatedTargetnodes,identifiedbytheTarget'sname.EachTargetnoderepresentsaphysicalcomputer,commonlyaWindowsServer,withinyourSentryOneEnvironment.ContainedbeneatheveryTargetnodearethoseassociatedInstancesthatresideonthatTarget.

WithintheframeworkoftheAlertingandResponseSystemHierarchy,TargetsrepresentalevelbetweenSitesandInstances.ThismeansthatwhenaConditionorSettingisconfiguredataTargetlevelitwillautomaticallypropagatedowntoitsassociatedInstances,andobjects.

IfyoudonotseetheConditionsandSettingspanewhenaTargetnodeisselected,usetheViewMenutobringupthedesiredpane.ConditionsandSettingsconfiguredattheTargetlevelapplytoallInstances,andObjectsbeneaththatTarget.ThismeansthatwhenanConditionorSettingisconfiguredattheTargetlevelitwillautomaticallypropagatedowntoitsassociatedInstances,andobjects.

FormoreinformationseetheTargetstopic.

INSTANCESContainedwithineveryTargetnodeareitsassociatedInstancenodes.InstancesareidentifiedbytheirTarget/Instancename.ContainedbeneatheveryInstancenodeareitsassociatedobjects.

WithintheframeworkoftheAlertingandResponseSystemHierarchy,Instancesrepresentalevelaboveobjects.ThismeansthatwhenaConditionorSettingisconfiguredatanInstancelevelitwillautomaticallypropagatedowntoitsassociatedobjects.

IfyoudonotseetheConditionsandSettingspanewhenanInstancenodeisselected,usetheViewMenutobringupthedesiredpane.ConditionsandSettingsconfiguredattheInstancelevelapplytoallobjectsbelongingtothatInstance.ThismeansthatwhenaConditionorSettingisconfiguredattheInstancelevelitwillautomaticallypropagatedowntoitsassociatedobjects.

FormoreinformationseetheInstancestopic.


6.2.3.2 Targets

ContainedwithineverySitenodeareitsassociatedTargetnodes.TargetnodesareidentifiedwiththeTarget'sfullname,usuallyComputerName.DomainName.EachTargetnoderepresentsaphysicalcomputer,commonlyaWindowsServerwithinyourSentryOneEnvironment.BeneatheveryTargetnodeintheNavigatorpaneareitsassociatedInstances.

DoubleclickanyTargetnodetoaccessitsrelatedPerformanceAnalysisDashboardorEventCalendar.

TargetsContextMenu

RightclickonanyTargetsnodetoaccessitscontextmenu.Thefollowingcommandsareavailable:Instances


Open→EventCalendar

OpenstheEventManagerCalendarViewfortheassociatedTarget. EventCalendar

Open→PerformanceAnalysis OpensthePerformanceAnalysisdashboardfortheassociatedTarget. PerformanceAnalysisDashboard

ShowWindowsProcesses LaunchesaProcessActivityWindowsimilartoWindowsTaskManagerfortheassociatedTarget.

WindowsProcessActivity

AddInstance AddsanewInstancetotheDefaultSite.

DeleteTargetWarning:ThiscommandwillDeletetheactualregistrationfortheTargetfromSentryOne.ThisincludesthedeletionofallhistoricalinformationforanyassociatedconnectionsbelongingtotheTargetfromtheSentryOneDatabase.Thiscommandisfinalandcannotbeundone.OnlyusethiscommandifyouwanttopermanentlydeleteinformationSentryOnehasstoredabouttheTargetanditsassociatedConnectionsfromtheSentryOneDatabase.

JumptoTime Allowsyoutoselectadate,timeofday,andtimeframeforanEventManagerCalendar

ScanforConfigurationChanges

Thisscanlooksforanyhardware,network,orschemachangesthathavetakenplaceontheTargetoritsassociatedInstances.Note,thisinformationisautomaticallygatheredperiodically.

n/a

TARGETCONDITIONSANDSETTINGSWithintheframeworkoftheAlertingandResponseSystemHierarchy,TargetsrepresentalevelbetweenSitesandInstances.ThismeansthatwhenaConditionorSettingisconfiguredataTargetlevelitwillautomaticallypropagatedowntoitsassociatedInstancesandobjects.

IfyoudonotseetheConditionsandSettingspanewhenaTargetnodeisselected,usetheViewMenutobringupthedesiredpane.ConditionsandSettingsconfiguredattheTargetlevelapplytoallInstancesandobjectsbeneaththatTarget.ThismeansthatwhenanConditionorSettingisconfiguredattheTargetlevelitwillautomaticallypropagatedowntoitsassociatedInstancesandobjects.


ADDINGATARGETTOYOURENVIRONMENTToaddanewTargettoyourinstallationyoucanusetheAddTargetcommandfoundintherightclickcontextmenuofanySiteNode.

DELETINGATARGETFROMYOURENVIRONMENTTodeleteaTargetfromyourinstallationusetheDeleteTargetcommandfoundintheright-clickcontextmenuofanyTargetnode.PleaseseethefollowingwarningconcerningtheDeleteTargetCommand.

Warning:TheDeleteTargetcommandwillDeletetheactualregistrationfortheTargetfromSentryOne.ThisincludesthedeletionofallhistoricalinformationforanyassociatedInstancesbelongingtotheTargetfromtheSentryOneDatabase.Thiscommandisfinalandcannotbeundone.OnlyusethiscommandifyouwanttopermanentlydeleteinformationSentryOnehasstoredabouttheTargetanditsassociatedInstancesfromtheSentryOneDatabase.

GroupsTargets can be organized into Target Groups beneath any Site node. A Target Group allowsyou to create logical groups of devices for alerting, organizational, and display purposes. TheAdd Target Group command can be found in the right-click context menu of any Site node.

TARGETGROUPCONDITIONSANDSETTINGSWithin the framework of the Alerting and Response System Hierarchy, Target Groups representan intermediate level between the Site and Target. This means that when a Condition or Settingis configured at a Target Group level it will automatically propagate down to itsassociated Targets, Instances, and objects.

6.2.3.3 Instances

ContainedbeneatheveryTargetnodeisitsassociatedInstancenodes.InstancesareidentifiedbytheirTarget/Instancename.ContainedbeneatheveryInstancenodeareitsassociatedobjects.

INSTANCESACTIONSANDSETTINGSWithintheframeworkoftheAlertingandResponseSystemHierarchy,Instancesrepresentthelevelaboveobjects.ThismeansthatwhenaConditionorSettingisconfiguredatanInstancelevelitwillautomaticallypropagatedowntoitsassociatedobjects.

WhenanInstancenodeisselectedintheNavigatorpanetheassociatedInstancelevelConditionsandSettingspanewillbeavailable.IfyoudonotseetheConditionsandSettingspanewhenanInstancenodeisselected,usetheViewMenutobringupthedesiredpane.ConditionsandSettingsconfiguredattheInstancelevelapplytoallObjectsbelongingtothatInstance.ThismeansthatwhenaConditionorSettingisconfiguredattheInstancelevelitwillautomaticallypropagatedowntoitsassociatedobjects.

ADDINGANINSTANCETOYOURENVIRONMENTYoucaneasilyaddadditionalmonitoredInstancestoyourSentryOneenvironment.Thisisaccomplishedbyright-clickingeithertheAllTargetsnode,aSitenode,aTargetGroupnode,oranexistingTargetNodeintheNavigatorpaneandusingtheAddInstancecommand.Youcanalso


addanInstancethroughtheFilemenu.

IntheAddInstancedialogyoumaychoosethedesiredInstanceTypefromthedrop-downmenu(AnalysisServicesInstance,SQLServerInstance,WindowsInstance).Seealso:MonitorAdditionalInstances

6.2.4 SQLServerRegistrations

TheSQLServerRegistrationsNodemirrorstheSQLServerregistrationsofthenativeclienttoolsforthecurrentuserincludinganySSASregistrations,andCentralManagementServers.AnygroupsorserversthatareaddedordeletedthroughtheclienttoolswillbeautomaticallyaddedtotheSQLServerRegistrationsNodeintheSentryOneClient.

YoumaytoggledisplayingthelocalSQLServerRegistrationswiththeShowSQLServerRegistrationsbuttonlocateddirectlyabovetheNavigatorpane.ChangesyoumakeregardingtheWatchedstatus,ortoanyconfiguredSettings,Conditions,andActionsfromthecontextoftheSQLServerRegistrationsnodewillbemirroredintheAllTargetsnode.

ActivitiesnormallydoneinSQLServer'sclienttools,suchasadding,editing,ordeletingjobs,alerts,ormaintenanceplanscanbedoneusingtheSQLServerRegistrationsnodeintheSentryOneClient.ServerscanalsoberegisteredfromtheSentryOneClientthroughtheright-clickcontextmenuoftheLocal Server Groupsnode.

Asmentioned,SentryOnealsoincludessupportforaccessingregisteredserversmanagedbyaCentralManagementServer.JustlikeotherInstancesintheSQL Server Registrations group,changesyoumakeregardingtheWatchedstatus,ortoanyconfiguredSettings,Conditions,andActionsfromthecontextoftheCentral Management ServersgroupwillbemirroredintheAllTargetsnode.

6.2.5 ContactManagement

TheContactsNavigatornodeisusedtocreateandmaintainUsersandGroupswithinyourSentryOneenvironment.UsersandGroupsarecreatedforcoupleofdifferentreasons.Firstly,theycanbecreatedfornotificationpurposeswithintheSentryOneAlertingandResponseSystem.WhenyouconfigureaSendEmailorSendPageaction,anyuserorgroupwhichhasbeencreatedwillbeavailableforyoutochooseasatarget.

ThesecondreasonfordefiningUsersandGroupsistheabilitytoassignrightstothem.TheserightsareusedtorestricttheaccessofusersandgroupswithintheSentryOneClient.Formoreinformation,pleaseseetheSentryOneClientSecuritytopic.

VIEWINGNOTIFICATIONSBYUSERORGROUPFromtheContactsnodeitisalsopossibletoviewallnotificationsassignedtoaparticularuserorgroup.TodososelectanyuserorgroupnodeandopentheConditionspane(ViewMenu→General/Failsafe/AuditActions).Alistofallnotificationactionsassociatedwiththatuser/groupwillappear;fromhereyoucandisableorchangeanyoftheseconfiguredActions.

USERS


ExpandtheUsersnodeintheNavigatorpanetolistanyconfiguredusers.

ADDOREDITAUSERToaddanewusersimplydouble-clickontheUsersnode.Toeditinformationaboutanexistinguser,doubleclickontheuser'snameintheNavigatortoopentheEdit Usertab.

DELETEORDISABLEAUSERYoumayalsodeleteordisableauserthroughtheright-clickcontextmenu.Whenyoudisableauser,theywillnolongerreceivenotificationsforanyactionswhichtheyaretheselectedtargetof.Ifthedisableduserispartofagroup,thatuserwillalsonolongerreceivenotificationswhenthatgroupisnotified.Disabledusersaregrayed-outintheNavigatorandalsohave(disabled)nexttotheirname.Toenableauserthathasbeendisabled,usetheright-clickcontextmenuoftheuserandselecttheEnableUsercommand.

Whenyoucreateanewuseroreditanexistinguserthefollowingfieldswillbeavailable.

USERFIELDSField Description

FirstName Thefirstnameoftheuser.Required.

LastName Thelastnameoftheuser.

EmailAddress Theemailaddressoftheuser.Required

PagerAddress Thepageraddressoftheuser.

EmailWindow

Theemailwindowfortheselecteduser.WhenyouassignanEmailWindowtoauserorgroupbesuretotakenoteoftheEmailWindowBehavioroptionasdetailedbelow.

FormoreinformationaboutschedulespleaseseetheSchedulesandWindowstopic.

EmailWindowBehavior

Performactionsthatoccurwithinthewindow-OnlyemailActionswhichoccurduringtheWindow'sactivetimeframewillbecarriedout.emailActionswhicharetriggeredoutsideoftheactivetimeframearesuppressed.

Don'tPerformactionsthatoccurwithinthewindow-EmailActionswhichoccurduringtheactivetimeframearefilteredorsuppressed.OnlyemailActionswhichoccuroutsideoftheWindow'sactivetimeframearecarriedout.

PagerWindow

Thepagerwindowfortheselecteduser.WhenyouassignaPagerWindowtoauserorgroupbesuretotakenoteofthePagerWindowBehavioroptionasdetailedbelow.


Performactionsthatoccurwithinthewindow-OnlypagerActionswhichoccurduringtheWindow'sactivetimeframewillbecarried


PagerWindowBehavior

out.EmailActionswhicharetriggeredoutsideoftheactivetimeframearesuppressed.

Don'tPerformactionsthatoccurwithinthewindow-PagerActionswhichoccurduringtheactivetimeframearefilteredorsuppressed.OnlypagerActionswhichoccuroutsideoftheWindow'sactivetimeframearecarriedout.

Login

TheWindowsorSQLAuthenticationaccountfortheuser.YoucanassociateaSentryOneuserwithaWindowsorSQLAuthenticationaccountandrestrictaccesstospecificSites,TargetGroups,orInstanceseffectivelylimitingwhatthelogged-inusercanseewithintheClient.Formoreinformation,pleaseseetheSentryOneClientSecuritytopic.

Description Descriptivetextornotesfortheuser.

GroupsTheAvailablearealistsanygroupwithinyourSentryOneenterprise.

TheSelectedarealiststhosegroupswhichtheuserbelongsto.

GROUPSExpandtheGroupsnodeintheNavigatorpanetolistanyconfiguredgroups.

ADDOREDITAGROUPToaddanewgroupsimplydouble-clickontheGroupsnode.Toeditinformationaboutanexistinggroup,doubleclickonthegroupnameintheNavigatortoopentheEdit Grouptab.

ASSIGNUSER(S)TOAGROUPToassignuserstothegroup,choosefromtheavailableusersonthebottom-leftsideoftheview,andclicktheAddbutton.ClickontheSavebuttoninthetoptoolbartosaveagroup.

DELETEORDISABLEAGROUPYoumayalsodeleteordisableagroupthroughanygroup'sright-clickcontextmenu.Whenyoudisableagroup,thatgroupwillnolongerreceivenotificationsforanyactionswhichtheyaretheselectedtargetof.Disabledgroupsaregrayed-outintheNavigatorandarealsolistedasdisabled.Toenableagroupthathasbeendisabledusetheright-clickcontextmenuofthegroupandselecttheEnableGroupcommand.

GROUPFIELDSWhenyoucreateanewgrouporeditanexistinggroupthefollowingfieldswillbeavailable.

Field Description

GroupName Thenametoassigntoagroup.

AlertWindow

Thealertwindowfortheselectedgroup.WhenyouassignanAlertWindowtoagroupbesuretotakenoteoftheAlertWindowBehavioroptionasdetailedbelow.

Field Description



AlertWindowBehavior

Performactionsthatoccurwithinthewindow-OnlyemailandpagerActionswhichoccurduringtheWindow'sactivetimeframewillbecarriedout.Actionswhicharetriggeredoutsideoftheactivetimeframearesuppressed.

Don'tPerformactionthatoccurwithinthewindow-Actionswhichoccurduringtheactivetimeframearefilteredorsuppressed.OnlyemailandpagerActionswhichoccuroutsideoftheWindow'sactivetimeframearecarriedout.

Login

TheWindowsActiveDirectoryaccountforthegroup.YoucanassociateaSentryOnegroupwithaWindowsActiveDirectoryaccountandrestrictaccesstospecificSites,TargetGroups,orInstanceseffectivelylimitingwhatthelogged-inusercanseewithintheClient.Formoreinformation,pleaseseetheSentryOneClientSecuritytopic.

Description Descriptivetextornotesfortheuser.

UsersTheAvailablearealistsuserswithinyourSentryOneenterprise.TheSelectedarealistanyusersthatbelongtothegroup.

Field Description

6.2.6 SchedulesandWindows

SentryOneemploysextensiveschedulingcapabilitiesthroughitsSchedulesandWindowsfeatures.SchedulesandWindowscanbemanagedthroughtheirrespectivenodesfoundintheNavigatorpane.

ScheduleshavethefollowingapplicationswithinSentryOne:

FragmentationManagerOperations

WindowshavethefollowingapplicationswithinSentryOne:

MaintenanceWindowsEmailandPagerWindowsforUsersandGroupsRulesetWindowsforConfiguredActions

SCHEDULESSentryOneallowsyoutocreateSchedulesthatcanbeappliedinthefollowingplaces:


Scenario Description

FragmentationManagerOperations

WhenyouenableFragmentationManagerinyourSentryOneenvironmentyouwillselectascheduletoperformFragmentationManageroperations.ThisscheduleisinitiallyspecifiedintheFragmentationManagerwizard.AfteryouenableFragmentationMangerforanInstanceyoumayaccesstheappliedschedulethroughtheIndex Defragmentation SettingsfoundintheSettingsPane(View->Settings).

IndexDefragmentationSettings,includingtheappliedSchedule,canbeconfiguredatthefollowinglevels:AllTargets(Global),Site,TargetGroup,Target,Instance,database,table,andindividualindex.

SeeAlso:FragmentationManager

WINDOWSSentryOneallowsyoutocreateWindowsthatcanbeappliedinthefollowingplaces:


MaintenanceWindows

MaintenanceWindowsallowatimeframetobespecifiedwhiledailymaintenanceactivitiestakeplace.WhenaFailsafeConditionoccursduringaMaintenanceWindowonlytheassociatedlogactionswillbecompleted,anyconfiguredsendemailactionswillbesuppressed.

ThereareseveraloptionsforconfiguringmaintenancewindowswithinSentryOne,includingmaintenancewindowsspecifictoTargets,Instances,andtheSentryOneDatabase.FormoreinformationpleaseseetheEliminatingFailsafealertsusingMaintenanceWindowsKBarticle.

EmailandPagerWindowscanbeassignedtoauserorgroup.Windowscontrolthetimeframeofwhenalertsaresenttotheuserorgroup.WhenyouassignanEmailorPagerWindowtoauserorgroupyouhavetheoptiontochangetheWindowBehaviortooneofthefollowing:

WindowBehavior

Performactionsthatoccurwithinthewindow-OnlyemailandpagerActionswhichoccurduringtheWindow'sactivetimeframewillbecarriedout.EmailandpagerActionswhicharetriggeredoutsideoftheactivetimeframearesuppressed.


https://answers.sqlsentry.com/questions/2396/how-do-i-disable-blocking-notifications-during-a-m.html

https://answers.sqlsentry.com/questions/2396/how-do-i-disable-blocking-notifications-during-a-m.html

EmailandPagerWindowsforUsersandGroups

Don'tPerformactionsthatoccurwithinthewindow-EmailandpagerActionswhichoccurduringtheactivetimeframearefilteredorsuppressed.OnlyemailandpagerActionswhichoccuroutsideoftheWindow'sactivetimeframearecarriedout.

ToapplyanEmailorPagerWindowtoauserorgroup,firstdouble-clicktheuserorgroupintheNavigatorpane.ThiswillopenanEdit User/Group tab.UsetheEmailWindoworPagerWindowdrop-downlistboxtochoosethedesiredWindow.UsetheEmailWindowBehaviororPagerWindowBehaviordrop-downlisttochoosethedesiredbehavior.

Seealso:ContactManagement.

RulesetWindowsforconfiguredActions

WindowsmaybeappliedtoconfiguredActionswhichwillcontrolthetimeframeofwhenthatActioncantakeplace.WhenyouassignaWindowtoaconfiguredActionyouhavetheoptiontochangetheWindowBehaviortooneofthefollowing:

WindowBehavior

Performactionsthatoccurwithinthewindow-OnlyemailandpagerActionswhichoccurduringtheWindow'sactivetimeframewillbecarriedout.EmailandpagerActionswhicharetriggeredoutsideoftheactivetimeframearesuppressed.

Don'tPerformactionsthatoccurwithinthewindow-EmailandpagerActionswhichoccurduringtheactivetimeframearefilteredorsuppressed.OnlyemailandpagerActionswhichoccuroutsideoftheWindow'sactivetimeframearecarriedout.

ToapplyaWindowtoaconfiguredaction,firstselecttheactionintheConditions pane.NextopentheRuleset tabfortheselectedaction.UsetheWindowdrop-downlisttoselectyourdesiredWindow.YoumayalsochoosetoeditanexistingwindowwiththeEditbutton,orcreateanewwindowwiththeNewbutton.UsetheWindowBehaviororWindowBehaviordrop-downlisttochoosethedesiredbehavior.

SeeAlso:AlertingandResponseSystem

CREATINGASCHEDULEORWINDOWTocreateanewScheduleorWindowfirstexpandtheSchedulesandWindowsnodeintheNavigatorpane.Next,double-clickeithertheSchedulesortheWindowsnodetoopenthe



respectivedialogscreen.YoumayeditordeleteanexistingScheduleorWindowbyselectingit,andthenchoosingtheEditorDeletecommand.TocreateanewScheduleorWindowselecttheNewcommand.

Section Description

Name Thisisthenamewhichwillbeappliedtothescheduleorwindow.

ScheduleType

Recurring-Arecurringscheduleorwindowwillberepeatedaccordingtothefrequencyanddurationyouchoose.

OneTime-Aonetimescheduleorwindowwilltakeplaceonlyontheoccurrencedateyouspecify.

Compound-Acompoundscheduleorwindowcanbecreatedwhichcombinespreviouslycreatedschedules.

WindowDuration

SpecifythedurationorthelengthoftimethattheWindowbeactive.

Note:WindowDurationappliesonlytoWindowsandisN/AforSchedules.

One-timeoccurrence

Selectthetimeyouwouldliketheonetimeoccurrenceofthescheduleorwindowtotakeplace.

Note:ThisoptionisonlyapplicableforScheduleType:One Time.

Frequency

TheFrequencyofthescheduleorwindowcanbesettoeitherDaily,Weekly,orMonthly.Additionalfrequencyoptionswillbeavailabledependingontheoccurrencetypeyouchoose.

DailyFrequency

UsetheDailyFrequencyoptionstoselectthespecifictime(s)duringthedaythescheduleorwindowwilloccur.

Duration UsetheDurationsectiontospecifyaStartDateandEndDate.

Summary TheSummarydescriptionwillauto-fillaccordingtotheoptionsyouchoose.Youmayaddtothesummary,orchangethetextasdesired.

6.2.7 ObjectGroups

ObjectGroupsareusefulwhenyouneedtoquicklyapplylikepoliciestoasetofobjectsthatdonotexistwithinthesamehierarchicalgroupinyourSentryOneenvironment.Theseobjectscouldbedispersedthroughoutyourenvironment,indifferentsites,groups,orsubtrees,butiftheyshareasimilarsetofcharacteristics,theymaybeidealcandidatesforasimilarsetofpolicies.

Takeforexample,allofthetransactionlogbackupjobswithinyourenvironment.Youmaywishtosuppressruntimethresholdnotificationsgeneratedwhenthesejobsrun,bydisablingthesend


emailAction.ObjectGroupsallowyoutodothiswithoutaffectinganyotherAgentJobs.Inthepast,thiswouldinvolveyouhavingtogoandtoucheachofthetransactionlogbackupjob'ssettingsindividually.ObjectGroupsallowyoutoavoidthetediousprocess,savingyoutime,asyoucanquicklylocateobjectsbynameorcategory,addthemtoagroup,andapplyasetofpolicies.

AsObjectGroupsexistoutsideofthenormalSentryOneHierarchy,aConditionorSettingconfiguredforanObjectGroupwillbeappliedlast,afteranyinheritedorexplicitlydefinedConditionorSetting.Inthisway,ObjectGroupConditionsandSettingshavethefinalsaywithinyourenvironment.

Asmentionedearlier,typicalusesincludedisablingruntimethresholdalertsforalltransactionlogbackupjobs,andapplyingpoliciestoQAserversthatmayexistwithinseveralsitesofyourenvironment.WhenyoucreateanObjectGroupyouwillchoosehowconfiguredConditionsandSettingswillbeappliedinthegroup.YoucancreateanObjectGroupinwhichconfiguredConditionsandSettingsapplystrictlytothegroupmembers.Alternatively,youmaycreateanObjectGroupinwhichconfiguredConditionsandSettingsapplytothegroupmembersandtheirchildren.SeetheCreatingaNewGroupsectionbelowformoreinformation.

EachObjectGroupyoucreatealsohasanassociatedEvaluation Order.ThisEvaluation OrderisspecifictojustthesetofObjectGroupsinyourenvironment.ThisisvaluablewhenyouhaveanobjectwhichbelongstomultipleObjectGroupswithadivergentsetofpolicies.TheEvaluationOrderallowsyoutocontrolwhichgroup'sconfiguredConditionsandSettingswillbeapplied.AconfiguredSettingorConditionfromtheObjectGroupwiththehighestEvaluation Orderwillbeappliedlast,andthereforewillbetheeffectiveSettingorCondition.

WhenyouaddnewobjectstoanObjectGroup,anySettingwhichisapplicabletothatObjecttypewillbeconfigurableintheSettingspane.Bydefault,eachobjectinanObjectGroupwillstillreceiveitsbasesetofinheritedSettingsfromitsparentobjectsintheSentryOneHierarchy.IfyouwouldliketooverridetheseSettings,youmustfirstdefineaSettingwithintheObjectGroupitself.TodothisyouwillneedtochangetheDefinedSettingtotrue.AfteryoudefineaSettingforanObjectGroup,thatSettingwillbereflectedinanyapplicableobjectswhichbelongtothatgroup.

JustlikeSettings,Condition/Actioncombinationsbecomeavailableasappropriatewhenobjectsareaddedtoagroup.WithanyObjectGroupselectedyoucanconfigureConditionsthroughtheConditionspane,justasyounormallywould.SeetheConfiguringConditionsandSettingsforanObjectGroupsectionbelowformoreinformation.

SETTINGUPOBJECTGROUPSTocreateanewObjectGroupfirstdouble-clicktheObject GroupsnodeintheNavigatorpane.ThiswillopentheObject Groups Editorwindow.TheGroupssectionoftheeditorwindowcontainsanypreviouslyconfiguredgroupsinyourenvironment.TheGroup MemberssectionoftheeditorwindowallowsyoutoviewindividualmembersofanyselectedObjectGroup.

CREATINGANEWGROUPTocreateanewObjectGroupusetheAddcommandintheGroupssectionoftheeditorwindow.ThiswillopentheAdd Groupdialogwindow.Chooseanameandadescriptionforthegroup.AlsotakenoteoftheApplies Todrop-downbox.Seebelowforreference

AppliesTo:


Selectedgroupmembersandtheirchildren

AnyConditionsorSettingsyouconfigureforthegroupwillalsoapplytothechildrenofthegroupmembers.Thismakesthegroup'sSettingsandConditionsinheritable.

Selectedgroupmembersonly

AnyConditionsorSettingyouconfigureforthegroupwillonlyapplytothespecificmembersoftheGroupandwillhavenoeffectontheirchildren.Thismakesthegroup'sSettingsandConditionsnoninheritable.

IfyouarecreatinganObjectGrouptosetpoliciesforalloftheQAserversinyourenvironment,youwillwanttochoosetheSelected group members and their childrenoption,asthiswouldgiveyouaccesstoapplicableSettingsandConditionsfromtheInstanceleveldowntotheobjectlevel.

IfyouarecreatinganObjectGrouptosetpoliciesforjustafinitesetofobjects,anddonotwishtoimpactorhaveaccesstochildrenoftheobject,usetheSelected group members onlyoption.Giventhetransactionlogbackupjobusecasediscussedearlier,itwouldnotactuallymatterwhichAppliesTooptionyouchose,astheAgentjobobjectisaleafnodeintheSentryOneHierarchy.

ADDINGOBJECTGROUPMEMBERSToaddnewmemberstoagroup,firstselectagroupintheGroups sectionoftheeditorwindow.Next,intheGroup Members sectionoftheeditorwindowusetheAddcommand.

IntheSelect Group Membersdialoguescreen,firstchoosetheobjecttypeofthegroupmemberyouwouldliketoaddfromthetreeview.Next,usetheSearchcommandtoviewobjectsofthattypeinyourmonitoredenvironment.SelectanobjectandusetheOKcommandtoaddittotheGroup.YoumayaddmultipleobjectsbyusingCtrlorShiftselect.

CONFIGURINGCONDITIONSANDSETTINGSFORANOBJECTGROUPOnceyouhaveaddedyourdesiredobjectstothegroup,youcanbeginconfiguringtheConditionsandSettingsforthegroup.YouconfigureConditionsandSettingsjustlikeyounormallywould,throughtheConditionsandSettingspane.IfyoudonotseetheConditionsandSettingspaneusetheViewmenutoopenit.

ToaddanConditiontoaGroup,firstselecttheObjectGroup.ThiscanbedoneineithertheNavigatorpaneorthroughtheObject GroupsEditorscreen.FromtheConditionspane,usetheAddcommandtoopentheActionsSelectorwindow.ChooseyourdesiredCondition/ActioncombinationsandthenselecttheOKcommand.AnyConditionsthatareapplicabletotheobjectswithinyourgroupwillbeavailableforyoutoconfigure.

YoumayalsoconfigureSettingsfortheObjectGroupthroughtheSettingspane.AnySettingsthatareapplicabletotheobjectsinyourgroupwillbeavailableforyoutoconfigure.Asdiscussedearlier,bydefaulteachobjectinanObjectGroupwillstillreceiveitsbasesetofinheritedSettingsfromitssuperiorparentobjectsintheSentryOneHierarchy.IfyouwouldliketooverridetheseSettings,youmustfirstdefineaSettingwithintheObjectGroup.TodothisyouwillneedtochangetheDefinedflagtotrueintheSettingspane.AfteryoudefineaSettingforanObjectGroup,thatSettingwillbereflectedinanyapplicableobjectswhichbelongtothatgroup.


IfyouareeverunsureofwhereanobjectisreceivingitsinheritedSettingsfromyoucaneasilycheck.TheActiveSettingsListReportwilllistthisinformationforeachSettingsintheObjectNamecolumn.AccessthisreportfromtheReportsMenu(Reports->General->ActiveSettingsList).

Alternatively,youcanviewthisinformationdirectlyattheindividualobjectlevel.FirstselectthedesiredobjectintheNavigatorandopentheSettingspane.TheInherentFromParentsectionofeachsettinggroupwillcontainthenameofthesuperiorobjectwhichispassingdownthatgroupofSettings.Inthecasewheretheobject'sSettinghavebeendefinedwithanObjectGroupitwilllistthatObjectGroupastheparent.

6.2.8 MonitoringService

TheSentryOneMonitoringService,aWindowsservice,collectseventhistory,status,andperformanceinformation,sendsnotifications,andperformsvariousothertasksrelatedtoeventmanagementforeach“watched”Instance.ThevariouseventmetadataandhistoryinformationcollectedbytheSentryOneMonitoringServiceisstoredinaSQLServerdatabase.ThenumberofInstancesthatcanbewatchedinyourenvironmentiscontrolledbythenumberoflicensesyouhavepurchased.

SENTRYONECONFIGURATIONNODE



6.2.8.1 MonitoringServiceSettings

TheSentryOneMonitoringServiceSettingsareglobalinnature,applyingtotheentireSentryOneinstallation.TheycontrolthebehaviorandfunctionofallinstalledSentryOneMonitoringServicesconnectedtotheactiveSentryOnedatabase.TheSentryOneMonitoringServiceisaWindowsserviceinstalledononeormoreserversinyourenterprise.AllsettingsarestoredintheSentryOnedatabase.TheSentryOneMonitoringServiceSettingscanbeaccessedthroughtheSettingsnodefoundintheMonitoringServicegroupoftheNavigatorpane.BydefaulttheMonitoringService


SettingswillopentotheSMTPConfigurationtab.

MONITORINGSERVICESETTINGSANDDATARETENTIONTherearealsoMonitoringServiceSettingswhichcontroltheretentionofcertaintypesofdatawithintheSentryOneDatabase.

TheretentionofEventCalendardata(EventHistorydata)iscontrolledwiththeEventHistoryMonitor"PurgeHistoryOlderThan"setting.Thedefaultvalueforthissettingis30days.TheretentionofdatadisplayedonthePerformanceAnalysisTopSQL,BlockingSQL,andDeadlockstabs(PerformanceMonitordata)iscontrolledwiththePerformanceMonitor"PurgeHistoryOlderThan"setting.ThissettingalsoappliestoEventCalendarGeneralPerformanceMonitoring(on-linedocumentation)data.Thedefaultvalueforthissettingis15days.

Note:TopSQL,BlockingSQL,andDeadlockdatawillalsobeconvertedtothenativeEventCalendarformatandthenretainedaccordingtotheEventHistoryMonitor"PurgeHistoryOlderThan"setting.

AllotherPerformanceData,includingthedatawhichisdisplayedonthePerformanceAnalysisDashboard,isnotaffectedbytheMonitoringServiceSettings.Instead,thisdataissubjecttoahighperformancestorageschemeandinternalrollupstructureasoutlinedintheDashboardResolutions/RetentiontopicandtheDataCapacityPlanningarticle.

SMTPCONFIGURATIONForinformationaboutconfiguringanSMTPserverpleaseseetheSMTPConfigurationtopic.

EVENTMONITORThistabisusedtoconfiguresettingsfortheprocessresponsibleforpollingwatchedInstancesforactiveeventstatusinformation.

Setting Description

PollingInterval

ControlshowoftentheSentryOneMonitoringServicewillpolleachwatchedInstanceforeventstatusinformation.Thepollingoperationsusedarelightweight,however,thevaluecanbeincreasedtoreducenetworkactivityassociatedwiththeSentryOneMonitoringService.ThedefaultPollingIntervalis15Seconds.

ErrorResumeInterval

ControlshowlongtheSentryOneMonitoringServiceshouldwaittorecoverfromanerrororexceptionintheeventmonitor,whenattemptingtoobtaineventstatusinformationfromanInstance.ThedefaultErrorResumeIntervalis1Minute.

Trigger"RunMissed"ConditionUsethecheck-boxtospecifywhetherornottoexecutetheRunMissedConditionwhentheInstanceisoffline.

MinimumBlockDurationRequiredtoTrigger"SQLServerAgentJob:BlockCondition"

UsedtospecifytheminimumtimeaSQLAgentJobmustbepartofablockingchainbeforetriggeringtheSQLServerAgentJob:BlockCondition.

EVENTHISTORYMONITOR


http://forum.sqlsentry.com/topic1858-performance-advisor-data-capacity-planning.aspx

ThistabisusedtoconfiguresettingsfortheprocessresponsibleforthecollectionofeventhistoryinformationfromwatchedInstances.

Setting Description

PollingInterval ControlshowoftentheSentryOneMonitoringServicewillpolleachwatchedInstanceforeventhistoryinformation.

ErrorResumeInterval TheErrorResumeIntervalishowlongtheSentryOneMonitoringServiceshouldwaittorecoverfromanerrororexceptionintheeventmonitorwhenattemptingtoobtaineventstatusinformationfromanInstance.

PurgeHistoryOlderThan

ControlstheretentionofEventCalendardata(EventHistorydata).Thedefaultvalueforthissettingis30days.

Note:RetentionofEventCalendarGeneralPerformanceMonitoring(on-linedocumentation)dataiscontrolledwiththePerformanceMonitor"PurgeHistoryOlderThan"setting.

MaxThreadPoolSize Thisisanadvancedsettingthatmayimproveperformanceinlarge(100+watchedInstances)environments.

EventChainsareOnlyAffectedbyHistoryWithin

Thissettingtellschaininghowfarbackinthehistorytolookwhendeterminingwhetherhistoryentriesshouldaffectchainstatus.Thissettingisusedasafailsafemeasureifforsomereasonyouwereunabletosynchronizewithaserverforaspecifiedperiodoftime,whenevertheservercomesbackonlineandSentryOneisabletore-synchronizehistoryinformation,anyhistorythatisolderthanthetimespecifiedbythissettingwillnotbeusedtoimpactchainexecutionstatus.Theminimumvalueforthissettingis10minutes.

Note:ItisrecommendedthatyoucontactSentryOnesupportbeforechangingthedefaultvalue.

MESSAGEPROCESSORThesesettingscontroltheprocessthatpollsthemessagequeueandprocessesmessages.Examplesofprocessesincludeloggingtodiskortheeventlog,orsendinganemailnotification.

Setting Description

PollingInterval

PollingIntervalcontrolshowoftentheSentryOneServer'sinternalmessagequeueischeckedandmessagesareprocessed.Increasingthissettingwilleffectivelylengthenthetimebetweenwhenaconditionismetandanyassociatedactionsaretriggered.AdjustingthesettingupordownwillaffectoverheadontheSentryOneMonitoringServiceonly,andwillnotaffectnetworkormonitoringoverheadforwatchedInstances.

ErrorResumeInterval TheErrorResumeIntervalishowlongtheSentryOneMonitoringServiceshouldwaittorecoverfromanerrororexceptioninthemessageprocessor.

DoNotFireActionsforMessagesOlderThan

Ifmessageswereunabletobecollectedforsometimethissettingwillkeepactionsfrombeingfiredfortheseoldermessages.

PurgeActionLogHistoryOlderThan

ThissettingdetermineshowmanydaysworthofActionLoginformationisstored.

Thesesettingsdeterminewhetherglobalmessagethrottlingisenabledand,ifso,howmanyemailmessagescanbesentwithintheprovidedamountoftimebeforethemessagethrottlingactivates.Whenmessagethrottlingactivatesthe"MessageProcessor:MessageActionThrottled"Conditionisfired.


GlobalMessageThrottling(Don'tsendmorethanXemailswithinXhours.

The"MessageProcessor:MessageActionThrottled"conditionisaFailsafecondition;thereforebydefaultanyuseraddedduringtheSetupWizardwillbenotifiedwhenthisConditionismet.Ifyoudisablealertingforthe"MessageProcessor:MessageActionThrottled"Condition,MessageThrottlingwillstillremainineffect.

Note:The"MessageProcessor:MessageActionThrottled"Conditionissubjecttoglobalmessagethrottlingitself.

PERFORMANCEMONITORThesesettingscontroltheprocessresponsibleformonitoringWindowsperformancecountersthatarelinkedtoeventobjects.The"PurgeHistoryOlderThan"settingalsocontrolsretentionofPerformanceAnalysisTopSQL,BlockingSQL,andDeadlockdata.

Setting Description

PollingIntervalPollingIntervalcontrolshowoftentheSentryOneMonitoringServicewillsampleanyperformancecounterslinkedtoanevent.Thepollingisnotcontinuous,butisstartedandstoppedautomaticallybaseduponaneventobject'sschedules.

ErrorResumeInterval TheErrorResumeIntervalishowlongtheSentryOneMonitoringServiceshouldwaittorecoverfromanerrororexceptionintheperformancemonitor.

PurgeHistoryOlderThan

SpecifieshowlongPerformanceAnalysisTopSQL,BlockingSQL,andDeadlockdataisretainedintheSentryOneDatabase.ThissettingalsoappliestoEventCalendarGeneralPerformanceMonitoring(on-linedocumentation)data.

Note:AllotherPerformanceData,includingthedatawhichisdisplayedonthePerformanceAnalysisDashboard,isnotaffectedbytheMonitoringServiceSettings.Instead,thisdataissubjecttoahighperformancestorageschemeandinternalrollupstructureasoutlinedintheDashboardResolutions/RetentiontopicandtheDataCapacityPlanningarticle.

Note:TopSQL,BlockingSQL,andDeadlockdatawillalsobeconvertedtothenativeEventCalendarformatandthenretainedaccordingtotheEventHistoryMonitor"PurgeHistoryOlderThan"setting.

TextDataMaximumLengthChangethemaximumlengthoftextdatacapturedforTopSQLandTopCommandevents.

TextData(Normalized)MaximumLength

ChangethemaximumlengthofnormalizedtextdatacapturedforTopSQLandTopCommandevents.

NormalizationEngine Withthereleaseofversion8.2,therehavebeenimprovementsmadetotheNormalizationEngine.UsersupgradingfromapriorbuildwillneedtoselecttheAdvancedoptiontoseetheenhancements.

MAINTENANCEWINDOW

Setting Description



MaintenancewindowsettingsallowyoutospecifyatimeframewhereFailsafeNotificationswillbedisabledwhiledailymaintenanceactivitytakesplace.ThiswillpreventexcessivenotificationsthatmayoccurifawatchedInstanceistemporarilyinaccessibleduringtheseactivities.LogActionswillstillbeenabledduringthiswindow,butanyExecuteorSendActionswillnotfireinsidetheMaintenanceWindow.TheMaintenanceWindowspecifiedinthisview,undertheSentryOneMonitoringServicenode,appliestoactivityontheSentryOneDatabaseitself.TospecifyaMaintenanceWindowforwatchedInstances/Target,selecttheSettingstabfromtheSettingsPaneforthatInstance/Target.

SNMPCONFIGURATIONSNMPSettings

Setting Description

Hostname

ThisvaluedetermineswheretheSNMPtrapwillbesent.Thedefaultsetting(BROADCAST)willsendthetraptoallmanagers.IndividualmanagerscanbesentthetrapsusingtheindividualhostnameorIPaddress.

Note:ManagersincludedintheBROADCASTgroupandwhoarealsolistedindividuallywillreceivetwomessagesforeachoccurrence.

Port Theportusedfortransmissionofthetraps(Default162).

SNMPVersion TheversionofSNMPtobeused(1,2Cor3)

Enabled Thischeckboxdetermineswhetherornotthetrapisenabled.

SNMPv1/2CConfiguration

CommunityEnterthecommunity.

SNMPv3Configuration

Setting Description

EngineIDEntertheEngineID.

NOTE:YoucanalsousetheGeneratebuttontogetthisvalue.

Username Entertheusername

PrivacyAlgorithm Selecttheappropriateprivacyalgorithm

PrivacyPassword Entertheprivacypassword

HashAlgorithm Selecttheappropriatehashalgorithm(MD5,SHA,orNone).

HashPassword Enterthepassword.

6.2.8.1.1 SMTPConfiguration

TheSMTPServerconfigurationoptionscanbeaccessedthroughtheMonitoringServiceSettings(Navigatorpane->MonitoringServicenode->Settings->SMTPConfigtab).


Usethedrop-downlistboxtochooseapreviouslyconfiguredSMTPserver,orusethe(...)commandtoopentheSelect anSMTP Serverdialog,andconfigureanewSMTPserver.

TheselectedSMTPserverwillbethegloballydefinedSMTPserver,andwillbeusedforallnotificationpurposesunlessitisoverriddenattheSitelevel.Formoreinformationaboutthis,pleaseseetheConfiguringaSiteLevelSMTPServersectionbelow.

ADDANEWSMTPSERVERFromtheSMTPConfigtab,usethe(...)commandtoopentheSelect anSMTP Serverdialog.ToaddanewSMTPserver,firstusetheNewcommandtoopentheSMTP Server Editordialogbox.Seethetablebelowformoreinformationabouttheavailableoptions.OnceyouhaveenteredtherequiredinformationusetheTestcommandtosendatestemail.

Note:

TheSMTPSecuritySettingsareoptional,andarenotrequiredinmostenvironments.

ForthemostaccurateSMTPtest,youshoulduseaSentryOneClientinstalledontheSentryOneMonitoringServicemachinetosendatestmessage.Ifyouuseadifferentcomputer,i.e.,yourlocalworkstation,theresultsmaybedifferent.Forexample,yourSMTPservermayallowrelayfromyourworkstation'ssubnet,butnotfromtheSentryOneServer'ssubnet.Inthiscasethetestfromyourworkstationwouldsucceed;however,theSentryOneMonitoringServicewouldbeunabletodelivernotifications.

SMTPConfigurationOptions

SMTPSettings Description

SMTPServer EntertheIPAddressortheDomainNameoftheSMTPServer.Whenusinglocalhost,thiswillbethelocalSMTPserveronthemachinewheretheSentryOneMonitoringServiceisinstalled.

FromAddress SpecifytheFromAddressforEmailnotifications

SMTPSecurity(Optional)

Username EntertheusernameusedtoauthenticatewiththeSMTPServer.

Password EnterthepasswordusedtoauthenticatewiththeSMTPServer.

EnableSSL SpecifyifyourSMTPserverusesaSecureSocketLayer(SSL)protocol.

UseCustomPort SelecttheoutgoingportfortheSMTPServer.

CONFIGURINGASITELEVELSMTPSERVERSentryOneallowsyoutoconfiguremultipleSMTPserversforthedifferentSiteswithinyourenvironment.ThisallowsyoutospecifyanSMTPserver,oranSMTPServergroupwhichislocalforeachSite,simplifyingpermissions,andreducingtrafficoverWANs.

YoumayconfigureSitelevelSMTPserversthroughtheSiteSettingsfoundintheSettingspane.TodothisfirstselectyourdesiredSiteintheNavigatorpane.NextopentheSettingspane(Viewmenu->Settings).IntheSettingspanechooseSiteSettingsfromthetopdrop-downlist.ChangetheInherit From ParentSettingtofalse.TheSMTP Server Generalsettingwilllistthe


currentSMTPserver.Next,clickonthecurrentSMTPserverandselectthe(...)commandtoopentheSelect an SMTP Serverdialog.ChooseyourdesiredSMTPserverandselecttheOKcommandtospecifytheSMTPserverforyourSite.

SMTPSERVERGROUPSInordertoprovidefailovercapabilities,SentryOneprovidesyouwiththeabilitytocreateSMTPServergroups.TocreateanSMTPServergroupfirstaddyourSMTPserverstoyourSentryOneenvironment,asoutlinedaboveintheaddanewSMTPServersection.

NextyouwillneedtocreatetheSMTPServergroup.FromtheSelect an SMTP Serverdialogbox,usetheNewcommandtoopentheSMTP Server Editordialogbox.UsetheTypedrop-downlistandchooseServerGroup.GivetheServergroupanameandaddyourdesiredserverswiththeAddcommand.

SMTPSERVERGROUPFAILOVERPROCESSTheSMTPserversinagroupwillfailoverinsequence,accordingtotheorderinwhichtheyarelistedintheSMTP Server Editor dialogbox.Youmaychangethisorderbyusingthearrowbuttonslocatedatthebottomofthedialogbox.

AnSMTPserverfails

WhenanSMTPserverfails,theMonitoringServicewillattempttousethenextSMTPserverinsequencetosendthemessage.IftheMonitoringServiceissuccessfulinusingthisSMTPserver,thissameSMTPServerwillbeusedthenexttimetheMonitoringServiceneedstosendamessage.

Forexample,assumeyouhaveaSendEmailActionconfiguredfortheSQLServerAgentJob:FailureCondition,andalsoyouhavethefollowingSMTPserversdefinedsequentiallyinyourgroup:

1.SMTP_A

2.SMTP_B

3.SMTP_C

4.SMTP_D

WhenthefailureConditionisdetectedtheMonitoringServicewillattempttocompletetheSendEmailActionusingSMTP_A,whichisthefirstserverinthegroup.IftheMonitoringServiceisunabletosendthemessagethroughSMTP_A,itwilltrySMTP_B.Ifitissuccessful,theMonitoringServicewilluseSMTP_BthenexttimeitneedstocompleteaSendEmailAction.

EverySMTPserverfails

IntheeventthateverySMTPserverinthegroupisunavailablewhentheMonitoringServiceattemptstocompleteaSendEmailAction,aMonitoringService:ActionFailedConditionwillbetriggered.GivenourexampleSMTPgroupabove,thisprocesswouldworkasfollows:

IftheMonitoringServiceisunabletosendtheemailmessagethroughSMTP_A,itwilltrySMTP_B,thenSMTP_C,andfinallySMTP_D.IftheMonitoringServicecompletesacyclethrougheachSMTPserverintheSMTPServergroup,andisstillunabletocompletetheSendEmailAction,aMonitoringServiceAction:FailedConditionwillbetriggered.

ResettingtheFailoverprocess

ChangesmadetoanSMTPServergroup,includingchangestotheevaluationorder,oradditionsanddeletionsofSMTPserverswilleffectivelyresetthefailoverprocess.Oncethefailoverprocess


hasbeenreset,theMonitoringServicewillattempttoprocessSendEmailActionsstartingwiththefirstSMTPserverdefinedforthegroup.

6.2.8.2 SiteConfiguration

SitesarelogicalgroupingsofTargets,Instances,SMTPServers,andMonitoringServiceswithinyourSentryOneenvironment.EverySentryOneenvironmenthasatleastoneSiteconfiguredbydefault;youcanseethisSiterepresentedintheNavigatorpane,astheDefaultSite.WhilenoteveryenvironmentwillhaveaneedformultipleSites,theyofferanumberofadvantagesforenvironmentswhichcontaingeographicallysparseassets,existinginmultipledomains.SeetheSentryOneEnterpriseArchitecture('EnterpriseArchitecture'intheon-linedocumentation)topicforagraphicalrepresentationofthisidea.ThefollowingsectioncontainsgeneralinformationaboutSites,ifyoupreferyoucanjumprighttothewalkthroughsection.

SITELEVELMONITORINGSERVICESTheSentryOneMonitoringServiceisaWindowsService,whichisresponsibleforcollectingeventhistory,eventstatus,andperformancerelatedinformationaboutyourservers,andstoringthatinformationintheSentryOneDatabase.

SentryOneMonitoringServicescanbeassignedtospecificSiteswithinyourenvironment.OnceyouplaceaMonitoringServicewithinaSiteitbecomesexclusivelyresponsibleforgatheringinformationaboutthosewatchedTargetsandInstancescontainedwithinthatsameSite.

Asyoucanimagine,havingaMonitoringServicewithinthesameLANasthoseserversitismonitoringsignificantlyreducesWANtraffic,astheMonitoringServiceisabletoconsumedatalocallyandwritebacktotheSentryOneDatabaseasneeded.

SITELEVELSMTPSERVERSAsdiscussedabove,onceaMonitoringServiceisassignedtoaSitethatMonitoringServicebecomesresponsiblefortheSiteinanumberofways.OneoftheresponsibilitiesoftheMonitoringServiceistoalertyouabouteventswhicharehappeningwithinyourenvironment.OneofthewaysitdoesthisisbycommunicatingwithyourSMTPservers,whensendingemailalerts.IfyouhaveaSiteinNewYorkandanotherinChicago,itdoesn’tmakesensetouseNewYork’sSMTPservertoalertyouaboutConditionshappeninginChicago.

SitelevelSMTPServersandSMTPServerGroupssolvethisproblem.WhentheMonitoringServicedetectsaConditionwhichyouhaveconfiguredtobenotifiedabout,itwillpackagethatalertandthenmarshalthatinformationtothelocalSMTPserver,whichyouhaveassignedtotheSite.ThisallhappenswithinthelocalityoftheSite’sLAN,againavoidinglongdistancecommunicationoveraWAN,andsignificantlyreducingnetworktraffic.

SitelevelSMTPserverscanbeconfiguredthroughtheSiteSettings.Formoreinformationaboutthis,seetheSMTPConfigurationtopic.

SITELEVELPOLICIESSentryOneallowsyoutosetpoliciesforyourmonitoredenvironmentbyconfiguringSettingsandConditions/Actions.EachoftheseSettingsandConditionshasahierarchicalconfiguration.ThebasicideaisthatyousetglobalpoliciesandthenreconfigurethemasneededatthedifferentlevelsavailablewithintheSentryOneHierarchy.Asyoumayhaveguessed,SitesrepresentalevelwithintheSentryOneHierarchy.Thisoffersanumberofpossibilities,asyoucanfinetuneyourSettingsandConditions/ActionswithjusttheSitelevelenvironmentinmind.


CONFIGUREANEWSITEWALKTHROUGHTaketheexampleofacompanywithofficesinbothAtlantaandLouisville,withfivemonitoredserversateachlocation.UsingseparateSitesforAtlantaandLouisville,aSentryOneMonitoringServicecanbeinstalledinLouisvillewhichmonitorsonlythefiveserversthere,andwhichreportsbacktotheSentryOneDatabaseinAtlanta.ThisconfigurationwillresultinlessnetworktrafficacrosstheWANlinkthaniftheSentryOneMonitoringServiceinAtlantawatchedtheLouisvilleservers.Additionally,boththeAtlantaandLouisvilleSitescouldbeconfiguredtousetheirownlocalSMTPserverorSMTPservergroup,furtherreducingWANtraffic.

CONFIGUREASITETHROUGHTHENAVIGATORPANESentryOnev7addedtheabilitytoconfigureSitesthroughtheNavigatorpane,simplifyingtheprocess.ThisexamplewalksthroughcreatingasitethroughtheNavigatorpane.ThesamegeneralconfigurationoptionsarealsoavailablethroughtheSiteConfigurationWindow.Findthatexampledirectlybelowthisone.

1. Right-clickontheAllTargetsnodeintheNavigatorpaneandusetheAddSitecommand.

2. ThenewSitewillbecreatedbeneaththedefaultSitewithintheNavigatorPane;givetheSiteaname

3. InstallthenewSentryOneMonitoringServiceonanon-productionserverintheremoteSite,followingtheguidelinesbelow.

Important:Inthisstep,whenyouareinstallingtheMonitoringServiceinyourremoteSite,besurethattheinstallationpackagebuildnumberisidenticaltotheversionofyourexistinginstallation.YourSentryOneversioncanbeviewedintheHelp→AboutmenuoftheSentryOneClient.

a. WhenpromptedfortheSentryOneDatabaseinformation,specifyyourexistingSentryOneDatabaseandchooseyourdesiredAuthenticationMode.Ifthereisnotrustbetweenthedomains,youwillneedtouseeitherSQLServerauthenticationorpass-throughauthenticationtowritebacktotheSentryOneDatabase.

b. WhenpromptedfortheServiceAccountInformationbesuretouseanaccountwiththerequiredpermissions,namelySysAdminforeachmonitoredSQLServer,andWindowsAdministratorprivilegesforanyserversyouplantowatchwithSentryOne.

4. WaitjustabriefamountoftimefortheMonitoringServicetocompletelyinitialize.TheMonitoringServicewillinitiallybedisplayedintheMonitoringServiceGroupoftheDefaultSite.ItwillbeidentifiedwiththenameoftheTargetitwasinstalledon.

5. SelectthenewlyinstalledMonitoringServiceanddragittotheMonitoringServicefolderoftheRemoteSite.

6. AddanyInstancesandTargetsthatyouwishtomonitorthroughtheright-clickcontextmenuofyournewlycreatedSite.

CONFIGUREASITETHROUGHTHESITECONFIGURATIONWINDOW1. OpentheSiteConfigurationwindow(Navigatorpane→ Monitoring Service → Site

Configuration).


http://www.sqlsentry.com/help/qs/Pass-through_Authentication.html

http://www.sqlsentry.com/help/qs/Monitoring Service Security.html

2. IntheSitesSectionusetheNewbuttontoopentheAdd/Edit Site dialog.3. GivetheSiteanameandselectOK.4. InstallthenewSentryOneMonitoringServiceonanon-productionserverintheremoteSite,followingtheguidelinesbelow.

Important:Inthisstep,whenyouareinstallingtheMonitoringServiceinyourremoteSite,besurethattheinstallationpackagebuildnumberisidenticaltotheversionofyourexistinginstallation.YourSentryOneversioncanbeviewedintheHelp→AboutmenuoftheSentryOneClient.

WhenpromptedfortheSentryOneDatabaseinformation,specifyyourexistingSentryOneDatabaseandchooseyourdesiredAuthenticationMode.Ifthereisnotrustbetweenthedomains,youwillneedtouseeitherSQLServerauthenticationorpass-throughauthenticationtowritebacktotheSentryOneDatabase.

WhenpromptedfortheServiceAccountInformation,besuretouseanaccountwiththerequiredpermissionsformonitoringserversintheRemoteSite,namelySysAdminforeachmonitoredSQLServer,andWindowsAdministratorprivilegesforanyserversyouplantowatchwithSentryOne.

5. WaitjustabriefamountoftimefortheMonitoringServicetocompletelyinitialize,thenclickoffandbackontheSiteConfigurationnodetorefreshthewindow.

6. SelectthenewSiteintheSitesareaoftheSiteConfigurationwindow.ThenewSentryOneMonitoringServiceshouldshowupasAvailable.SelectitandclickAdd,thenclickSave.

7. ThenewlycreatedSiteanditsassociatedMonitoringServicewillbedisplayedintheNavigatorpane.AddanyInstancesandTargetsthatyouwishtomonitorthroughtheright-clickcontextmenuofyournewlycreatedSite.

Note:TheDefaultSiteactsasa"catchall"foranySentryOneMonitoringServicesandTargetsthatareremovedfromorhaven'tyetbeenaddedtoanyotherSites.

6.2.8.3 InventoryView

TheInventoryviewallowsyoutoseetheWatchedStatusofanyTargetwithinyourenvironment.Youcandragthecolumnheadertothetoptogroupbythatcolumn.Otheroptionsareavailableinthecontextmenuforthecolumnheadersforgrouping,sorting,filteringetc.Onceapplied,thefilterwillbeshownatthebottomofthepane.

Column Description

Site ManagementSitemaintainedthroughtheSiteConfigurationscreen,orthroughNavigatorpanedraganddropfunctionality.SitesrepresentalogicalgroupingofTargets,Instances,andMonitoringServiceswithinyourSentryOneenvironment.

MonitoringService SpecificSentryOneMonitoringServicebymachinename.

Name NameofspecificTarget.

Type TargetsmaybeSQLServer,AnalysisServices,Windows,APSAppliance,VMwareHosts,AzureSQLDB,orSQLDW

Watched TheflagsindicatewhethertheTargetiscurrentlybeingwatchedby


http://www.sqlsentry.com/help/qs/Pass-through_Authentication.html


SentryOne.AcheckmarkindicatesthattheTargetiscurrentlybeingwatched.AnemptycheckboxindicatesthattheTargetisnotbeingwatched.Ifyouwouldliketoreclaimalicense,clickonthecheckboxtostopwatchingthatTarget.ThatlicensecanthenbeappliedtoanotherTargetasneeded.

UsetheInventoryviewtoquicklyseehowthelicenseswithinyourenvironmentaredistributed.

Column Description

6.2.8.4 MonitoringServiceLoadBalancingandFaultTolerance

InordertoprovideautomaticloadbalancingandfaulttoleranceSentryOneallowsfortheinstallationofmultipleMonitoringServices.

Thereisnoadditionalconfigurationrequiredtoimplementthisfunctionality.OnceanadditionalSentryOneMonitoringServiceisinstalledandconnectedtothesameSentryOnedatabaseduringsetup,theywillautomaticallydistributethemonitoringloadevenlybetweenthemselvesprovidingautomaticfaulttoleranceandloadbalancing.IfoneSentryOneMonitoringServicefails,theremainingSentryOneMonitoringServiceswillpickuptheloadautomatically.

Forexample,iftherearethreeSentryOneMonitoringServicesassociatedwithnineserversallcontainedwithinthesameSite,theSentryOneMonitoringServiceswilldividetheserversevenlyamongthemselves,eachmanagingthree.IfoneSentryOneMonitoringServiceweretofail,theothertwowouldpickuptheunmanagedserversanddividetheremainingthreebetweenthemselves.

6.2.8.5 ActionsLog

SentryOneincludesaninterfaceforviewing,sorting,andfilteringlogandnotesinformation.TheActionslogiswhereinformationrelatingtoGeneral,Failsafe,andAuditActionscanbeviewed.AdditionallywheneveraConditionisconfiguredwiththeLogtoDatabaseAction,informationrelatedtothatConditioncanalsobeviewedintheActionsLog.

LOGFILTERFilterCriteriausedtomanageresultsdisplayedintheview.UsetheLogFiltertosearchforaspecificlogentrybynarrowingtheselectioncriteriatobedisplayedintheLogList.


Property Description

After Enablesthefiltertoonlyshowlogswithaneventtimeafterthespecifiedtimeinthedate/timeselectioncontrols.

Before Enablesthefiltertoonlyshowlogswithaneventtimebeforethespecifiedtimeinthedate/timeselectioncontrols.

ObjectName FilterstheloglistbyapplyingalikecomparisontothespecifiedvaluetothevaluestoredintheObjectNamefield.

ParentName FilterstheloglistbyapplyingalikecomparisontothespecifiedvaluetothevaluestoredintheParentNamefield.

Contains Narrowstheloglisttotheentrieswiththespecifiedvalueinthemessagetext.

LogType SpecifythetypeofActionstodisplayintheLogList.

Conditions Filtersforaspecificconditioncategory.

Action Filtersforaspecificactioncategory.

Refresh Usedtorefreshthelistoflogsanddate/timefilter.

ApplyFilter UsedtoapplyFilterCriteriasettingsandrefreshtheloglist.

ResetFilter Usedtoremovethefilterappliedtotheloglist.

Page Usedtoshowthecurrentdisplaypageofresultsandhowmanypagesareintheloglist.

First Movetothefirstpageoflogresults

Previous Movetothepreviouspageoflogresults.

Next Movetothenextpageoflogresults.

Last Movetothelastpageoflogresults.

LOGLISTTheLogListshowsalllogrecordsretrieved.Recordscannotbeedited,however,notescanbeadded.Tosortalist,clickontheheader.

Column Description

LogTime Displaysthetimetheactionwasfiredfortheevent.

EventTime Displaysthestarttimefortheevent.

ObjectType Displaystheobjecttypefortheevent.

ObjectName Containsthenameoftheobjectfortheevent.

ParentObjectName Containsthenameoftheparentobjectfortheevent.


Condition Capturestheconditionthatcausedtheevent.

Action Capturestheactionthatcausedtheevent.

NOTESLOGLISTEventhoughnotesareconsideredaloggedobject,thepropertiesaresomewhatdifferentthanthelogsforotherevents.Thus,theloglistcolumnsvaryinordertoreflectthesedifferences.

Column Description

LogTime Date/timenotewascreated.

UserName Nameofuserthatcreatedthenote.

ObjectName Theobjectnamethatthenotereferences.

ParentObjectName Thenameoftheparentobjectthatthenotereferences.

NoteText Containsthenotemessagetext.

NoteTitle Containsthetitleorsubjectofthenote.

Calendar Capturestheconditionthatcausedtheevent.

Notifications Capturestheactionthatcausedtheevent.

MESSAGEWINDOWTheMessagewindowislocatedatthebottomportionoftheview,andcontainsaread-onlyarea,displayingthelogmessages.Toaddoreditnotestoaneventinstance,right-clickonthedesiredrowinthelist,andchoosetheoptiontoAdd/EditNotestoopenthenoteeditor.

Column Description

6.2.8.6 SystemStatus

TheSystemStatusscreenprovidesinformationabouttheworkSentryOneisdoingintheenvironment,includingMonitoringServicetasks,theircurrentstate,andanyassociatedmessages.BydefaulttheSystemStatusscreenwillonlydisplayerrors.Generally,thereisnoneedtoreferencetheSystemStatusscreen,butitmaybehelpfulwhentroubleshootingenvironmentalfaults.

YoumaychoosetoviewtheinformationdisplayedinSystemStatusgroupedbyeitherTargetorMonitoringServicewiththeirassociatedcommands.

BeawarethatturningoffshowerrorswilltriggertheSentryOnedatabasetoelevatelogging.ThiscantemporarilyincreasethetransactionsonthedatabaseuntiltheSystemStatusviewisclosed.

6.2.8.7 ServiceConfigurationUtility


TheServiceConfigurationUtilityisusedtochangethestoredcredentialsoftheSentryOneMonitoringService.ChangingthesecurityaccountusingtheservicesappletintheWindowscontrolpanelwillcausetheservicetofailandisnotsupported.Theservicewillappeartoberunning,butwillnotbeabletoperformanyworkduetoanencryptionerror.

RunningtheServiceConfigurationUtilityistheonlysupportedwayofchangingthestoredMonitoringServicecredentials.Ifonlythepasswordneedstobechanged,theservicesappletintheWindowscontrolpanelcanbeused.

The"ServiceConfiguration.exe"utilityislocatedintheSentryOneprogramgrouponthestartmenu.

6.2.8.8 MonitoringServiceLogonAccount

IftheUseraccountusedbytheMonitoringServiceneedstobechanged,theSentryOneServiceConfigurationUtilitywillneedtoberuninorderforthePublic/Privatekeyencryptiontovalidatethechange.

FormoreinformationaboutthedifferentrequirementsfortheMonitoringServicelogonaccountpleaseseetheMonitoringServiceSecuritytopicintheQuickStartGuide.

6.3 CommonTasks

6.3.1 Reporting

SentryOneoffersanexpansivelistofreportingoptions.SentryOnereportsaregeneratedusingSQLServerReportingServices(SSRS)technology.TheSentryOneClientincludesReportingServicesReportViewerwhichallowstheSentryOneReportstobeviewedfromwithintheSentryOneClient.AllreportscanbeaccessedfromtheReportsmenu.

SentryOneReportscanalsobedeployedtoaReportingServices2005andaboveserverfordistribution.

TheReport Deployment SettingsareaccessedfromtheReportsmenu.FormoreinformationaboutthesesettingsanddeployingSentryOneReportspleaseseetheReportDeploymentsectionofthistopic.

REPORTPARAMETERSOnceareportisselected,dependingonthetypeofreport,theusercanspecifyanumberofparametersincludingadateandtimerangeforthereport.Optionsmayalsobeavailabletosavetheseparametersforlateruse.Tosaveasetofparameters,choosetheSavecommandontheReportParametersdialogscreen.ToloadasavedsetofparameterssimplychooseaparametersetfromtheLoad Saved Parametersdrop-downlist.Forcertainreports,suchastheSQL ServerPerformance report,anoptionwillbeavailabletoselectmultiplesetsofparametervalues.UsetheAddtoParameterListcommandtoaddaparametersettotheselectedreport.

EXPORTINGREPORTS


https://cdn.sentryone.com/help/qs/?Monitoring Service Security.html

SentryOneReportscanbeexportedinavarietyofformatsfordistributionpurposes.Afterareportisrun,fromtheReportViewerscreen,choosetheExportbuttonfoundonthetoolbarasshownbelowtoexportareport:

EVENTMANAGERREPORTS

Report Description

CurrentFailures

TheCurrentFailuresreportprovidesdataaboutallfailureswhichhaveoccurredinthegiventimeframeforanymonitoredobjectswithinyourSentryOneEnvironment.Thereportincludesvariousinformationabouttheassociatedfailuresincluding:nameoftheevent,parentInstancename,laststepoutput,startandendtimes.ReportparametersallowyoutochoosetoshoweitherOpenFailuresonlyorAllFailures.AnyusernotesaddedtotheJobfailureinstancewillalsobeavailableonthisreport.UsetheCurrentFailuresreporttoquicklyidentifyobjectfailuresovertheselectedtimeframe.

ManagementSummary

TheManagementSummaryreportprovidesahigh-leveloverviewofthemonitoredserverswithinyourSentryOneenvironment.Thereportincludesacountofallmonitoredobjects,andasapplicable,theassociatednumberoffailuresrecordedforthoseobjects,groupedinthefollowingranges:last30 days,last7 days,andlast24 hours.UsetheManagementSummaryreporttohelpyoudeterminewhichserversarethemostactiveinyourenvironment.

PerformanceCountersList

ThePerformanceCountersListreportprovidesdataaboutperformancecounters('SchedulePerformanceMonitoring'intheon-linedocumentation)currentlyassociatedwithspecificeventobjectsorcustomeventviewswithinyourSentryOneEnvironment.Informationabouteachperformancecounterisdisplayedforthespecifiedtimerange,includingtheminimum,maximum,andaverageoftherecordedmetric.UsethePerformanceCountersListreporttoquicklyidentifyactiveperformancecountersinyourenvironment.


WatchedObjectSummary

TheWatchedObjectSummaryreportprovidesinformationaboutthedifferenttypesofobjectsfoundoneachwatchedInstance.ThereportbreaksdownthewatchedandunwatchedobjectsbyInstancetypeandeventsource.CountsforthenumberofchildobjectsbelongingtotheInstancewhichareenabledordisabledarealsoprovidedinthisreport.UsetheWatchedObjectSummaryreporttoidentifythenumberofmonitoredobjectsonyourwatchedInstances.

PERFORMANCEANALYSISREPORTSThePerformanceAnalysisreportsarethecompaniontoSentryOnePerformanceAnalysis.FormoreinformationaboutthevariousmetricscontainedinthePerformanceAnalysisreportspleasereviewthePerformanceMetricstopic.

Note:Onapplicablereports,theLoadSavedParametersdrop-downboxallowstheusertosavetheparametersforfutureuse.

PERFORMANCE

Report Description

GlobalServerPerformance

TheGlobalServerPerformancereportprovidesasummaryoftheperformancemetricscollectedforeachoftheserversinyourSentryOneenvironment.UsetheGlobalServerPerformancereportinconjunctionwiththePerformanceAnalysisGlobalViewforahigh-levelunderstandingofserverperformanceacrossyourentiremonitoredenvironment.

IndexDefragmentationDetails-ByDatabase

TheIndexDefragmentationDetailsreportprovidesasummaryofthedefragmentationdetailsfortheindexesinyourenvironment.Defragmentationmetricsprovidedincludefragmentationpercentages,defragmethod,fragmentationpercentagepostdefrag,andstart/endtimes.

IndexFragmentationandUsage

TheIndexFragmentationandUsagereportprovidesagraphicalrepresentationoftheoverallfragmentation,diskspaceusageandbufferusageoftheindexesinyourenvironment.

PerformanceCounterDateRangeComparison

ThePerformanceCounterDateRangeComparisonreportprovidesbothgraphicalandtextualdatafortheselectedperformancecounter(s)overthespecifiedtimerange.Variousparameterscanbeconfiguredincluding:Server,Instance,Category,Counter,andInstance.ThisreportissimilartothePerformanceCounterHistoryreportexcepttwodifferenttimerangescanbeselected.

PerformanceCounterHistory

ThePerformanceCounterHistoryreportprovidesbothgraphicalandtextualdatafortheselectedperformancecounter(s)overthespecifiedtimerange.Variousparametersinclude:Server,Connection,Category,Counter,

Report Description


andInstancecanbeconfigured.

ServerHealth

-ByEventSeverity

-ByResourceCategory

TheServerHealth-ByEventSeverityreportillustratesyourcurrentServerHealthScorewhichisbasedontheseverityofactiveAdvisoryConditionsinyourenvironment.

TheServerHealth-ByResourceCategoryreportdisplaysyouraveragewaittimesorganizedbydifferentresourcetypes.

BothreportsalsofeaturealistingoftheAdvisoryConditionsthatwereactiveduringthattimeperiodandalsoabarthatgraphicallyrepresentstheamountofuptimethattheserverhassustained.

SQLServerPerformance

TheSQLServerPerformancereportprovidesdetailedSQLServerperformancedatafortheinstanceovertheselectedtimerange.UsetheSQLServerPerformancereportinconjunctionwiththePerformanceAnalysisDashboardtogainanunderstandingofSQLServerperformanceinyourmonitoredenvironment.

SQLServerTransactions-TopDatabases

TheSQLServerTransactions-TopDatabasesreportprovidesdetaileddataabouttransactionsandlogflushesfortheselectedInstanceoverthespecifiedtimerange.Thereportincludesaminimum,maximum,average,andtotalcolumnforeachmetric.Thereportincludesthetop10databasesfortheInstanceasdeterminedbythetotalnumberoflogflushesandtransactions.

SQLServerWaitStatsAnalysis

TheSQLServerWaitStatsAnalysisreportprovidesdetaileddataaboutSQLServerWaitsfortheinstanceovertheselectedtimerange.Severalaggregatewaitsgroupingsareincorporatedintothereport,includingwaitsbycategory,byclass,andbytype.EachgroupingbreaksdowntheWaitsdatabyResourceWaits,CPUWaits,andTotalWaits.Metricsaredisplayedinmilliseconds(MS).

SQLServerWaitStatsAnalysis-ByResourceandCPUWaits

TheSQLServerWaitStatsAnalysis-ByResourceandCPUWaitsreportprovidesdetaileddataaboutSQLServerWaitsfortheinstanceovertheselectedtimerange.Severalaggregatewaitsgroupingsareincorporatedintothereport,includingwaitsbycategory,byclass(CPUorResource),andbytype(CPUorResource).Metricsaredisplayedinmilliseconds(MS).

SSASPerformance

TheSSASPerformancereportprovidesdetailedgraphicalinformationregardingtheSSASperformancefortheselectedInstanceoveragiventimerange.

Windows+SQLServerPerformance

TheWindows+SQLServerPerformancereportprovidesdetailedperformancemetricsforeachinstanceontheselectedserverwithregardtoWindowsandSQLServerperformance.UsetheWindows+SQLServerPerformancereportinconjunctionwiththePerformanceAnalysisDashboardtogainaninsightintotheperformanceofyourmonitored

Report Description


environment.

WindowsPerformance

TheWindowsPerformancereportprovidesdetailedWIndowsperformancedatafortheinstanceovertheselectedtimerange.UsetheWindowsPerformancereportinconjunctionwiththePerformanceAnalysisDashboardtogainanunderstandingofWindowsperformanceinyourmonitoredenvironment.

BLOCKING

Report Description

Blocking

-ByApplication

-ByApplicationMatrix

-ByUser

-BySQLServer

-ByWaitResource

-ByWaitType

TheBlockingreportsprovideasummaryofblockingdataoverthegiventimerange.Theyaredesignedtoaggregatebyblockingquery,blockedquery,andwaitresourcefortheselectedtimeframe.Usethisdataalongwithotherblocking-levelmetricsavailableintheBlockingSQLtabofPerformanceAnalysistoidentifyandtargetproblemareas.

TOPSQL

Report Description

TopSQL

-ByUser

-ByDatabase

-ByApplication

-ByServer

-AllServers

TheTopSQLreportsprovideasummaryofTopSQLdatacapturedoverthegiventimerange.TopSQLcontainsyourhighimpact,worstperformingstoredprocedures,batches,andstatements.TheinformationcapturedbyTopSQLcanbebasedonanycombinationofduration,cpu,reads,orwrites.UsethisdataalongwithothermetricsavailableintheTopSQLtabofPerformanceAnalysistoidentifyandtargetproblemareas.EachoftheTopSQLreportswillgrouptheTopSQLdatabyitsrespectivecategoryname.

DISK/FILESPACEUsetheDisk/FileSpacereportsinconjunctionwiththeDiskActivityandDiskSpacetabsofPerformance Analysistoidentifydatadiskcapacityissuesandpossibleperformancebottlenecks.

Report Description


Report Description

SQLServerFileGrowth-TopFiles

-AllServers

TheSQLServerFileGrowth-TopFiles-AllServersreportprovidesdataandlogfilegrowthovertheselectedtimerangefortheTopNfiles,asselectedinthereportparameters,acrossyourentireinstallation.TherearerepresentationsforTotal SizeandUsed sizeovertheselectedtimeframe.

SQLServerFileUtilization

-TopFiles

-ByLogicalDisk

-ByDatabase

TheSQLServerFileUtilizationreportprovidesdataandlogfilegrowthovertheselectedtimerangefortheTop5files,onthespecifiedInstance.TherearerepresentationsforTotal SizeandUsed sizeovertheselectedtimeframe.EachoftheSQLServerFileUtilizationreportswillgroupthedatabyitsrespectivecategoryname.

WindowsDiskUtilization

-ByServer

TheWindowsDiskUtilization-ByServerreportprovidestheamountofusedandfreespacefortheselectedserveroverthespecifiedtimerange.ThereportprovidesdataforbothPhysicalandLogicaldiskutilization.

WindowsDiskUtilization

-AllServers

TheWindowsDiskUtilization-AllServersreportprovidesthedisksize,usedspace,freespace,andusedspacehistoryforallofthemonitoredserverswithinyourSentryOneEnvironment.

MisalignedPartitions

-ByServer

-AllServers

TheMisalignedPartitionsreportsprovidesasummaryofthemisalignedpartitionsfortheselectedserver.

HighVLFs

-ByServer

-AllServers

TheHighVLFsreportsprovidesdataaboutthosetransactionlogswhichhaveahighnumberofVirtualLogFiles(VLFs).

DatabaseswithoutRecentBackups

TheDatabaseswithoutRecentBackupsreportprovidesinformationaboutDatabaseswithoutarecentbackupinyourmonitoredenvironment.InformationisincludedforbothDataandLogfiles,includingtheLastBackupTime,LastBackupType,andUsedSize(MB).Thedefaulttimerangeforthisreportcoversthelast15days,butisconfigurable.TransactionLogfilesarenotincludedinthisreportifthedatabaseisinsimplerecovery.

DEADLOCKS


Report Description

Deadlocks

-ByApplication

-ByApplicationMatrix

-ByResource

-BySQLServer

-ByUser

TheDeadlocksreportsprovideinformationregardingdeadlocksinvariouswaysoveraspecifiedtimerange.WhenusedinconjunctionwiththeDeadlockstabinPerformanceAnalysis,thesereportscanhelptrackdownproblematicdeadlocks.

GENERAL

Report Description

ActionCounts

TheActionCountsreportprovidesacount,brokendownbyobjectandparentobject,ofActionsthathavetakenplaceduringtheselectedtimerange.Thisreportcangiveyouvaluableinformationforfinetuningalertsinyourenvironment.UsetheActionCountsreporttoquicklyidentifywherethealertsinyourenvironmentarecomingfromandthenmakeanyadjustmentsasneeded.

ActiveSettingsList

TheActiveSettingsListreportprovidesdetailsoneverysettingconfiguredinyourenvironmentatalllevelscombinedintooneresource.Thisreportcangiveyouvaluableinformationabouthowsettingsareeffectingyourconfiguredactionsandcollectionsettings.

ConfiguredActionsList

TheConfiguredActionsListreportprovidesalistoneveryactionthathasbeenconfiguredforagivencondition,specifyingatwhatleveltheactionhasbeenconfigured.

ConfiguredNotificationList

TheConfiguredNotificationListreportallowsyoutoviewallconditionsthatarespecificallyconfiguredtosendnotificationsbyemailorpager.

Downtime-ByServerTheDowntime-ByServerreportprovidesalistingofallserverdowntimeactivityforthespecifiedtimerange.Includedinthereportsaremetricssuchastotalincidents,totaldowntimeinseconds,averagedowntimeperincident,uptimepercentage,andfirst/lastincidenttimes.

REPORTDEPLOYMENTYoucandeployanySentryOnereporttooneormoreReportingServices2005andaboveservers.DeployingreportstoyourownSSRSinstanceallowsyoutocreatecustomdeploymentschedules.Beforethereportscanbedeployed,youmustspecifythenameoftheserverwhereyouwishtodeploythereports.

DEPLOYMENTSETTINGS


TheReportDeploymentSettingsmaybeaccessedfromtheReportsmenu(Reports→DeploymentSettings).ThefollowingReportingServiceendpointsaresupportedfordeployingSentryOneReports:

SSRS2005/2008nativemode:

http://<ServerName>/ReportServer/ReportingService2005.asmx

SSRS2008R2orhigher,nativemodemode:

http://<ServerName>/ReportServer/ReportService2010.asmx

Whenyouchoosetodeployyourreports,youwillbegiventheabilitytodecidewhereonyourreportingserverthatyouwouldliketostorethesereports.SimplyclickthedesiredfolderandpressOK.Youmaycreatenewfoldersbyright-clickingonanexistingfolderandchoosingNewFolder.

Note:WindowsAuthenticationmustbeenabledtoimmediatelyrunreportsviathewebinterface.

REPORTSUBSCRIPTIONSInordertocreateasubscriptionforanyoftheSentryOneReportsyouwillneedtoadjusttheInstancepropertiesoftheSQLDataSourceSQLDSasfollows.InthePropertiesofthedatasourcechangetheConnect usingsettingstotheCredentialsstoredsecurelyinthereportserveroption.Beneaththis,besuretoalsoselecttheUseasWindowscredentialswhenconnectingtothedatasourceoption.

ADDITIONALREPORTINGFEATURES

ListViews AlllistviewsinsidetheSentryOneClientcanbeeasilyexported.

RuntimeStats AllruntimestatsintheSentryOneClientareprintable.

PerformanceGraphs AllperformancegraphsintheSentryOneClientareprintable.

EventChains AllEventChaindiagramsintheSentryOneClientareprintable.

CalendarViews AllCalendarviewsintheSentryOneClientareprintable.

IMPORTREPORTSThisoptioncanbefoundintheReportsmenu.SentryOnesupportsimportingfuturereports(createdbytheSentryOnedevelopmentteam)totheClientseparatelywithoutrequiringanupgrade.

6.3.2 AddingNotes

NotesareusedtohelpfacilitatecommunicationbetweenDBAteammembers.Theycanbeusedforchangetracking,resolutionhistory,andavarietyofotherfunctions.Youcansetnotestobeincludedinanyfuturenotificationsgeneratedforanobject,aswellastobedisplayedforall


calendarinstancesofanobject.Bothofthesefeaturescanbevaluableforsharingescalationprocedures,recoverysteps,emergencycontactinformation,etc.,withotherteammembers.

TheNotesinterfacecanbereachedthroughavarietyofcontextmenusthroughouttheSentryOneClient,justaboutanywherethatyoucanactonaneventobjectoreventinstance.Thenotesinterfacecanalsobeaccessedbypressing(CTRL+ALT+N)whenanapplicableobjectisselected.

Whenaddinganote,ifanyfailuresexistfortheselectedeventobject,youwillbepromptedtoclearthem.

Field Hotkey Description

User n/a DisplaysthecurrentWindowsusername.

Title n/a Thesubjectofthenotewhichwillappearintheselectionlist.

Note n/a Thebodyofthenotewhichcannotbeblank.

IncludeinNotifications n/a Enablethissettingtoincludethisnotewithanynotificationsrelatedtotheobject.

ShowforAllCalendarInstances n/a Enablethissettingtoshowthenoteinformationinthepopupofeveryeventinstanceoftheobject.

New Ctrl+N Createsanewnote.

Save Ctrl+S Savesthecurrentnote.

Delete Ctrl+D Todeleteanote,selectitfromthelistandclickdelete.

Close Ctrl+C Closesthewindow.


Seealso:

NotesLog

ClearingFailedInstances

6.3.3 MonitorAdditionalTargetsandInstances

TERMINOLOGYWhenthewordTargetisused,wearereferringtothedevicethathousesyourdata,whetherit'saphysicalserver,cloudinstallation,orAPSappliance.

InstanceisreferringtoaninstanceofSQLServerorSSASthatexistsonaTargetinyourenvironment.

SUPPORTEDTARGETSANDINSTANCESCurrently,SentryOnesupportsthemonitoringofWindows,SQLDW,AzureSQLDatabase,VMwareHost,andAPSapplianceTargets.SupportedInstancesincludeSQLServerandSSAS.Foradditionaldetails,includingsupportedversions,pleaseseeourQuickStartguide.

ACCESSLEVELWhenaddinganewTarget,thefirststepisaFeatureAvailabilitytest.TheresultsofthistestwilldeterminewhethertheTargetwillbeaddedwithFullAccessorLimitedAccess.WhenaTargetisaddedwithFullAccess,themonitoringservicewillcollectWindowslevelmetricsandyouwillhavefullaccesstothefeaturesofPerformanceAnalysis.

IftheTargetfailstheFeatureAvailabilitytest,youcanclicktheTroubleshootinglinkandattempttoresolvetheissue.Afterapplyingasolution,youcanthenretesttheTarget.TherearesomesituationsinwhichLimitedAccessistheonlyoption.Forexample,ifyouaremonitoringacloud-basedSQLServerinstance,youwilllikelynothaveaccesstotheOS.WhenLimitedAccessisapplied,themonitoringservicewillnotcollectPerformanceCounters,andaccesstotheWindowsDashboard,DiskActivitytab,DiskSpacetab,andWindowsProcessestabwillberestricted.

ADDINGINSTANCESYoucaneasilyaddadditionalmonitoredInstancestoyourSentryOneenvironment.Thisisaccomplishedbyright-clickingeithertheAllTargetsnode,aSitenode,aTargetGroupnode,oranexistingTargetnodeintheNavigatorpaneandusingtheAddInstancecommand.YoucanalsoaddanInstancethroughtheFilemenu.

IntheAddInstancedialogyoumaychoosethedesiredInstanceTypefromthedrop-downmenu(AnalysisServicesInstance,SQLServerInstance).

WATCHINGINSTANCESBeforeSentryOnewillstartmonitoringanInstanceorobject,itsstatusmustbesetto“watched”.Instancesorobjectsthatarenotbeingwatchedwillbedisplayedwithagrayed-outiconnexttotheirnameintheNavigatortreeview.


http://www.sqlsentry.com/help/qs/#System_Requirements.html

UnwatchedInstancesorobjectscanhavetheirstatussettowatchedthroughtheirrespectivecontextmenuswiththeWatchcommand.OnceyouhavewatchedanewInstancetheSentryOneMonitoringServicewillstartactivelymonitoringtheInstanceanditsobjects,andbeginhonoringanyassociatedconfiguredConditionsandActions.

Note:ImmediatelyafteraddinganInstanceorsettinganInstancetowatchedstatusSentryOnewillbegintosynchronizewiththatInstance.ExactlyhowlongthesynchronizationprocesstakesdependsonthenumberofobjectsassociatedwiththeInstance,theamountofhistoricaldataavailable,andhowmanyInstancesarebeingwatchedatthesametime.TheWatch Status Windowwillkeepyouinformedoftheprocessandalertyouaboutanyerrors.

MODIFYINGINSTANCEPROPERTIESAfteryou’veaddedanInstance,youmayneedtochangehowSentryOneconnectstothetarget.WhenrightclickingonanInstance,you’llseetwooptionsforconnectionproperties:UserandMonitoringService.

UserConnectionPropertiesdefinehowyourSentryOneClientwillconnecttoamonitoredserverforthecurrentuser.ThesepropertiescanvaryforeachClientinyourenvironment.TheSentryOneClientonlyconnectsdirectlytoamonitoredserverunderspecificscenarios.MoredetailsregardingthosescenariosandspecificsecurityrequirementscanbefoundintheClientSecuritysectionofourQuickStartGuide

MonitoringServiceConnectionPropertiesdefinehowtheSentryOneMonitoringServicewillconnecttotheselectedserver.ThesettingcanbeappliedfromanySentryOneClient.TheMonitoringServiceConnectioncanbeconfiguredbyrightclickingontheInstanceandselectingMonitoringServiceConnectionPropertiesfromthecontextmenu.PleaseseeourQuickStartGuideforadditionalinformationonMonitoringServiceSecurity.

WithintheConnectionPropertieswindow,thereareseveralpropertiesthatcanbechanged.

·EnableIntegratedAuthentication.ThissettingtellstheInstancetousetheintegratedWindowsaccountinformation.

·Credentials.ThisiswhereyouenterSQLServercredentialsifyouarenotusingIntegratedAuthentication.

·Alias.Bydefault,youwillseetheservernamethatyouinitiallyenteredwhenaddingtheInstance.

·Port.ThissettingisusedtoconnecttoSQLServerifithasbeenconfiguredtoanon-standardport.

·AccessLevel.ThissettingisusedtoassignthelevelofaccessthatSentryOnehastotheselectedtarget.ATargetwithlimitedaccesswillnotbeabletoaccessWindowsbasedfeatures,suchastheWindowsDashboard,WindowsProcessestab,DiskSpacetab,orDiskActivitytab.LimitedaccesstargetswillalsonothaveaccesstoPerfLibPerformanceCountersforthattarget.

AllofthesesettingsareavailableforSQLServerInstances.SSASInstancesonlyofferthePortsetting.TargetsoffertheAccessLevelsetting.


http://www.sqlsentry.com/help/qs/Client Authentication and Monitored Servers.html


If you are monitoring the Instance with Performance Analysis, changing the Monitoring ServiceConnection Properties to SQL Server credentials is not supported. Please see the Quick Start Guidefor additional information regarding Performance Analysis Security Requirements.

6.3.4 ConnecttoInstallation

TheConnecttoInstallation...FilemenuitemcontrolstheactivedatabaseforthelocallyinstalledSentryOneMonitoringServiceandClient.

PleaseSpecifytheServer

EnterthenameoftheServertoconnecttointhefieldprovided.

PleaseSpecifytheDatabaseName

SpecifythedatabasenameoftheSentryOneDatabasethatyouwishtoconnectto.

UseIntegratedWindowsAuthentication

ByDefaultthisoptionwillbeselected.IfyouwishtouseSQLServerauthentication,unchecktheboxandentertheSQLServercredentials.AfterconnectingtotheserveranewinstanceoftheSentryOneClientwillbelaunchedthatconnectstothespecifiedalternateinstallation.

ToRemoveanoldServerfromtheAllInstancesView

WhenyoustarttheSentryOneClient,ifyouhavemorethanoneserverintheAllInstancesViewyouwillbepromptedtochooseaninstallationtoconnectto.YoumayhavemorethanoneserverintheAllInstancesViewifyouhavemovedtheSentryOneDatabasetoanewlocation.

ToremoveanoldserverfromtheAllInstancesViewsothatyouwillnolongerbepromptedaboutitwhenopeningtheSentryOneClient:


http://www.sqlsentry.com/help/qs/#Performance_Advisor_Security_Requirements.html

1. SelecttheServer Nameoftheserveryouwouldliketoremoveinthe“PleaseSpecifytheServerName”drop-downlist,andpressShift+Delete.

2. Thenewservershouldnowbetheonlyonelistedinthedrop-downlist.UsetheConnectcommandandconnecttothenewinstallation.

ThenexttimeyouopentheClientitwillautomaticallyconnecttothenewinstallation.


7 AlertingandResponseSystem

SentryOne employs a comprehensive Alerting and Response System. The Alerting and ResponseSystem uses the concept of Conditions and Actions. Conditions describe the various states ofmonitored objects. SentryOne allows you to define criteria for when Conditions are met usingvarious Settings including Condition Settings. As a response to Conditions taking placeActions can be configured.You can refinehow often Actions will be carried out using ResponseRulesets. To control the time frame of when an Action will be processed you may also apply aWindow directly to any configured Action.Conditions and Settings are all hierarchical, working through the principle of inheritance. Thismeans that Conditions and Settings applied at the global level (All Targets node), areautomatically inherited by all objects below that node. Any Inherited Conditions or Settings canthen be overridden at each lower level as needed.In practice, this allows you to design your alerts and responses at a high level (Global AllTargets) and then fine tune them as necessary at the lower levels (Sites, Targets, TargetGroups, Instances, Objects).ForavisualrepresentationofthesedifferentlevelsseetheAlertingandResponseSystemHierarchydiagram.The following table contains a brief description of the different concepts within the SentryOneAlertingandResponsesystem.Fordetailedinformationconcerningeachconcept,selectthelinkstoopentheindividualsub-topics.Concepts:Concept Description

→ContactManagement TheContactsNavigatornodeisusedtocreateandmaintainUsersandGroupswithinyourSentryOneenvironment.OnceaUserorGrouphasbeencreatedtheycanbechosenasatargetfortheSendEmail/SendPageAction.

→Conditions Conditionsdescribethevariousstatesofmonitoredeventobjectsorassociatedperformancecounters('SchedulePerformanceMonitoring'intheon-linedocumentation).YoudefineActionstotakewhenConditionsaremet.

→ConditionSettings ConditionSettingsallowyoutodefinerulesthataConditionmustmeetinorderfortheConditiontobefullysatisfied.ConditionSettingsareapplicabletomostGeneralConditionsandallAuditandFailsafeconditionsandareconfiguredusingavisualfiltereditor.

→Actions ActionsdeterminewhathappenswhenaConditionismet,includingsendingnotifications,executingaprocess,etc.

→Settings SettingsdefinecriteriaforwhenaConditionisconsideredtobemet,includingruntimethresholdsforeventsthatarecaptured.CertainSettings,knownasSourceSettingsdefinewhateventsarecollectedbySentryOne.

→ResponseRulesets ResponseRulesetscontrolhowoftenActionsaretakenin


responsetoConditionsbeingmet.TheydothisbyassigningadditionalcriteriaontopoftheConditionitself,thatmustbemetbeforeanActionwilltakeplace.ThedefaultResponseRulesetisNotify EveryTime.

→Windows WindowsmaybeapplieddirectlytoanyconfiguredActiontocontrolthetimeframeofwhenthatActionwillbeprocessed.Windowsmayalsobeappliedtousersorgroups.

→ObjectGroups ObjectGroupsexistoutsideofthenormalSentryOneHierarchy;anActionorSettingconfiguredforanObjectGroupwillbeappliedlast,afteranyinheritedorexplicitlydefinedActionorSetting.ObjectGroupsareusefulwhenyouneedtoapplylikepoliciestoasetofobjectsthatdonotexistwithinthesamehierarchicalgroupsinyourSentryOneenvironment.

ALERTINGANDRESPONSESYSTEMHIERARCHYActionsand Settingshave a hierarchical configuration. This means that settings applied at theGlobal level (All Targets) are automatically inherited by all objects below that node. InheritedConditions andSettings canthenbeoverriddenat eachlevel as needed. ThesenewConditionsandSettingswillthenbeinheritedbyeachobjectbelowthatlevel.ThebelowdiagramshowstheflowofinheritedConditionsandSettings.ItalsoshowsthoselevelsatwhichtheConditionsandSettingspanesareavailableforconfiguration.

Concept Description

7.1 Conditions

Conditions describe the various states of an event object or associated performance counters('Schedule Performance Monitoring' in the on-line documentation). You can configureActions to take place when a Condition is met.All Actions work on the principle of inheritance.This means that if you configure an Action in response to a Condition being met at the Globallevel (Shared Groups), it will be automatically passed down to all applicable objects below it. Thisallows the user to define Global Actions for the most common issues across your environmentonce, and have those passed down to every monitored server automatically. You can furtherrefine Actions at each level as needed.


For a general overview of the Alerting and Response System see the Alerting and ResponseSystem topic. For a visual representation of how inheritance works within SentryOne see theAlerting and Response System Hierarchy diagram.Conditions fall into four categories: General, Failsafe, Audit, and Advisory.

Condition Description

→General Conditions GeneralConditionsareapplicabletomonitoredeventobjectsorassociatedperformancecounters.ThesearethemostcommonConditionswhichyouwillconfigureActionsforinyourenvironment.NotallGeneralConditionsapplytoalleventobjecttypesConditionSettingsareavailableformostGeneralConditions.ConditionSettingsallowyoutodefineadditionalrulesthataConditionmustmeetinorderfortheConditiontobefullysatisfied.

ExampleGeneralConditionsincludeSQLAgentjobfailure,EventChaincompleted,andRuntimeThresholdconditions.ForacompletelistofGeneralConditionsseetheGeneralConditionstopic.

YoucanconfigureActionsinresponsetoGeneralConditionsbeingmetattheGloballevel(SharedGroups),attheSitelevel,attheTargetlevel,attheInstancelevel,andattheindividualobjectlevel.

→FailsafeConditions FailsafeConditionsfallintotwocategories:InstanceStatusandError.

InstanceStatusFailsafeConditionsaremetwhenanInstancegoesOfflineorOnline.ErrorFailsafeConditionsaremetwhenthereisanerrordetectedwithaSentryOneMonitoringServiceorrelatedmonitoringprocess.

ExampleFailsafeConditionsfallingundertheInstanceStatuscategoryincludeSQLServerAgentOfflineandAnalysisServerOffline.ExampleFailsafeConditionsoftheErrorcategoryincludeMonitoringServiceerrorsandReportingServicesmonitorerrors.ForacompletelistofallFailsafeConditionsseetheFailsafeConditionstopic.

YoucanconfigureActionsinresponsetoInstanceStatusConditionsbeingmet,attheGloballevel(SharedGroups),attheSitelevel,attheTargetlevel,orattheindividualInstancelevel.YoucanconfigureActionsinresponsetoErrorConditionsbeingmetattheGloballevel(SharedGroups)orattheSitelevel.

→AuditConditions AuditConditionsareapplicabletovariousactivitiescarriedoutbothinsideandoutsideoftheSentryOneClient.AuditConditionsprovideawayforyoutobenotifiedwhenvariousSettingsarechanged,ormonitoredobjectsaremodifiedfromwithintheSentryOneClient.

ExampleAuditConditionsincludeSettingschanged,Actionschanged,orResponseRulesetschanged.ForacompletelistofallAuditConditionsseetheAuditConditionstopic.

YoucanconfigureActionsinresponsetoAuditConditionsbeingmet


attheGloballevel(SharedGroups),attheSitelevel,attheTargetlevel,orattheindividualInstancelevel.

→Advisory Conditions AdvisoryConditionsallowforthecreationofconditionsthatarecustomizedtoyourenvironmentasyouseefit.

Use the links below to jump to a description of the various Conditions. For each Condition youwill find a description and any related Setting(s) which may affect the Condition.

JumpTo:

GeneralConditionsBlocking SQL

Deadlocks

Event Chain

Event Chain Node

Index

Maintenance Plan

Performance Counter

Reporting Services Report

SQL Server Agent Alert

SQL Server Agent Job

SQL Server Agent Log

Top Commands

Top SQL

Windows Instance

FailsafeConditions

AnalysisServices

MonitoringService

SQLServerInstance

WindowsInstance

AuditConditions

CustomEventView

EventChain

Global

PerformanceCounter


7.1.1 ConditionSettings


ConditionSettingsallowyoutodefinerulesthataConditionmustmeetinorderfortheConditiontobefullysatisfied.Conditionsdescribethevariousstatesofmonitoredobjectswithinyourenvironment.SentryOneallowsyoutodefineActionstobetakenwhenConditionsaremet.Throughtheuseofadvancedfiltering,theConditionSettingstabgivesyoucompletecontrolofwhenanActionshouldbetakenforagivenCondition.

ConditionSettingsallowyoutodefineanynumberofcriteriasurroundingcapturedevents.ThecriteriayoudefinemustbemetinorderfortheConditiontobesatisfied.ConditionSettingscanbeaccessedintheConditionSettingstabofanyconfiguredCondition/Actioncombination.Logicaloperatorsmaybeusedtoformcomplexconditionalgroups,allowingyoutodefinecriteriaacrossanynumberofcolumns.

WheneveryouconfigureaConditionyoualsospecifyanActiontotakeplacewhenthatConditionismet.IfaneventdoesnotmeettheConditionSettingscriteria,theConditionisnotconsideredtobemet,andtheassociatedActionwillnotbetaken.

CONFIGURINGCONDITIONSETTINGSConditionSettingsareavailableformostGeneralConditionsandallAuditandFailsafeConditions.ConditionSettingscanbeaccessedfromtheGeneralConditionspaneforconfiguredCondition/Actioncombinations.TheConditionSettingstabcontainsbothaVisualFilterEditorandaTextFilterEditor.

PleaseseetheFilterEditortopicfordetailsabouttheFilterEditor,includingcontextmenuinformation,andexampleusesforeachcriteriaoperator.

MessageText

MessageTextisausefulcolumntoconfigureaConditionSettingsfilteron.MessageTextcorrespondstotheentirebodyofanAlertnotificationreceivedforeachrespectiveCondition.AnytextyouseeinthebodyofalertemailswillbeevaluatedaspartoftheMessageTextfilter.

EventText

TheEventTextfilterisavailableforselectConditions.EventTextmostcommonlycorrespondstotherawoutputtextofanevent.ForDeadlockeventsthiswillfilteronthecapturedrawxmloftheDeadlock.ForDefragmentationeventsthefilterwillbeappliedtothelastoperationtext,whichmaycontaineventssuchasasuccessfulofflinerebuildorerrorinformationthathappenedduringtheoperation.

CONDITIONSETTINGSEXAMPLESThefollowingsectioncontainsexamplewalkthroughsforconfiguringdifferentfilterswithintheConditionSettingstab.Clickonaheadingtoexpandthesection.

IndexDefragmentationCompletedExample

INDEXDEFRAGMENTATIONCOMPLETEDEXAMPLEFragmentationManagercanperformReorganizationorRebuildoperationsbasedonfragmentationthresholdsyouspecify.YoumaywishtobenotifiedifthefragmentationlevelofanindexisstillaboveacertainthresholdafteraDefragmentationOperationhascompleted.


InthisexamplewewillconfigureanemailalertfortheIndex:DefragmentationCompletedCondition,whichwillonlyfireafteraDefragoperationhastakenplaceandthefragmentationlevelremainsabove15%.

KeepinmindthatthereareanumberofActionswhichcanbetakeninresponsetoConditionsbeingmet.YoucouldalwayschoosetoexecuteanAgentJoboraTSQLcommand,eitherinconjunctionwith,orinsteadofsendinganalertemail.

AddtheCondition

1. SelecttheSharedGroupsnodeintheNavigatorpanetosettheActionglobally.OpentheGeneralConditionspane(Viewmenu→GeneralActions).

2. IntheGeneralConditionspaneclicktheAddbuttontoopentheActionsSelector.3. ExpandtheIndexgroupandthentheIndex:DefragmentationCompletedCondition.SelectthecheckboxnexttotheSendEmailActionandthentheOKbutton.

4. IntheActionsSettingstabselectyourdesireduserorgrouptotargetwiththeSendEmailAction.

TheconfiguredSendEmailActionfortheIndex:DefragmentationCompletedConditionisnowlistedintheGeneralConditionspane.

AddaConditionSettingtotheCondition

1. SelecttheConditionSettingstabintheGeneralConditionspane.TheConditionFilterisinitiallyempty.

2. NexttotheAndlogicalOperator,youwillseeaplus+symbol.Selecttheplus+symboltoaddanewConditionFilter.

3. Select[TableName]toopenadrop-downlistofavailablechoicesandchooseCurrentFragmentationLevel→Value[CurrentFragmentationLevel.Value].

4. FortheCriteriaOperatoropenthedrop-downlistandchooseIsgreaterthan.5. Selectthe<enteravalue>fieldandenteryourdesiredvalue.Forthisexamplewewillenter15.

TheConditionSettingisnowconfigured.IfyouselecttheConditionSettingsTexttabyoushouldseethefilterstringdefinedasfollows:

[CurrentFragmentationLevel.Value]>15.0

WiththeConditionSettingdefinedasabove,theIndex:DefragmentationCompletedConditionwillbemet,anditsassociatedSendEmailActionwillfireforthefollowingcase:

ADefragmentationOperationhascompletedonanindexandthefragmentationlevelisabove15%.


SQLServerDeadlockExample

SQLSERVERDEADLOCKEXAMPLESentryOnecollectsinformationaboutdeadlockshappeningwithinyourenvironment.YoucanviewthisinformationintheDeadlockstabofPerformanceAnalysis.

Dependingonyourenvironmentyoumaynotwishtobealertedabouteverydeadlockwhichtakesplace.InthisexamplewewillconfigureanalertfortheSQLServer:DeadlockConditionandlimitthenotificationsyoureceivetoaspecificdatabaseusingConditionSettings.

AddtheCondition

1. SelecttheSharedGroupsnodeintheNavigatorpanetosettheActionglobally.OpentheGeneralConditionspane(Viewmenu→GeneralActions).

2. IntheGeneralConditionspaneclicktheAddbuttontoopentheActionsSelector.3. ExpandtheIndexgroupandthentheSQLServer:DeadlockCondition.SelectthecheckboxnexttotheSendEmailActionandthentheOKbutton.

4. IntheActionsSettingstabselectyourdesireduserorgrouptotargetwiththeSendEmailAction.

AddaConditionSettingtotheCondition

1. SelecttheConditionSettingstabdirectlybeneaththeExplicitsectionoftheGeneralConditionspane.TheConditionFilterisinitiallyempty.

2. NexttotheAndlogicalOperator,youwillseeaplus+symbol.Selecttheplus+symboltoaddanewConditionFilter.

3. Select[ApplicationName]toopenadrop-downlistofavailablechoicesandchoose[DatabaseName].

4. FortheCriteriaOperatoropenthedrop-downlistandchooseEquals.5. Selectthe<enteravalue>fieldandenteryourdesiredvalue.Forthisexamplewewillenter'AdventureWorks'.

TheConditionSettingisnowconfigured.IfyouselecttheConditionSettingsTexttabyoushouldseethefilterstringdefinedasfollows:

[DatabaseName]='AdventureWorks'

WiththeConditionSettingdefinedasabove,theSQLServer:DeadlockConditionwillbemet,anditsassociatedSendEmailActionwillfireforthefollowingcase:

ADeadlockisdetectedandthevictimdatabaseistheAdventureWorks.


Stringcomparisoniscaseinsensitive.

AsyoubecomemorecomfortablewiththeConditionSettingprocessyoumaywishtobuildConditionFilterswithintheTexttab.IfyoumakeamistakewhiledoingsothesyntaxerrorwillbeunderlinedandtheVisualtabwillbecomedisableduntilyoufixtheproblem.

7.1.1.1 FilterEditor

SentryOneallowsyoutobuildcomplexfiltersforthepurposesofHistoryFilteringanddefiningConditionSettings.ThistopiccoversthefunctionalityoftheFilterEditor,whichiscommontobothHistoryFilteringandConditionSettings.

Note:TheFilterEditoriscase-insensitiveforallstringcomparisons.

FILTEREDITOROVERVIEWThebelowdiagramidentifiesthevariousaspectsoftheFilterEditor.

FILTERRULESUsingtheFilterEditor,youbuildcriteriathataneventmustmeetbydefiningrules.

Eachfilterruleismadeupofthreedistinctparts.

1. First,youdefinethescopeoftherule,byspecifyingacolumnname.2. Secondly,youselectanoperator(criteriaoperator)whichdefinesaninstructionfortestingthevalue(operandvalue).

3. Finally,youenterthevalue(operandvalue)forthisfilterrule.

RULEGROUPSIndividualrulesarelogicallygroupedintorulegroups.Eachgroupcontainsalogicaloperatorwhichdefineshowtherulesarecombinedwithinthegroup.UponcreationeachgroupwillusetheAndlogicaloperator.WhenagroupiscreatedwiththeAndlogicaloperatoreachfilterrulethatispartofthegroupmustbetrueinorderforthegrouptoevaluateastrue.Youmaychangethelogicaloperatordefinedforagroupbyfirstclickingit;adropdownmenuwillappear,allowingyoutochooseanalternative(And,Or,NotAnd,NotOr).

CONTEXTMENUSWhenyouclickonanylogicaloperatoradditionaloptionsareavailablefromthedrop-down


menu.

TheAddConditioncommandwilladdanewfilterruletotheconditiongroup.TheAddGroupcommandwillcreateanewsub-groupbeneaththeexistinggroupwiththedefaultAndlogicaloperator.TheRemoveGroupcommandwilldeletetheselectedgroup.TheClearAllcommand,availablefromtherootlogicaloperator,willdeleteallfilterrules.

Selectingtheplus+symbolnexttoanygroup'slogicaloperatorwilladdanewfilterruletothegroup.Selectingthexsymbolnexttoanyfilterrulewilldeletethatrulefromthegroup.

7.1.2 GeneralConditions

GeneralConditionsareapplicabletomonitoredeventobjectsorassociatedperformancecounters('SchedulePerformanceMonitoring'intheon-linedocumentation).ThesearethemostcommonConditionswhichyouwillconfigureActionsforwithinyourenvironment.PleasekeepinmindthatnotallGeneralConditionsapplytoalleventobjecttypes.A Condition must besupported by an object's underlying event provider in order for Conditions and Actions to beavailable in SentryOne.

CONFIGURE ACTIONS FOR GENERAL CONDITIONSConfigureActionsforGeneralConditions

You can configure Actions in response toGeneralConditionsbeingmetattheselevels:SharedGroups(Global),Site,TargetGroup,Target,andInstance.To do so, select the node appropriate to the level you would like to configure the action for in theNavigator Pane and then the General Actions tab in the Conditions pane. If you do not see theConditions pane use the View menu → General Actions

NextyouwillwanttoclicktheAddbuttonfoundintheConditionspane.ThiswillopentheSelectActionwindow.ExpandtheapplicableObjectandCondition.Usethecheckbox(s)toselectwhichActionsshouldbetakeninresponsetothisConditionbeingmet.ClicktheOKbutton.

FormoreinformationaboutActionsthatcanbetakenwhenaConditionismetseetheActionstopic.

COMMONGENERALCONDITIONSCommonGeneralConditionsThe Following table contains a description of several common General Conditions.

Conditions IsMetWhen

Started Occurswhenaneventinstancebegins.

CompletedOccurswhenaneventinstancefinishesrunning,regardlessofsuccessorfailurestatus.

Success Occurswhenaneventinstancecompletesandreturnsasuccessstatus.

Failure Occurswhenaneventinstancecompletesandreturnsafailurestatus.

OutputContentMatch Thisconditionismetwhenspecificcontent,whichyoudefine,existsintheoutputmessagetextforaneventinstance.SeetheOutputContentMatchtopicformoreinformation.


RuntimeThresholdMin Occurswheneveraneventrunsshorterthanx%ofitsaverageruntime,orshorterthananexplicitduration.

RuntimeThresholdMaxOccurswheneveraneventrunslongerthanx%ofitsaverageruntime,orlongerthananexplicitduration.

PerformanceCounterThresholdMin Occurswhenaminimumperformancethresholdhasbeensetforaperformancecounter,andthecounter'svaluefallsbelowit.

PerformanceCounterThresholdMax Occurswhenamaximumperformancethresholdhasbeensetforaperformancecounter,andthecounter'svalueexceedsit.

GENERALCONDITIONSCOMPREHENSIVELISTUse the links below to jump to a description of the various Conditions. For each Condition, youwill also find a column which lists related Settings which affect the Condition. Settings definecriteria for when a Condition is considered to be met, including runtime thresholds for events thatare captured. Certain Settings, known as Source Settings define what events are collectedby SentryOne. For more information about Settings see the Settings topic.

BLOCKINGSQLCondition Description RelatedSetting

BlockingSQL A Block was detected, subject to the Minimum Block Duration set forthe Blocking SQL Source. View the block on the Event Calendar orthe Performance Analysis Blocking SQL tab.

BlockingSQLSource:MinimumBlockDuration

BlockingSQL:OutputContentMatch AmatchconditionwasfoundintheoutputcontentofaBlock.


ConditionSettings

BlockingSQL:DurationThresholdMax Blockexceededthemaximumdurationthreshold.


BlockingSQL:MaximumDurationThreshold

DEADLOCKSCondition Description RelatedSetting

DeadlockADeadlockwasdetected.ViewthedeadlockontheEventCalendarorthePerformanceAnalysisDeadlockstab.

DeadlocksSource:CollectDeadlockEvents

Conditions IsMetWhen


Deadlock:OutputContentMatchAmatchconditionwasfoundintheoutputcontentofaBlock.Youmustdefinewhichstringstosearchforintheeventoutputtotriggerthiscondition.SeeConditionSettingsformoreinformation.

DeadlocksSource:CollectDeadlockEvents

ConditionSettings

EVENTCHAINCondition Description Related

Setting

Completed EventChainexecutioncompleted. N/A

Failure EventChainexecutionfailed. N/A

RuntimeThresholdMax EventChainexceededthemaximumruntimethreshold. EventChain:MaximumRuntimeThreshold

RuntimeThresholdMin EventChaindidnotmeettheminimumruntimethreshold. EventChain:MinimumRuntimeThreshold

Started EventChainexecutionstarted. N/A

Success EventChainexecutionsucceeded. N/A

EVENTCHAINNODECondition Description Related

Setting

Completed EventChainNodeexecutioncompleted. N/A

Failure EventChainNodeexecutionfailed. N/A

RuntimeThresholdMax TheruntimethresholdmaximumforanEventChainNodewasexceeded. EventChainNode:MaximumRuntimeThreshold

RuntimeThresholdMin EventChainNodedidnotmeettheminimumruntimethreshold. EventChainNode:MinimumRuntimeThreshold

Started EventChainNodeexecutionstarted. N/A

Success EventChainNodeexecutionsucceeded. N/A

Condition Description RelatedSetting


INDEXCondition Description RelatedSetting

DefragmentationComplete IndexDefragmentationCompleted. IndexDefragmentation

DefragmentationFailure IndexDefragmentationFailed. IndexDefragmentation

DefragmentationStarted IndexDefragmentationhasstarted. IndexDefragmentation

MAINTENANCEPLANCondition Description Related

Setting

OutputContentMatch A match condition was found in the output content of a Maintenance Plan. ConditionSettings

StepFailure MaintenancePlanstepfailed. N/A

PERFORMANCECOUNTERCondition Description Related

Setting

ThresholdMax Performance Counter value exceeded the maximum threshold.

PerformanceCounter:CounterThresholdsMaximum

ThresholdMin PerformanceCounterdidnotmeettheminimumthreshold

PerformanceCounter:CounterThresholdsMinimum

REPORTINGSERVICESREPORTCondition Description Related

Setting

Completed ReportingServicesReportcompleted. N/A

Failure ReportingServicesReportfailed. N/A

RuntimeThresholdMax

ReportingServicesReportexceededthemaximumruntimethreshold. ReportingServicesReport:MaximumRuntimeThreshold

RuntimeThresholdMin

ReportingServicesReportdidnotmeettheminimumruntimethreshold. ReportingServicesReport:MinimumRuntimeThreshold

Started ReportingServicesReportstarted. N/A

Success ReportingServicesReportsucceeded. N/A


SQLSERVERAGENTALERTCondition Description Related

Setting

AlertFired SQLServerAgentAlertwasfired. N/A

OutputContentMatch AmatchconditionwasfoundintheoutputcontentofaSQLServerAgentAlert. ConditionSettings

SQLSERVERAGENTJOBCondition Description RelatedSetting

Block SQL Server Agent Job is blocked or is blocking.

TheMinimumBlockDurationRequiredtoTrigger"SQLServerAgentJob:Block"ConditioncanbechangedintheMonitoringServiceSetting.

(MonitoringService->Settings->EventMonitor)

Completed SQLServerAgentJobcompleted. N/A

Conflict There was a job conflict, meaning two or more jobs were seen runningconcurrently. N/A

Failure SQLServerAgentJobfailed. N/A

OutputContentMatch AmatchconditionwasfoundintheoutputcontentofaSQLServerAgentJob. ConditionSettings

Queued SQL Server Agent Job was queued via SentryOne's queuing system. SQLServerAgentJob:QueueType

Retry SQL Server Agent Job step was retried. N/A

RunMissed

The scheduled run for a job was missed for some reason. This may be becauseSQL Server Agent was offline.

SQLServerAgentJobsSource:MissedRunThreshold

RuntimeThresholdMaxSQL Server Agent Job exceeded the maximum runtime threshold. SQLServerAgent

Job:Maximum



RuntimeThreshold

RuntimeThresholdMinSQL Server Agent Job did not meet the minimum runtime threshold. SQLServerAgent

Job:MinimumRuntimeThreshold

Started SQLServerAgentJobstarted. N/A

StepFailure SQLServerAgentJobstepfailed. N/A

Success SQLServerAgentJobsucceeded. N/A

SQLSERVERAGENTLOGCondition Description Related

Setting

Error AnErroreventoccurredintheSQLServerAgentLog. N/A

OutputContentMatch AmatchconditionwasfoundintheoutputcontentofaSQLServerAgentLog. ConditionSettings

Warning AWarningeventoccurredintheSQLServerAgentLog. N/A

TOPCOMMANDSCondition Description RelatedSetting

TopCommands:Completed

An Analysis Services command (MDX or XMLA) completed.

Note: It is highly recommended that a response ruleset be used withthis condition to avoid excessive logging.

TopCommandsSource:CollectMDX/DMX/XMLAEvents

TopCommandsSource:MinimumDuration

TopCommands:Error AnAnalysisServicescommand(MDXorXMLA)completedwithanerror.



TopCommands:OutputContentMatch

AmatchconditionwasfoundinacompletedAnalysisServicescommand(MDXorXMLA).



ConditionSettings

TopCommands:Maximum



TopCommands:RuntimeThresholdMax

TheruntimethresholdmaximumwasexceededforanAnalysisServicescommand(MDXorXMLA).

RuntimeThreshold



TOPSQLCondition Description Related

Setting

TopSQL:CompletedTop SQL event completed. NOTE: It is highly recommended that a ruleset be usedwith this condition to avoid excessive logging.

TopSQLSource

TopSQL:Error Top SQL event completed with an error. TopSQLSource

TopSQL:OutputContentMatch A match condition was found in the content of a completed Top SQL event.

TopSQLSource

ConditionSettings

TopSQL:RuntimeThresholdMax Top SQL event exceeded the maximum runtime threshold.

TopSQLSource

TopSQL:MaximumRuntimeThreshold

WINDOWSTASKCondition Description Related

Setting

Completed WindowsTaskcompleted. N/A

Failure WindowsTaskfailed,asdeterminedbythesuccessexitcodesettingforthetask. N/A

OutputContentMatch AmatchconditionwasfoundintheoutputcontentforaWindowsTask. ConditionSettings

RuntimeThresholdMax WindowsTaskexceededthemaximumruntimethreshold.

WindowsTask:MaximumRuntimeThreshold

RuntimeThresholdMin WindowsTaskdidnotmeettheminimumruntimethreshold.

WindowsTask:MaximumRuntime



Threshold

Started WindowsTaskstarted. N/A

Success WindowsTasksucceeded,asdeterminedbythesuccessexitcodesettingforthetask. N/A

WINDOWSEVENTLOGCondition Description Related

Setting

WindowsEventLog:Event

AneventoccurredinaWindowsEventLog.

ConditionSettingscanhelptorestrictwhicheventsyouarealertedabout.

WindowsEventLogsSource:HistoryFilter


7.1.3 FailsafeConditions

Failsafe Conditions fall into two categories: Connection Status and Error. Instance StatusFailsafe Conditions are met when an Instance goes Offline or Online. The Offline Condition foran Instance will be met if a server crashes or becomes otherwise unavailable. The Onlinecondition will be met once that Instance becomes available again. Failsafe Error Conditions aremet when there is an error detected with a SentryOne Monitoring Service or related monitoringprocess.

The Log to Database Action and the Send Email Action are both configured by default for allFailsafe Conditions. This is so you can be alerted whenever an Instance goes offline, orwhenever the SentryOne Monitoring Service experiences an error and is unable to performits work.

CONFIGURE ACTIONS FOR FAILSAFE CONDITIONSConfigureActionsforFailsafeConditionsYou can configure Actions in response to Instance Status Failsafe Conditions being met at theselevels: Shared Groups (Global), Site, Computer Group, Computer, and Instance. You canconfigure Actions in response to Failsafe Error Conditions being met at the Global level (SharedGroups) or at the Site level.To do so, select the node appropriate to the level you would like to configure the action for in theNavigator Pane and then the Failsafe Actions tab in the Conditions pane. If you do not see theConditions pane use the View menu → Failsafe Actions.


FormoreinformationaboutActionsthatcanbetakenwhenaConditionismetseetheActions


topic.Below you will find a complete listing of all Failsafe conditions.

FailsafeConditions

AnalysisServices

MonitoringService

SQLServerInstance

WindowsInstance

ANALYSISSERVICESCondition Description

Offline AnalysisServicesisofflineorotherwiseinaccessible.

Online AnalysisServiceisonlineandaccessible.

MONITORINGSERVICECondition Description

EventHistoryMonitor:Error

An error was encountered by the Event History Monitor, theprocess responsible for historical data collection from varioussources.

JobMonitor:Error AnerrorwasencounteredbytheJobMonitor,theprocessresponsibleforcollectingdataforrunningSQLServerAgentJobs.

MessageProcessor:MessageActionThrottled

The Message Processor reached its max messages per intervalthreshold, and at least one message was throttled. Subsequentmessages will be sent to the Actions Log. See SentryOneMonitoring Service->Settings.

PerformanceMonitor:Error AnerrorwasencounteredbythePerformanceMonitor,theprocessresponsibleforcollectingperformancedata.

ReportingServicesMonitor:Error

AnerrorwasencounteredbytheReportingServicesMonitor,theprocessresponsibleforcollectingdataforSSRSreports.

MonitoringService:ActionFailed

TheSentryOneMonitoringServiceattemptedtoexecuteanaction,buttheactionfailed.Forexample,theSendEmailactioncanfailiftheSMTPserverisunavailable.

MonitoringService:SentryOneDatabaseOffline

TheSentryOnedatabaseisofflineorotherwiseinaccessible.

MonitoringService:SentryOneDatabaseOnline

The SentryOne database is online and accessible.


MonitoringService:PerformanceCollectionFailed

ThePerformanceMonitorencounteredanerrorwhilecollectingdataforaspecificperformancecounter.

MonitoringService:RepositoryError

An error occurred while writing data to the SentryOne database.

MonitoringService:SynchronizationError

The SentryOne Monitoring Service encountered a critical errorwhile synchronizing settings from the SentryOne database with itsconfiguration management thread.

WindowsTaskSchedulerMonitor:Error

An error was encountered by the Task Scheduler Monitor, theprocess responsible for collecting data for Windows Tasks.

SQLSERVERINSTANCERemembertomakeuseofConditionSettingswhenconfiguringalertsforConditions.Conditionfiltersareavailablewhichcanhelpfinetuneexactlywhenaconditionisconsideredmet.


SQLServerAgent:Offline SQLServerAgentisofflineorotherwiseinaccessible.

SQLServerAgent:Online SQLServerAgentisonlineandaccessible.

SQLAvailabilityReplicaHealthy TheSQLAvailabilityReplicaishealthy.

SQLAvailabilityReplicaUnhealthy TheSQLAvailabilityReplicaisunhealthy.

SQLServerClusterFailover TheSQLServerclusterfailedover.

SQLServerInstance:Offline SQLServerisofflineorotherwiseinaccessible.

SQLServerInstance:Online SQLServerisonlineandaccessible.

WINDOWSINSTANCECondition Description

Offline Windows Instance is offline or otherwise inaccessible.

Online WindowsInstanceisonlineandaccessible.

7.1.4 AuditConditions


Audit Conditions are applicable to various activities carried out both inside and outside ofthe SentryOne Client. Audit Conditions provide a way for you to be notified when variousSettings are changed, or monitored objects are modified from within the SentryOne Client.

The Log to Database Action is configured by default for all Audit Conditions. This gives youan audit trail concerning changes to your SentryOne environment. If you would like to benotified about an Audit Conditions happening in your environment you could configure theSend Email Action.

CONFIGURE ACTIONS FOR AUDIT CONDITIONSConfigureActionsforAuditConditionsYou can configure additional Actions in response to Audit Conditions being met at these levels:Shared Groups (Global), Site, Computer Group, Computer, and Connection.

To do so, select the node appropriate to the level you would like to configure the action for in theNavigator Pane and then the Audit Actions tab in the Conditions pane. If you do not see theConditions pane use the View menu → Audit Actions.


FormoreinformationaboutActionsthatcanbetakenwhenaConditionismetseetheActionstopic.For a complete listing of all Audit conditions, see below.

AuditConditionsCustom Event ViewEvent ChainGlobalPerformance Counter

CUSTOMEVENTVIEWCondition Description

CustomEventViewCreated ACustomEventViewwascreated.

CustomEventViewDeleted ACustomEventViewwasdeleted.

EVENTCHAIN


EventChainModified AnEventChainwasmodified.

GLOBALCondition Description

ActionsChanged AconfiguredActionwaschangedforanobject.

ContactsChanged AContactwaschanged.


EventObjectCreated AnEventObject(job,task,etc.)wascreated.

EventObjectDeleted AnEventObject(job,task,etc.)wasdeleted.

EventObjectPropertiesModified AnEventObject's(job,task,etc.)propertiesweremodified.

EventObjectRescheduledAnEventObject(job,task,etc.)wasrescheduled.ForsomeobjecttypesthisconditionisonlydetectedwhenreschedulingintheSentryOneClientviadrag-and-drop.

NotesChanged Anotewaschanged.

ResponseRulesetCreated AResponseRulesetwascreated.

ResponseRulesetDeleted AResponseRulesetwasdeleted.

ResponseRulesetModified AResponseRulesetwasmodified.

SettingsChanged Objectorapplicationsettingswerechanged.

WatchedFlagChanged Thewatchedflagwaschangedforanobject.

PERFORMANCECOUNTERCondition Description

PerformanceCounterAdded APerformanceCounterwasaddedtoaneventobjectoreventview.

PerformanceCounterDeleted APerformanceCounterwasdeletedfromaneventobjectoreventview.

PerformanceMonitoredFlagChanged

ThePerformanceMonitoredflagwaschangedforaneventobjectoreventview.

7.1.5 AdvisoryConditions

AdvisoryConditionsareaPerformanceAnalysisfeaturethatallowsforcustomizedalertingbasedonperformancecountermetrics,queryresults,anddurationofevents.AdvisoryConditionscanbeappliedgloballyoratspecificTargetsandInstances.

NOTE:AlicenseforPerformanceAnalysisisrequiredforAdvisoryConditionstobeevaluated.

DOWNLOADINGTHEADVISORYCONDITIONSPACKWhenopeningtheConditionsListattheGloballevel,youwillbepromptedtodownloadthelatestAdvisoryConditionsPack.ThispackcontainspredefinedAdvisoryConditionsthatwillhelpillustratethefunctionalitythattheAdvisoryConditionsfeaturehastooffer.Ifyoudecidetonot


downloadtheAdvisoryConditionsPackatthispoint,youcanalwaysaccessitthroughtheDownloadLatestAdvisoryConditionsPackoptionintheToolsmenu.Also,ifyouchosetodisabletheautomaticcheckingforAdvisoryConditionsPacks,checkingcanbere-enabledintheUserPreferencesintheUpdatessection.

AfterdownloadingtheAdvisoryConditionsPack,youwillbepromptedtoapplyactions.SelectingyeswillopentheActionsSelector.HereyoucanapplyactionstoyournewAdvisoryConditions.

NOTE:ScheduledevaluationswillnotoccuruntilanactionisassignedtotheAdvisoryCondition.

BUILDINGANADVISORYCONDITIONTobegincreatinganAdvisoryCondition,youcaneitherclicktheCreateAdvisoryConditionbuttonintheConditionsListoryoucanrightclickontheAllTargets(Global)node,agroupnode,aTargetnode,oranInstancenodeintheNavigatorPaneandselecttheAddAdvisoryConditionoption.PleasenotethattheownerobjectoftheAdvisoryConditionisdependentonwheretheAdvisoryConditionisdefined.ThefollowingsectionswillexplainalloftheoptionsavailablewhencreatinganAdvisoryCondition.

WHERETODEFINEANADVISORYCONDITIONIntheNavigatorPane,thereareAdvisoryConditionfolderslocatedatvariouslevels.Thechartbelowoutlinesthevariouslevelsandwhattypesofconditionscanbeconfiguredatthoselevels.

LocationinHierarchy AdvisoryConditionTypesavailable

Root/Global/Site/Target

WindowsVMwareHostWindows/SQLServerAzureSQLDatabaseWindows/SSASSentryOne

SQLServerInstance Windows/SQLServer

SSASInstance Windows/SSAS

WhileSQLServerandSSASAdvisoryConditionscanbedefinedhigherinthehierarchy,definingthemattheInstanceprovidestheaddedbenefitofbeingcontextawareallowingyoutoutilizeperformancecounterinstancesspecifictothatInstanceandexecuteSQLquerieswithinthecontextofthatInstance.

ADVISORYCONDITIONTYPESThefirstoptionpresentedwhencreatinganAdvisoryConditionisthetype.Thetypedetermineswheretheconditionwillbeevaluatedandwhatmetricsareavailable.

Windows-ThisconditionwillbeevaluatedattheTargetlevelandhasaccesstoWindowsperformancemetrics.

SQLServer-ThisconditionwillbeevaluatedattheSQLServerInstancelevelandhasaccesstoWindowsandSQLServerperformancemetrics.

AzureSQLDatabase-ThisconditionwillbeevaluatedattheAzureSQLDatabaselevelandhasaccesstoAzureSQLDatabaseperformancemetrics.


VMwareHost-ThisconditionwillbeevaluatedattheVMwareHostlevelandhasaccesstovCenterperformancemetricsassociatedwithaVMwareHost.

AnalysisServices-ThisconditionwillbeevaluatedattheSSASInstancelevelandhasaccesstoWindowsandSSASperformancemetrics.

SentryOne-ThisconditiontypewillbeevaluatedagainsttheSentryOnerepositoryandisusedtoquerytherepositoryforinformation.

ADVISORYCONDITIONOPTIONSDefaultEvaluationFrequency–Defineshowoftentheconditionisevaluated.Theevaluationfrequencycanbeadjustedindividuallythroughoutthehierarchy.

NOTE:ScheduledevaluationswillnotoccuruntilanactionisassignedtotheAdvisoryCondition.

TriggerThreshold–Defineshowlongtheconditionmustbetruebeforetheassociatedactionistaken.

Severity–Definesthesettingofseverity,whichcanbeusedasasortingparameterintheEventsLog.AdvisoryConditionswithaseverityofHighorCriticalwillalsocausetheAdvisoryConditionsfolderintheNavigatorpanetoturnredwhentrue.

EvaluationTimeout–Definesthelimitonhowlongeachevaluationisallowedtorunbeforeatimeoutoccurs.

MaximumInstanceCount-DefinesthenumberofresultsreturnedwhentheAnyinstanceoptionisused.

Color–DefinesthecolorofthedurationlinethatappearsonthePerformanceAnalysisDashboard.

SUPPORTEDVERSIONSWhencreatinganAdvisoryConditioninthehigherlevelsofthehierarchy,youmaywanttorestrictcertainconditionstorunonlyondesignatedversionsofWindowsand/orSQLServer.Forexample,ifyouwantedtorestricttheconditiontoonlyevaluateonserverswithWindowsServer2008R2andnewer,youwouldput6.1intheMinimumfield.

DEFININGANADVISORYCONDITIONSelectalogicaloperator.

And-Allconditionsmustbetrueforanactiontooccur

Or-Oneormoreconditionsmustbetrueforanactiontooccur

NotAnd-Oneormoreconditionsmustbefalseforanactiontooccur

NotOr-Allconditionsmustbefalseforanactiontooccur

ClickthePlusiconandselectacomparisontypeoranexistingAdvisoryCondition.

If an Advisory Condition is altered, it is altered in all other Advisory Conditions that are using it as anexisting condition.

Thefollowingtableshowswhatvalueretrievertypesareavailableforthevariouscomparisontypes.Graycellsindicatethatthevalueretrievertypeisunavailableforthatcomparisontype.


NumericComparison

StringComparison

DateTimeComparison

AdditionalACTypeRestrictions ExpressionLeftSide

ExpressionRightSide

PerformanceCounter

PerformanceCounterInstancesareonlyavailableattheappropriateInstancecontext.

PerformanceCounterBaseline

UserdefinedBaselinesmustexistontheInstance.

SQLServerQuery

Windows/SQLServeronly

RepositoryQuery

AzureSQLDatabaseQuery

AzureSQLDatabaseOnly

VMwareHost VMwareHostonly

WMIQuery

ExplicitValue

LastValue

Expression

Duration

ExistingCondition

VALUERETRIEVERTYPESPerformanceCounter–Performancecountersareavailablebasedonthetypeofconditionthatisbeingcreated.ConditionsbeingbuiltattheTargetandInstancelevelarecontextawareandwillhaveaccesstospecificcounterinstances.WhendefinedattheTargetlevelorlower,youcanalsousebaselinesthatareassociatedwithperformancecounters.

NOTE:SentryOneprovidesvirtualperformancecountersforuseinAdvisoryConditions.ThesevirtualcountersaregatheredusingstoredproceduresandmaycausemoreoverheadthancounterscollectedthroughPerfLib.Virtualperformancecounterscanbeidentifiedbythelackofacolon.Forexample,SQLServerDataFileSizeisavirtualcounter.

PerformanceCounter(User)-ThePerformanceCounter(User)optionallowsfortheselectionofanyperformancecounter.Afterselectingthisoption,clicktheConnectbutton,enteraservername,thenclickConnectagain.Afterconnectingtotheserver,selecttheCategoryfieldtoviewalistofalloftheperformancecountercategoriesonthatserver.Afterselectingacategory,selectthecounterthatistobeevaluated.

NOTE:Connectingtoaserverisonlynecessarytoprovidealistofperformancecountercategoriesandcounters.Duringevaluation,thecounterwillbeevaluatedinthecontextofeachmonitoredInstance.

PerformanceCounterBaseline-PerformanceCounterBaselinesareavailablewhentheAdvisoryConditioniscreatedattheTargetorInstancelevel.AuserdefinedbaselinemustexistattheInstanceleveltobeused.

SQLServerQuery–Enterthedatabasethatthequerywillberunagainstinthefirstfield.IftheconditionisbeingdefinedattheInstancelevel,therewillbeabuttonnexttothefieldthatprovidesalistofdatabasesavailableforthatInstance.Thenextfieldisforthequery.ThequerycanbeenteredmanuallyorcanbeselectedfromalistofqueriesusingtheQueryEditor.Intheeventthataqueryreturnsmultipleresults,thefirstresultisusedfortheevaluation.

AzureSQLDatabaseQuery–Enterthedatabasethatthequerywillberunagainstinthefirst


field.Thenextfieldisforthequery.ThequerycanbeenteredmanuallyorcanbeselectedfromalistofqueriesusingtheQueryEditor.Intheeventthataqueryreturnsmultipleresults,thefirstresultisusedfortheevaluation.

RepositoryQuery-ThisoptionallowsyoutoperformaqueryagainsttheSentryOnerepository.WhenusingaRepositoryQuery,youcanusethevariables@ComputerIDand@ConnectionIDinyourquerytodynamicallyadjustdependingontheComputerorConnectionthattheAdvisoryConditionisevaluatingagainst.

WMIQuery–ThisoptionallowsyoutoqueryWMIusingWQL.Foradditionalinformation,pleaseseethefollowingMicrosoftarticle,QueryingwithWQL.

ExplicitValue–Thisallowsforanexplicitlydefinedvalue.

LastValue–Thisisaright-sidespecificoptionthatreturnsthepreviousevaluationsvalueoftheleftsideoftheargument.

Expression–UsingtheExpressionoptionallowsforbasicmathematicaloperationtobeappliedtoothervalues.Operationsincludeaddition,subtraction,multiplication,anddivision.Thesemathematicaloperationscanbeperformedagainstanyoftheothernumericvalueoptions.

Duration–Thisoptionreturnstheamountoftimeelapsedtoacquirethespecifiedvalue.Varioustimeunitsareavailable,rangingfrommillisecondstodays.

NOTE:Whenusinganyqueryretrievertypeinconjunctionwiththe“Any”qualifiertocomparemultipleresults,thequeryisrequiredtoreturnakey/valuepairinordertoidentifywhichvaluemetthedefinedcondition.Thisalsoensuresthatconditionsusingqueriesonbothsidesofthecondition,orcomparingLastValue,willautomaticallymatchvalueswiththesamekey.

QUERYEDITORWhenusingaQueryretrievertype(suchastheSQLServerorRepositoryquery),youcanclickthebuttontotherightofthequeryinputboxtolaunchtheQueryEditor.

TheQueryEditoriswherequeriescanbeeditedandsavedforfutureuseinAdvisoryConditions.

New–OpentheNewQuerywindow.

Test–OpensaInstancedialogwindow.Specifytheservernameandthedatabasenamethatthequeryistobeexecutedagainst.Theresultingvaluewillbedisplayedinthefieldtotherightofthetestbutton.

Delete–Deletetheselectedquery.

NOTE:OnlyqueriesthathavebeentestedandhaveaValueDataTypecanbeselectedforusefromtheQueryEditor.

CONDITIONSLISTTheConditionsListcanbeaccessedfromvariouslocationswithinthehierarchyoftheNavigatorPane.ThenumberinparenthesisbesidetheAdvisoryConditionsfolderindicateshowmanyAdvisoryConditionsaredefinedatthatlevelwithinthehierarchy.AnexceptiontothisisAdvisoryConditionsfolderlocatedbeneaththeContactsnodeintheNavigatorPane.ThenumberhereindicatesthetotalnumberofAdvisoryConditionsdefinedacrosstheenvironment.

WhatisseenintheConditionsListdependsonwherethelistisopenedwithinthehierarchy.Whereverthelistisopened,thelistwillcontainAdvisoryConditionsdefinedatthatlevel,itsparents’levelsandchildren’slevels.


http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa392902(v=vs.85).aspx

CONDITIONSPANETheConditionsPaneprovidesalistofallavailableconditions.ThispanealsodisplaystheOwnerObject,creationdate,andlastmodifieddateoftheconditionaswellaswhatusermodifiedit.YoucandisableanAdvisoryConditionbyuncheckingthecheckboxintheEnabledcolumn.YoucanalsoaddTagstoassistwithsortingandorganizingtheconditions.

TheCreateAdvisoryConditionbuttonallowsfortheselectionofWindows,Windows/SQLServer,orWindows/SSAS.Afterselectingtheconditiontype,theConditionEditorwillbeopened.

TheEditAdvisoryConditionbuttonopenstheConditionEditorfortheconditionthatiscurrentlyselectedintheConditionsPane.

TheShowEventsLogbuttontakesyoutotheEventsLogfilteredbytheAdvisoryConditionthatisselectedintheConditionsPane.

ContextMenu

Edit–AllowsforeditingoftheselectedAdvisoryConditionShowEventsLog-OpenstheEventsLogfilteredtotheselectedAdvisoryConditionSnooze

ThisCondition/AllObjects–DisablesactionsandalertingontheselectedAdvisoryConditionfortheselectedperiodoftimeAllConditions/AllObjects–DisablesactionsandalertingonallAdvisoryConditionsfortheselectedperiodoftime

UnsnoozeThisCondition/AllObjects–Re-enablesactionsandalertingontheAdvisoryConditionAllConditions/AllObjects–Re-enablesactionsandalertingforallAdvisoryConditions

Clone–CreatesacopyoftheselectedAdvisoryConditionwithanewnamewiththeOwnerObjectbeinginthecontextoftheConditionsListExport–ExportstheselectedAdvisoryConditiontoa.conditionfileImport–ImportsanAdvisoryConditionfroma.conditionfileDisable–DisablestheselectedAdvisoryConditionDelete–DeletestheselectedAdvisoryCondition

EVALUATIONSTATUSPANETheEvaluationStatusPanedisplaysthelastevaluationfortheselectedcondition.ThispaneshowstheObjectthatwasevaluated,theresultoftheevaluation,thedurationandtimeoftheevaluation,andinformationpertainingtoanyerrorsthatmayhaveoccurred.Thebottomofthepaneprovidesacountoftheobjectsthatwereevaluated.SelectinganevaluationinthispanewilldisplaytheresultsofthatevaluationintheEvaluationResultsPanebelow.

TheEvaluateSelectedbuttonwillperformanevaluationoftheAdvisoryConditionagainsttheselectedObjectintheEvaluationStatusPane.TheWith LoggingoptionwillgenerateanentryintheEventsLogiftheconditiondoesnothavetheLogtoAlertingChannelsactionassignedtoit.

TheEvaluateAllbuttonperformsanevaluationoftheAdvisoryConditionagainstalllegaltargets.TheWith LoggingoptionwillgenerateanentryintheEventsLogiftheconditiondoesnothave


theLogtoAlertingChannelsactionassignedtoit.

ContextMenu

Snooze–>ThisCondition/ThisObject–DisablesactionsandalertingfortheselectedAdvisoryConditionontheselectedobjectfortheselectedamountoftimeJumpToPerformanceAnalysisDashboard–OpensPerformanceAnalysisfortheselectedobject

EVALUATIONRESULTSPANETheEvaluationResultsPane,locatedatthebottom,showstheevaluationstepresultsofanAdvisoryConditionalongwithanyvaluesretrievedthroughperformancecountersorqueries.Mousingoveranyofthevalueswillprovideatooltipwithadditionalinformationlikethedurationofretrievingthatvalue,thenon-roundedvalue,errormessages,andperformancecounterinstancenames.

EVENTSLOGTheEventsLogdisplaysalloftheAdvisoryConditioneventsthatareactiveorhavecompleted.Selectinganentryinthegridviewwilldisplaythestartingstateoftheevent.InthecaseofcompletedAdvisoryConditions,clickingontheEndTimecolumnwilldisplaytheresultstatethatclosedtheactiveevent.ByclickingtheexpansionnodeintheNotescolumn,youcanaddnotestotheeventwhichcanalsobeincludedinfuturenotificationsofthatcondition.

Youalsohavetheabilitytoassignuserstoevents.Todothis,clickintotheAssignedUsercolumnandselectauserfromthedropdownlist.Alternatively,youcanautomaticallyassignausertoalleventsofaparticularAdvisoryConditionbyselectinganAdvisoryConditionintheConditionspanethathastheSendtoAlertingChannelsactionassignedtoitandselectingtheuserintheActionSettingstab.AssigninguserstoAdvisoryConditioneventsallowsforuserstoquicklysorteventsandinvestigateanyeventsthattheyhavebeenassigned.

ContextMenu

Jumpto->PerformanceAnalysisDashboard–JumpstothetimeframeoftheAdvisoryConditioneventNavigator–JumpstotheTargetorInstancewheretheAdvisoryConditioneventwasevaluated

EditAdvisoryCondition–OpenstheAdvisoryConditionEditorfortheselectedAdvisoryConditionDisable/EnableAdvisoryCondition–DisablesorEnablestheselectedAdvisoryConditionSnooze->

ThisCondition/ThisObject–DisablesactionsandalertingontheselectedAdvisoryConditionontheselectedobjectfortheselectedperiodoftimeThisCondition/AllObjects–DisablesactionsandalertingontheselectedAdvisoryConditiononallobjectsfortheselectedperiodoftime


7.2 Actions

TheAlertingandResponsesysteminSentryOneusestheconceptofConditionsandActions.ActionscanbedefinedinresponsetocertainConditionsbeingmetwithinyourenvironment.YoucanchoosefromavarietyofActions,dependingonwhichConditionisbeingrespondedto.

AllActionsworkontheprincipleofinheritance.ThismeansthatifyouconfigureanActioninresponsetoaConditionbeingmetattheGloballevel(AllTargets),itwillbeautomaticallypasseddowntoallapplicableobjectsbelowit.ThisallowsyoutodefineGlobalActionsforthemostcommonissuesacrossyourenvironmentonce,andhavethosepasseddowntoeverymonitoredserverautomatically.YoucanfurtherrefineActionsateachlevelasneeded.ForavisualrepresentationofhowinheritanceworkswithinSentryOneseetheAlertingandResponseSystemHierarchydiagram.

EachActionthatyouconfigureinyourenvironmentwillhaveanassociatedbehavior.ThebehaviorcontrolshowtheActionwillbecarriedoutrelativetoanyinheritedActions.TherearethreeActionbehaviorsavailable:OverrideInheritedActions,CombinewithInheritedActions,andDisabled.ForacompleteexplanationandexampleusagescenarioforeachbehaviorseetheActionBehaviorsectionbelow.

YoucanfinetuneActionsforaspecificgroupofobjectsorevenanindividualobject,givingyoueffectivecontroloverhowSentryOneworksthroughoutyourenvironment.SentryOnecomeswithanumberofGlobalActionspredefinedtogetyouupandrunningquickly.TheseActionscanbechanged,asneededtofitthespecificneedsofyourenvironment.

ResponseRulesetscontrolhowoftenActionsaretakeninresponsetoConditionsbeingmet.TheydothisbyassigningadditionalcriteriaontopoftheConditionitself,thatmustbemetbeforeanActionwilltakeplace.TocontrolthetimeframeofwhenanActionwillbeprocessedyoumayalsoapplyaWindowdirectlytoanyconfiguredAction.

Jumpto:

Actions

KillTask

LogtoEventLog

LogtoDisk

SendEmail

ExecuteSQL

SendSNMPTrap

LogToDatabase

ExecuteProcess

SendPage

RunQuickTrace

ExecuteJob

HOWTOCONFIGUREACTIONSIfyouareupgradingfromapreviousversionofSentryOneyouwillnoticethattheActionsand


Settingspanehasbeenoverhauled.

TheConditionsdisplayedintheConditionspanewillchangedependingonwhichnodeorobjectyouhaveselectedintheNavigatorpane.IfyoudonotseetheConditionspaneonceyouhaveselectedanodeintheNavigatorpane,usetheViewMenu(View→Conditions).

IfyouselecttheAllTargetsnodeyouwillseegloballyappliedConditionsintheConditionspane.WhenyouselectanyapplicableobjectlevelbelowtheAllTargetsnode,youwillseetwospecificsetsofappliedConditionsintheConditionspane.

ThetopsectionoftheConditionspanecontainstheInherited Section,whichshowsyouanyappliedConditionsthatarebeingpasseddowntothecurrentobjectlevel.TheInherited SectionalsocontainsanObjectcolumn,whichshowsyoutheobjectleveltheConditionisbeinginheritedfrom.WhenanInheritedConditionisoverriddenordisabled,itwillstillshowupintheInheritedSection,butitstextwillbegrayed-out,anditsstatuswillsayOverridden.

DirectlybeneaththeInherited Section,istheExplicit Section.TheExplicit SectioncontainsappliedConditionsthathavebeensetatthecurrentobjectlevel.TheExplicit SectionalsodisplaysaBehaviorcolumn.EachActionthatyousetupinyourenvironmentwillhaveanassociatedbehavior.ThisbehaviorcontrolshowtheActionwillbecarriedoutrelativetoanyinheritedActions.

ToaddanewAction,selectthedesirednodeintheNavigatorpane.NextyouwillwanttoclicktheAddbuttonfoundintheConditionsPane.ThiswillopentheActionSelectorwindow.ExpandtheapplicableobjectandCondition.Usethecheckbox(s)toselectwhichActionsshouldbetakeninresponsetothisConditionbeingmet.ClicktheOKbutton.

YoumayalsochoosetoquicklyDisable,Override,orCombineanyinheritedActions.Todoso,simplyselectaConditionintheInherited SectionoftheConditionspaneandchoosethedesiredcommand(Disablebutton,Overridebutton,orCombinebutton).

ACTIONBEHAVIORSEachactionthatyousetupinyourenvironmentwillhaveanassociatedbehavior.Thisbehaviorcontrolshowtheactionwillbecarriedoutrelativetoanyinheritedactions.

TheusercanchangetheBehaviorofanyActiontooneofthefollowing:


Behavior Description

OverrideInheritedActions

Actionsdefinedwiththisbehaviorwilloverrideallactionsthatarebeinginheritedfromahigherlevel.Thisbehaviorcanbethoughtofasaspecialsetofinstructionswhicharefollowedinsteadofthepasseddown(inherited)instructions.

WhenaConditionoccurswhichtriggersanactiondefinedwiththeOverrideInheritedActionsbehavior,inheritedactionswillnotbeexecuted,buttheactionwhichisdefinedatthatspecificlevelwillbeexecuted.

TheOverrideInheritedActionsbehavioristhedefaultbehaviorassignedforanynewlydefinedaction.

→ForanexamplescenarioseetheOverrideInheritedActionsExample.

CombinewithInheritedActions

Actionsdefinedwiththisbehaviorwillbecombinedwithallinheritedactions.Thisbehaviorcanbethoughtofasasetofinstructionswhicharefollowedinadditiontothepasseddown(inherited)instructions.

WhenaConditionoccurswhichtriggersanActiondefinedwiththeCombinewithInheritedActionsbehavior,allinheritedactionswillbeexecuted,andallactionsthataredefinedatthatspecificlevelwillalsobeexecuted.

→ForanexamplescenarioseetheCombinewithInheritedActionsExample.

Disabled

WhenanactionisdefinedwiththeDisabledbehavioritwilldisableanyactionofthesameactiontype,whichisbeinginheritedforacertainCondition.Thisbehaviorcanbethoughtofasaspecialsetofinstructionswhichsimplydisallowthepasseddown(inherited)setofinstructions.

WhenaConditionoccurswhichtriggersanActiondefinedwiththeDisabledbehavior,inheritedActionswillnotbeexecuted.

→ForanexamplescenarioseetheDisabledExample.

MULTIPLEACTIONSPERCONDITIONOneofthenewimprovementsmadetotheAlertingandResponseSystemistheabilitytoaddmultipleversionsofthesameactiontypepercondition.Youcanusethisability,incombinationwithResponseRulesetstoimplementescalationprocedureswhencertainConditionstakeplace.

NOTE:Configuredactionsofthesameactiontype,definedatthesameobjectlevel,willhavetheirbehaviortypesboundtogether.Thisisbecauseinheritedactionscannot


simultaneouslybeinmorethanonestate.(disabled,combined,andoverridden)

ACTIONSKILLTASKACTIONTheKillTaskActionwill"Kill",orcancelthecurrentjob.ThisactionistypicallyassociatedwithRuntimeMaximum,PerformanceThresholdMaximum,Block,orConflictconditions,inordertopreventresourcecontentionsituations.ItisnotapplicabletotheStartedcondition,oranyconditionsimplyingeventinstancecompletion.

LOGTOWINDOWSEVENTLOGACTIONThe log to Event Log Action sends data relevant to the condition to the Application Event Log onthe SentryOne Monitoring Service computer.

LOGTODISKACTIONThe Log to Disk Action sends data relevant to the condition to the specified text file onthe SentryOne Monitoring Service computer's file system.

SENDEMAILACTIONThe Send Email Action sends an email alert to the Users or Groups specified in the ActionSettings. For more information about Users and Groups see the Contact Management topic.

Certain Alert emails in version 7.0 now include a [View in SentryOne Client] section. You willnotice that the Event View section contains a hyperlink which begins with the SentryOne URLprotocol.Selecting this link will open the Event View in the SentryOne Client for the specificcondition which triggered the alert.

To stop receiving the Outlook Security Notice when you select an Alert email link youwill need to enable trust for the SentryOne protocol.Please see the Trusting the SentryOnehyperlink in Outlook KB article.

Settings

TheActionsSettingstaballowsthefollowingconfigurations.

Option Description

SelectTargets SpecifywhichUsersorGroupswillreceivetheemailalert.

Importance Specifytheimportanceleveloftheemailalert.

FromAddress Specifythefromemailaddressofthealert.Tousethedefaultemailaddressleavethisblank.FormoreinformationseetheSMTPconfigurationsectionoftheSentryOneMonitoringServiceSettingstopic.

EXECUTESQLACTIONTheExecuteSQLActionexecutestheT-SQLstatement(s)onthespecifiedSQLServer.


http://forum.sqlsentry.com/topic2136-trusting-the-sql-sentry-hyperlink-in-outlook.aspx

http://forum.sqlsentry.com/topic2136-trusting-the-sql-sentry-hyperlink-in-outlook.aspx

Settings

UsetheServerlisttoselectaserver,andenterthedesiredT-SQLinthecommandtextbox.Selectingthe(Target)optionwillexecutetheT-SQLstatementagainsttheserverthattriggeredthecondition.

NOTE:Inanenvironmentwithmultiplemonitoringservices,itisimportanttonotethattheservicethatdetectstheconditionistheservicethatwillfiretheaction.Ifthatservicedoesnothaveconnectivitytothetargetedserver,theactionwillfail.

SENDSNMPTRAPACTIONThe Send SNMP Trap Action sends an Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) trapnotification. For more about configuring SNMP see the SentryOne Monitoring Service Settingstopic.

LOGTODATABASEACTIONThe Log To Database Action will log data relevant to the condition to the Actions log.

EXECUTEPROCESSACTIONThe Execute Process Action will execute the defined command text on the specified SQLServer.Settings Within the Execute Process Action Settings tab you will see the Execute Process section. Use theServer list to select a server. Selecting the (Target) option from the server list will execute theprocess against the server that triggered the condition. Use the Command Text box to enter thedesired literal command.

NOTE: You must enable xp_cmdshell to use this action. You may also pass certain systemparameters, as well as user defined parameters through output text.

SENDPAGEACTIONThe Send Page Action sends an alert to the Pager address for the specified Users or Groups.For more information about Users and Groups see the Contacts Management topic.

Settings

TheActionsSettingstabfortheSendPageActionallowsthefollowingconfigurations.

Option Description

SelectTargets SpecifywhichUsersorGroupswillreceivethepageralert.

Importance Specifytheimportancelevelofthepageralert.

FromAddress SpecifytheFromaddressofthealert.Tousethedefaultemailaddressleavethisblank.FormoreinformationseetheSMTPconfigurationsectionoftheSentryOneMonitoringServiceSettingstopic.

RUNQUICKTRACE™ACTIONTheRunQuickTraceActionexecutesaQuickTrace™againstaspecifiedtargetserver.AQuick


Traceisacomprehensivesnapshotofactivitycreatedbycombiningprocess-leveldataandtraceeventscollectedduringabriefsampleperiod.AQuickTraceisnotfiltered,soitcollectsalleventsonthespecifiedSQLServer.

TheQuickTraceActionisnowavailableforawiderangeofconditions.

ToavoidimpactingtheperformanceofthetargetSQLServer,QuickTraceisbothtimeandsizelimited.OnlyonesimultaneousQuickTracecanberunagainstanytargetserver.QuickTracesarealsothrottledtocontrolthetimebetweensuccessiveruns.Thecurrentallowedfrequencyisoneminute.ThismeansthatonceaQuickTraceiscompleted,anotherQuickTracecannotbeginonthesamespecifiedserveruntiloneminutehaselapsed.

Additionally,inordertoavoidimpactingserverperformanceonverybusysystems,therearecertaincaseswhereSentryOnewillfurtherrestrictQuickTracefunctionality.IfoneofthesecasesisdetectedtheQuickTraceActionwillnotfire.PleaseseeQuickTraceRestrictionsformoreinformationaboutthesecases.

Settings

TheActionsSettingstabfortheQuickTraceActionallowsthefollowingconfigurations.

Option Description

RunQuickTraceAgainst SpecifytheTargetserveronwhichtheQuickTracewillrun.

RunQuickTracefor SpecifythelengthoftimewhichtheQuickTracewillrunagainstthetargetserver.

CollectStatementEvents SpecifieswhetherornottocollectStatementLevelEvents.EnablingtheCollectStatementEventsoptionwilldramaticallyincreasetheamounttracedatacollected.

LimitTraceDatato SpecifythemaximumnumberofrowswhichtheQuickTracewillcollect.

EXECUTEJOBACTIONTheExecuteJobActionexecutesaSQLAgentjobonthecurrentserver,oranyotherwatchedserverinyourenterprise.Thisactioneffectivelyenablesyoutocreatesimple"one-to-one"jobchainsbyassociatingitwithCompleted,SuccessorFailureconditions.AlsoseeEventChainsformoreadvancedchainingfeatures.

SettingsWithin the Action Settings tab you will see the Jobs To Execute section. Use the server list toselect a server. Use the job list to specify the SQL Agent Job to run. Once a target job has beenspecified for this action, it will show up in the Event Calendar Calendar View with a grid patternbackground as an indication of its conditional execution.

EXECUTEPOWERSHELLACTIONTheExecutePowerShellActionexecutestheenteredPowerShellscriptonthemonitoringcomputer,thetargetcomputer,oranyvalidWindowstarget.


NOTE: You may also use system parameters in the PowerShell script, with a format of<%ParameterName%> (e.g, $ServerName = '<%ServerName%>').

SettingsWithin the Action Settings tab you will see the Server section. Use the server list to select wherethe script will be executed: on the monitoring server, on the target server, or on a specific watchedserver.

Use the account list to select whether the defined PowerShell Execution Account, a DomainAccount, or a Local Account will be used to run the script. Note that a valid user name andpassword must be provided in the Action Settings if the Domain Account or Local Account optionsare selected.

Enter or load (using the Load from File button beneath the text area) PowerShell script text intothe PowerShell Script Text section; the Test PoSh Script button can be used to test the enteredscript on a specified target.

SENDTOALERTINGCHANNELSTheSendtoAlertingChannelsactionallowsopenAdvisoryConditioneventstobedisplayedinvariousplacethroughouttheclient.

SelectingthePerformanceAnalysisDashboardoptionwillshowtheopenAdvisoryConditioneventsonthePerformanceAnalysisDashboardiftheAdvisoryConditioninvolvesaperformancecounterthatisassociatedwithoneofthechartsontheDashboard.AglyphwillalsoappearinthetopleftcornerofthechartandprovideyouwithadditionalinformationpertainingtotheAdvisoryConditionevent.

Additionally,youcanselectausertobeautomaticallyassignedtoanAdvisoryConditioneventbyselectingauserfromthedropdownlistthatappearsintheActionSettingstaboftheConditionspane.

The blog post Advisory Conditions : Available Actions contains additional information andexamples on this topic.

7.2.1 ActionBehaviors

OVERRIDEINHERITEDACTIONSEXAMPLEActionsdefinedwiththeOverrideInheritedActionsbehaviorwilloverrideallactionsthatarebeinginheritedfromahigherlevel.Thisbehaviorcanbethoughtofasaspecialsetofinstructionswhicharefollowedinsteadofthepasseddown(inherited)instructions.

Forthisexampleassumethefollowing:

ThereisaSendEmailActionconfiguredattheGloballevelwhichhasaselectedtargetofDBA1fortheSQLServerAgentJob:Failurecondition.

WiththisActionconfiguredasabove,anytimeaSQLSeverAgentJobfailsacrosstheentiremonitoredEnterprisethefollowingwilloccur:

1.TheSQL Server Agent Job: Failureconditionismet.


https://blogs.sentryone.com/melissaconnors/advisory-conditions-available-actions/

2.InresponsetotheConditionbeingmet,theSend Email Actionwillexecute,sendinganotificationemailtoDBA1.

NowsupposethereisaDevelopmentServer(DEVServer)intheenvironment,whichisnotmanagedbyDBA1.ForthisparticularserverwhenanAgentJobfails,insteadoftheuserDBA1beingalerted,youwouldlikenotificationemailssenttothedeveloperoruserDEV1.

ToaccomplishthisyouwouldwanttoaddaSendEmailActionwithaselectedtargetofDEV1,fortheSQLServerAgentJob:FailureconditionattheInstancelevelwithabehaviorofOverrideInheritedActions.

WiththisActionconfiguredasabove,anytimeaSQLSeverAgentJobfailsontheDevelopmentServerthefollowingwilloccur:

1.TheSQL Server Agent Job: Failureconditionismet.

2.Inresponsetotheconditionbeingmet,theSend Email Actionwillexecute,sendinganotificationemailtoDEV1

OnlytheDevelopmentServerwouldbeimpactedbythischange.TherestofthemonitoredEnterprisewouldstillbesubjecttotheGloballyconfiguredSend Email ActionwhichhasaselectedtargetofDBA1.

COMBINEWITHINHERITEDACTIONSEXAMPLEActionsdefinedwiththeCombinewithInheritedActionsbehaviorwillbecombinedwithallinheritedactions.Thisbehaviorcanbethoughtofasasetofinstructionswhicharefollowedinadditiontothepasseddown(inherited)instructions.


ThereisaSendEmailActionconfiguredattheGloballevelwhichhasaselectedtargetofDBA1fortheSQLServer:Offlinecondition.

WiththisActionconfiguredasabove,anytimeaSQLSeverisdetectedtobeofflineacrosstheentiremonitoredEnterprise,thefollowingwilloccur:

1.TheSQL Server: OfflineConditionismet.


NowsupposethereisaSQLServer(ASPServer)intheenvironmentthathasaninternetfacingworkload.WhentheSQL Server: Offline ConditionismetyouwouldstillliketonotifyDBA1,butyouwouldalsoliketonotifytheWebDeveloper,WEBDEV1.

ToaccomplishthisyouwouldwanttoaddaSendEmailAction,withaselectedtargetofWEBDEV1,fortheSQLServer:OfflineconditionattheInstancelevelwithabehaviorofCombinewithInheritedActions.

WiththisActionconfiguredasabove,anytimethattheASPServerisdetectedtobeoffline,thefollowingwilloccur:

1.TheSQL Server: OfflineConditionismet.

2.Inresponsetotheconditionbeingmet,theSend Email Actionwillexecute,sendinganotificationemailtoDBA1andWEBDEV1.


OnlytheASPServerwouldbeimpactedbythischange.TherestofthemonitoredEnterprisewouldstillbesubjecttotheGloballyconfiguredSend Email ActionfortheSQL Server: OfflineCondition,whichhasaselectedtargetofDBA1.

DISABLEDBEHAVIOREXAMPLEWhenanActionisconfiguredforaConditionwiththeDisabledActionbehavior,itwilldisableanyactionofthesameactiontype,whichisbeinginherited.Thisbehaviorcanbethoughtofasaspecialsetofinstructionswhichsimplydisallowthepasseddown(inherited)setofinstructions.


OnTestServer1thereisaSendEmailActionconfiguredwhichhasaselectedtargetofDBA1fortheSQLServerAgentJob:RuntimeThresholdMaxcondition.ThisactionisconfiguredattheInstancelevel.

WiththisActionconfiguredasabove,anytimeanySQLAgentJobmeetstheRuntimeThresholdMaxconditiononTestServer1thefollowingwilloccur:

1.TheSQL Server Agent Job: Runtime Threshold MaxConditionismet.


NowsupposethereisaJob,LongRunningJob,thatisknowntobelongrunningonTestServer1.DBA1hasnoneedtobealertedaboutitandwouldliketodisableruntimenotificationsaboutthisjob.

ToaccomplishthisyouwouldwanttoaddaSendEmailActionfortheSQLServerAgentJob:RuntimeThresholdMaxconditionattheobjectlevel(theLongRunningJob)withabehaviorofDisabled.

WiththisActionconfiguredasabovewhentheLongRunningJobrunslong,thefollowingwilloccur:

1.TheSQL Server Agent Job: Runtime Threshold MaxConditionismet.

2.InresponsetotheConditionbeingmet,theinheritedSend Email Actionwillnotbeexecuted.

OnlytheindividualSQLAgentJobLongRunningJobwillbeimpactedbythischange.TherestoftheSQLAgentJobsonTestServer1willstillbesubjecttotheInstancelevelSend Email ActionconfiguredfortheSQL Server Agent Job: Runtime Threshold MaxCondition.

7.2.2 MessageEditing

ThisfeatureallowsyoutofullycustomizethemessagesthataregeneratedbySentryOne.Thisgivesyoutheabilitytoaddorremoveinformation,changehowtheinformationisformatted,andchangetheorderinwhichtheinformationisdisplayed.ToaccesstheMessageEditor,selecttheconditionthatyou'dliketochangeintheConditionsPane,navigatetotheMessageTabinthebottomofthepane,thenclicktheEditbutton.

HOWDOESCUSTOMIZATIONWORK?


First,itisimportanttounderstandtheformatoftheXMLthatdescribestheformatofthemessages,theelementsthatcanbeaddedtotheXMLandhowtheseelementsarerelatedtooneanother.

Attherootlevel(the"message"element),eachmessageformatXMLdocument(calleda"template")canusethe"imports"attributetoinheritfromanothertemplate.Thattemplatecaninturninheritfromanothertemplateandsooncreatingachainofparent/childrelationships.Thesechainsareusedextensivelythroughoutthetemplatefilestoreducetherepetitionofreusedelements.ThemiddlepaneofMessageEditorcoalescesthesechainsintothesingle,completeXMLdocumentthatwillbeusedtogeneratethefinalmessage.Sometimesthefinaletemplate,sometimesreferredtoasaleaftemplate,hasverylittleinformationbecausealmostalloftheXMLisintheinheritedtemplates.Inthesecases,itcanbeveryusefultolookattheCompleteXMLtofigureoutwhatisinthemessageandhowtochangeit.

Insidetherootmessageelement,therearethreepartstoatemplate:theformatelement,thetokenSetselementandthebodyelement.Theformatelementcontainsdefinitionsforsection,itemandtokenstyles.ThetokenSetelementcontainsalistofallofthetokenSetsassociatedwiththetemplate.Thebodyelementcontainsallofthesections,itemsandtokensthatdescribethemessageformatitself.Alloftheseelementsarecombinedwiththeirimportedparentelementsduringtheimportprocesssothatinheritancecanbeused.

Theformatelementisalistofstyledefinitions(discussedbelow)thatcanbereferredtointhebodyofthetemplate.Leaftemplatesoftendon’tcontainaformatelementbecausetheyrelyonagroupofstandard,inheritedstyles.However,youcanaddaformatelementifonedoesnotexistoraddtoanexistingonetodefinenewstyles.Onlyoneformatelementisallowedpertemplate.

ThetokenSetselementisalistofallofthetokenSetsassociatedwithatemplate.AtokenSetisalogicalgroupingoftokensthatexistsinSentryOne.YoucannotaddtokenSetstomessagesbecausethedataforthetokensinthetokenSetneedstobecreatedandassignedintheprogram.AlistofallofthetokensinthetokenSetsisavailableintheMessageEditor.OnlyonetokenSetselementisallowedpertemplate.

Thebodyelementdescribesallofthe"things"thatamessageismadeof.Thesethingscanbecategorizedasitems(andthingsthatinheritfromitems)andsections,whichareessentiallygroupsofitems.Onlyonebodyelementisallowedpertemplate.

ITEMSANDSECTIONSAnitemisthebaseelementinthebodysection.TokenItems,textItems,breakItemsandblankLineItemsarealljustspecializedtypesofitems.

TokenItemsarespecialitemsthatrepresentaname/valuepair.AcommonexampleinSentryOnemessagesis"[Condition]:SQLServer:BlockingSQL".Thename(Condition)isadescriptionofthevalue(SQLServer:BlockingSQL).ThevalueforthesetokenItemsissetduringtheprogramexecution.

MultiTokenItemsarespecialtokenItems.TheyconvertoneormoretokenItemsintoasingletokenwithspecializedformatting.Theyhavea“converter”attributewhichisthenameofaregisteredconverter,andtheyreferenceoneormoretokenItems.


TextItemsareaspecialtypeofitemthatdisplaysaliteraltextvalue.

BreakItemsandblankLineItemsarespecializedtextItemswithpre-settextforeaseofuse.TheblankLineItemsimplyinsertsablanklineinamessage.ThebreakItemtakeswhateverthecurrentsectionformatbreakis(moreaboutthisbelow)andplacesthatinthemessage.

Asectionelementissimplyawaytogrouptheaboveitems.Sectionscanalsocontainothersections.NestedsectionsareindentedusingtheindentStylefromthecurrentsectionStyle.

ITEMANDSECTIONATTRIBUTESAllitemshavethefollowingattributes:

id:Auniquestringidentifyingtheitem.visible:Abooleanthatdeterminesiftheitemisvisibleinthemessage.before:Theidoftheitem,tokenorsectionthatthisitemshouldbeplacedbefore.after:Theidoftheitem,tokenorsectionthatthisitemshouldbeplacedafter.requires:Theidofanitem,tokenorsectionthatmustbevisibleforthisitemtobevisible.indent:Abooleanthatdeterminesiftheitemshouldbeindented.itemStyleId:TheidoftheitemStyle(format)thatshouldbeusedforthisitem.

TextItemshaveoneadditionalattribute:

text:Thetextthatwillbedisplayedinthefinalmessage.

TokenItemshaveadditionalattributes:

name:Thetokennametobedisplayedinthemessage.Ifnoneisassigned,adefaultnamebasedontheitemidisdisplayed.hideIfNoValue:Abooleanthatwhensettotrue,hidesthetokenifnovalueisassigned.tokenItemStyleId:TheidofthetokenStyle(format)thatshouldbeusedforthistoken.

MultiTokenItemshaveallofthetokenItemattributesplusanadditionalattributeandelement:

Attribute:

converter:Thenameoftheregisteredconverter

Element:

token:Anelementthatrepresentsatokentobepassedtotheconverter.Ithasasingleattribute—id—thatistheidofavalidtoken.MultiTokenItemsmayhaveoneormoretokenelements.

Sectionshavesimilarattributestoitems:

id:Auniquestringidentifyingtheitem.visible:Abooleanthatdeterminesiftheitemisvisibleinthemessage.before:Theidoftheitem,tokenorsectionthatthisitemshouldbeplacedbefore.after:Theidoftheitem,tokenorsectionthatthisitemshouldbeplacedafter.requires:Theidofanitem,tokenorsectionthatmustbevisibleforthisitemtobe


visible.indent:Abooleanthatdeterminesiftheitemshouldbeindented.sectionStyleId:TheidofthesectionStylethatshouldbeusedforthissection.itemStyleId:TheidoftheitemStyle(format)thatshouldbeusedforthisitem.tokenItemStyleId:TheidofthetokenStyle(format)thatshouldbeusedforthistoken.

STYLESStylesareaveryimportantpartofhowmessagecustomizationworks.Therearethreetypesofstyles:sectionstyles,itemstylesandtokenstyles.ThestylesaredefinedintheformatsectionoftheXML.ThestylesarethenreferencedbytheirIDsinthesections,itemsandtokens.Thesestylesuseformatstringstoidentifyhowtochangeanitem,tokenorsectionwhenthemessageisbuilt.Theformatstringsusekeywordstorepresentthedatasoyoucanaddformattingcontentaroundthem.

Forexample,tokenstylesuse%itemname%torepresentthenameofatokenand%itemvalue%torepresentitsvalue.So,tocreatethefinishedmessagevalueof"[Condition]:SQLServer:BlockingSQL",onewouldusetheformatstring:"[%itemname%]:%itemvalue%".Ifthedesiredfinishedvaluewas"Condition-->SQLServer:BlockingSQL"theformatstringwouldneedtobechangedto"%itemname%-->%itemvalue%".Youcanalsoaddwhitespacecharacterssuchasnewline(\r\n)ortab(\t).

STYLEATTRIBUTESSectionstyles(sectionStyleelements)havethreeattributes:

id:AuniquestringidentifyingthemindentStyle:Aformatstringtodeterminehowanestedsectionshouldbeindented.

Keyword:%sectionitem%representseachiteminthesection.Example:"%sectionitem%"placesfourspacesbeforeeachiteminthesection.

formatStyle:Aformatstringtodeterminehowasectionshouldbeformatted.Keyword:%sectionitems%representstheentiresectionasawhole.Example:"%sectionitems%----------\r\n"placesalineofdashesasabreakafterthesection.

Itemstyles(itemStyleelements)havetwoattributes:

id:Auniquestringidentifyingthisstyle.indentStyle:Aformatstringtodeterminehowanitemshouldbeindented(whentheindentattributeissetto‘true’).

Keyword:%item%representstheitem.Example:"\t%item%"placesatabcharacterinfrontoftheitem.

Tokenstyles(tokenItemStyleelements)extenditemstylesandhavethreeadditionalattributes:

formatStyle:Aformatstringtodeterminehowatokenshouldbeformatted.Keywords:%itemname%representsthetokenname;%itemvalue%


representsthevalueofthetoken.Example:"[%itemname%]:%itemvalue%"createsthestandard"[Name]:Value"tokenstyle.

itemStyleId:TheidoftheitemStylethistokenStylereferences.Becauseatokenisanitemunderneath,theformatneedstospecifytheitemstyleaswell.itemValueStyle:A.NETformatstringfortheitemvalue.Thisstringgivesyoutheabilitytoformatthetokenvalueitselfusing.NETformatstringwhichisusefulfordateornumberformatting.

Example:"0.##"formatsadecimalvaluetoamaximumoftwodecimalplaces.

CUSTOMIZINGAMESSAGE

SECTIONSOFTHEMESSAGEEDITOR

TokensPaneTheTokensPane,locatedinthetopleftcorneroftheMessageEditor,displaysalistoftokensthatareavailableforuseinthemessage.

TextItemsPaneTheTextItemsPanecontainsvariousXMLelementsthatcanbecopiedandpastedintotheMessageLevelXMLpanetoaddcustomtextandlinebreakstothemessage.

FormatsPaneTheFormatsPanecontainsXMLattributesthatcanbeusedwithanelementtoadjusttheformattingoftheelement.

MessageLevelXMLPaneTheMessageLevelXMLPaneiswhereyoucaneditthemessage.ChangesmadeinthispanearereflectedintheCompleteXMLandMessageSamplePanes.

CompleteXMLPaneTheCompleteXMLPanedisplaysthefinalproductofthetemplatedisplayedintheMessageLevelXMLPaneplusallofthetemplatesthatareimportedbyit.YoucanusethispaneasguidelinewhenmakingchangestotheMessageLevelXML.

MessageSamplePaneTheMessageSamplePanedisplaysamock-upofwhatthecompleteXMLwillbecome.

ConditionsThatUseTemplatePaneThispaneshowsalistofconditionsthatarecurrentlyusingthetemplatethatyou'reediting.Thecheckboxesgiveyoutheabilitytoquicklysaveanewtemplateandapplyittomultipleconditions.

EDITINGAMESSAGE

AddingAdditionalInformationNewitemscanbeaddedinsideoroutsideofasection.AvailablenodesarelistedintheTokensPaneandcaneitherbecopy-and-pasted,highlighted-and-dragged,ortyped


directlyintotheeditor.Setthe"before"or"after"attributestoplacetheiteminaparticularspotinthemessage.

RemovingorHidinganItemIfanitemisonlyintheMessageLevelXML,youcansimplydeletethatnodefromtheXML.Iftheitemisinanimportedtemplate,youcanhidetheiteminthefinishedmessagebysettingthe"visible"attributetofalse.Youcanalsosetthe"hideIfNoValue"attributetotruewhichwillhidetheitemifthereisnovalueassignedtoit.

MovinganItemItemsaredisplayedinthefinalmessageastheyareplacedintheXML,toptobottom,unless"before"or"after"attributesareplacedontheitemsorsections.Thisquicklygetsconfusingwiththeinheritancechain,sotheeasiestwaytomoveanitemistosetits"before"or"after"attribute.

Adding,Hiding,orMovingaSectionSectionsarealotlikeitems(bydesign)soyoucanaddonebytypinginanew<section></section>,hideonebysettingitsvisiblepropertytofalseandmoveitbysettingits"before"or"after"attribute.

ChangingaTokenNameYoucanchangethedisplayednameofatokenbysettingits"name"property.

IndentinganItemAllitemsalreadyhaveaninheriteddefaultindentstylesoyoucansimplysetthe"indent"attributeforanitemtotrue.Forcustomindents,youcancreateanewitemStylewithyourcustomindentandapplythatstyletoabody,sectionoritem.

FormattingaTokenEachtemplatewillhaveseveralinheritedtokenstyles.TheyarelistedintheFormatsPaneoftheMessageEditor.Youcancopy-and-pasteorhighlight-and-dragtheseattributesintothebody,sectionortokenitem.Forcustomformatting,youcandefineanewtokenItemStyleintheformatsectionandsettheformatStylestringtosuityourneeds.Youcanthenreferencethisnewstylebyidintheattributesofthebody,sectionortokenItem.

Example:tokenItemStyledefinitiontogetatokenlike"{Condition}-->NameofCondition":<tokenItemStyleid="NewStyle"itemStyleId="defaultItem"formatStyle="{%itemname%}-->%itemvalue%"/>

FormattingaSectionEachtemplatewillhaveatleastoneinheritedsectionstyle.TheyarelistedintheFormatsPaneoftheMessageEditor.Youcancopy-and-pasteorhighlight-and-dragtheattributeintothebodyorsection.Forcustomformatting,youcandefineanewsectionStyleintheformatsectionandsettheformatStylestringtosuityourneeds.Youcanthenreferencethisnewstylebyidintheattributesofthebodyorsection.

ExamplesectionStyledefinitiontoreplacethestandardlineofdashesafterasectionwithalineofequalsigns:<sectionStyleid="NewSectionStyle"formatStyle="%sectionitems%=======================\r\n"indentStyle="%sectionitem%"/>


FormattingaTokenValueYoucandefinea.NETformatstringtoformatatokenvalueitself.Thisisespeciallyusefulinformattingdatesandnumbervalues.DefineanewtokenItemStyleintheformatsection,setupthe"formatStyle"and"itemStyleId"attributes(orcopythemfromanotherstyle)andthensetthe"itemValueStyle"toa.NETformatstring.

7.3 Settings

What makes Settings especially relevant in the context of the Alerting and Response System isthatcertainSettingsdefinethecriteriaofwhenaConditionisconsideredtobemet.ThisincludesRuntime Threshold Settings.

OtherSettings,knownasSourceSettingsdefinewhateventsarecollectedbySentryOne.TheSourceSettingsdefineminimumdurationthresholdsforthecollectionofeventstakingplaceinthemonitoredenvironment.CertainSettingcontroltheSynchronizationofevents,includingHistoryFilterSettings.HistoryFiltersareavailableforselectEventSources.WithHistoryFiltersyoudefineruleswhichcontrolexactlywhattypesofeventstheMonitoringServicewritesintoEventHistoryconcerningyourmonitoredservers.IfaneventdoesnotmeetthecriteriayouhavedefinedintheHistoryFilter,informationaboutthateventisnotwrittentoyourSentryOneDatabase.

TheseSourceSettingsallhaveadirectcorrelationtoConditionsbeingmet,asaneventmustfirstbecapturedbeforeanyConditionrelatedtoitcanbeevaluated.TheseSettingincludevariousCollection Settings.

WHERETOCONFIGURESETTINGSYoucanconfigureSettingsattheGloballevel(AllTargets),Sitelevel,TargetGrouplevel,Targetlevel,Instancelevel,orattheindividualobjectlevelasapplicable.Settingsarehierarchical,andworkthroughtheprincipleofinheritance.ThismeansthatSettingsappliedattheGloballevel(AllTargets)areautomaticallyinheritedbyalltheSites,TargetGroups,Targets,Instances,andobjectsinyourenvironment.GenerallyitisagoodideatofirstconfigureyourSettingsglobally,andthenadjustindividualSettingsasneededatthelowerlevels.

HOWTOCONFIGURESETTINGSToconfigureaSettingfirstselectthedesirednodeintheNavigatorpane.Forinstance,selecttheAllTargetsnodeifyouwanttoconfigureSettingsGlobally,orselectanindividualInstancenodeifyouwouldliketoconfigureSettingsspecifictojustthatInstance.IfyoudonotseetheSettings paneonceyouhaveselectedyourdesirednodeintheNavigatorpane,usetheViewMenu(View→Settings).Nextyouwillwanttousethedrop-downlistsfoundintheSettingspane,toselecttheSettingswhichyouwouldliketoconfigure.

WithintheSettings pane,directlybeneaththedrop-downlists,thefullpathofeachSettingsgroupisdisplayed.ThispathcontainsalloftheancestorobjectsfortheselectedSetting.EachSettingalsohasanInherit From ParentflagwhichspecifiesiftheSettingisbeinginherited.WhenthisflagissettotruethenameoftheancestorobjectwhichispassingdowntheinheritedSettingswillbelisted.Forexample,ifyouinitiallyconfigureyourSettingsglobally,asyoudrilldowntotheTargetandInstancelevel,youwillseethateachchildSettingcontainsanInherit From Parent(Global):listing,withtheflagsettoTrue.ThisletsyouknowthattheseparticularSettingsarebeinginheritedfromtheGloballevel(AllTargets).


ConfigureSettingsExample

IfyouwantedtoconfiguretheTopSQLMinimumDurationCollectionSettingGlobally:

1. SelecttheAllTargetsnodeintheNavigatorPane2. IntheSettingspane,usethetopdrop-downlistandselectSQLServerSettings.3. Usetheseconddrop-downlisttoselectTopSQLSource.YoushouldnowseetheTopSQLSourceSettingsthatarebeingappliedGlobally.

4. ChangetheMinimumDurationtothedesiredvalue,itwillbesavedautomatically.

IfyouwantedtoconfiguretheSQLServerAgentJobMaximumRuntimeThresholdPercentforanindividualInstance:

1. SelectthedesiredInstancenodeintheNavigatorpane.2. IntheSettingspane,usethetopdrop-downlistandselectSQLServerSettings.3. Usetheseconddrop-downlisttoselectSQLServerAgentJob.YoushouldnowseetheSQLServerAgentJobSettingsthatareconfiguredfortheInstance.

4. ChangetheInheritFromParentSettingtoFalse.5. ChangetheMaximumRuntimeThresholdPercenttothedesiredvalue,itwillbesavedautomatically.

COMPREHENSIVELISTINGOFSETTINGSUsethelinksbelowtojumptotheindividualtopicsformoreinformationaboutvariousSettings.YouwillfindadescriptionofeachSettingandaRelatedConditioncolumn.ThisRelatedConditioncolumncontainsalinktotheCondition(s)thatareaffectedbythespecificSettings.

SQLServerSettings

SSASSettings

WindowsSettings

ForinformationaboutFragmentationManagerrelatedSettings,includingDatabaseSourceSettingspleaseseetheFragmentationManagertopic.

GENERALINFORMATIONABOUTSELECTSETTINGSRuntimeThresholdsSettings

RuntimeThresholdscanbesetforanumberofsourcessuchasSQLServerAgentJobs.

PercentBasedAvalueforMinimumRuntimeThresholdPercentandMaximumRuntimeThresholdPercentcanbespecified.TheglobalMinimumThresholdPercentdefaultis10%.TheMaximumThresholdPercentdefaultis250%.Thismeansthatanytimeajobrunsforlessthan10%orlongerthan250%ofit'saverageruntimetheAssociatedConditionwouldbemetandanyActionsconfiguredforthatConditionwouldalsotakeplace.Iftoomanymessagesarebeingreceived,thesesettingscanbeadjustedasneeded.TimeBasedExplicit time-basedthresholds canalsobespecified. Anytimeanexplicit time-basedthresholdisspecifiedit will overridethepercentagebasedthresholdsfor that object. Time-basedthresholdsare usually less valuable at the Global level, particularly the MinimumRuntimeThreshold, which


doesn'thavemuchvalueatallglobally.ExplicitruntimethresholdstendtobemoreapplicableattheactualInstanceorobjectlevelforoverridingtheglobalpercentagethresholdsonacase-by-casebasis.

NOTE:OnenotificationwillbesentoncetheMaximumRuntimeThresholdhasbeenmetandaseparatenotificationwillbesentonceithascompleted.

Forexample,considerajobthathasagreatdealofvolatilityinruntimesuchasatransactionlogbackup,whichcanrunforanywherebetween30secondsand30minutes,andit'saverageruntimeis 5 minutes. To avoid unnecessary percentage-based threshold notifications for the job, oneoption would be to set its Maximum Runtime Thresholdto "35 Minutes" and MinimumRuntimeThresholdto"20Seconds". This canbedonebyselectingeither thejob's nodeintheNavigatororaninstanceofthejobonthecalendar,thenfollowthesamestepsasabovetoaccessandchangethejob'sruntimethresholdsettings.

NOTE: RuntimeThresholdmessagesforReportingServicesReportscompletinginlessthantwominuteswillnotbeprocesseduntiltheyarecomplete.

PerformanceCounterThresholdSettings

screenisusedtosettheminimumandmaximumvaluesforthecounterthresholdsofthatparticularcounter.ThesewillbeusedtotriggerthePerformanceCounter:ThresholdMinandMaxconditionsifanyactionsareenabledforthem.ThisoptionisonlyavailablewhenselectingaspecificperformancecounterfromtheNavigatorPane.Therecanbeonlyoneminimumandonemaximumvalueforagivencounter,regardlessofhowmanyobjectsarelinkedtothecounter.FormoreinformationaboutPerformanceCountersseethePerformanceCounter('MonitoringEventObjectPerformance'intheon-linedocumentation)topic.

TARGETSETTINGSSetting Description Related

Condition

MaintenanceWindow

UsedtosetaschedulefortheMaintenanceWindow.OnlyLogActionswillbetriggeredforFailsafeconditionsinsidetheMaintenanceWindow.MaintenanceWindowsettingallowatimeframetobespecifiedwhiledailymaintenanceactivitiestakeplaceonthatInstance.

FormoreinformationseetheSchedulesandWindowstopic.

FailsafeConditions

EVENTCHAINSETTINGSSetting Description Related

Condition

MaximumRuntimeThreshold

DefinetheMaximumallowedruntimefortheEventChain.

EventChain:RuntimeThresholdMax


MinimumRuntimeThreshold

DefinetheMinimumallowedruntimefortheEventChain.

EventChain:RuntimeThresholdMin

EVENTCHAINNODESETTINGSSetting Description Related

Condition


DefinetheMaximumallowedruntimefortheEventChainnode.

EventChainNode:RuntimeThresholdMax

MinimumRuntimeThreshold DefinetheMinimumallowedruntimefortheEventChainnode.

EventChainNode:RuntimeThresholdMin

SITESETTINGSSetting Description Related

Condition

GeneralSMTPServer TheSMTPserverorservergroupusedforemailnotifications.Seealso:SMTPConfiguration

N/A

Setting Description RelatedCondition

7.3.1 SQLServerSettings

SQLSERVERSETTINGSBlockingSQL


MaximumDurationThreshold

SettheMaximumallowedDurationfortheobject. BlockingSQL:DurationThresholdMax

BlockingSQLSource



MaximumRowsToSynchronize

Setthemaximumrowsofhistoricaleventdatatocollectfromthissource. N/A

MinimumBlockDuration SetthetimethatmustelapsebeforeaBlockConditionwillbetriggered. AllBlockingSQLConditions

DatabasesSource(SeeFragmentationManagersectionforadditionaldetails)

DeadlocksSource



Setthemaximumrowsofhistoricaleventdatatocollectfromthissource. N/A

HistoryFilter

Thefilterusedforhistorysynchronization.Onlyeventsthatmeetthefilterwillbewrittentothedatabase.Seealso:HistoryFilter

Note:TheDeadlocksHistoryFilteronlyimpactswhatisdisplayedontheEventCalendaranddoesnotimpactdeadlockcollection.FormoreinformationseeSynchronizationofPerformanceAnalysissourcessectionoftheHistoryfiltertopic.

N/A

CollectDeadlockEvents

Specifieswhetherdeadlockstatementcollectionisenabled. AllDeadlockSQLConditions

MaintenancePlanSource

Setting Description RelatedSettings

Auto-watchNewObjects

Specifywhetherornotnewobjectswillbesettowatchedwhentheyarediscovered.

AllMaintenancePlanConditions-AnobjectmustbewatchedinorderforConditionstobeevaluatedforit.


Themaximumrowsofhistoricaldatatocollectforthissource. N/A

ReportingServicesReport



Definethemaximumallowedruntimefortheobject. ReportingServicesReport:RuntimeThresholdMax

MaximumRuntimeThresholdPercent

Definethemaximumallowedruntimepercentfortheobject. ReportingServicesReport:RuntimeThresholdMax



Definetheminimumallowedruntimefortheobject. ReportingServicesReport:RuntimeThresholdMin

MinimumRuntimeThresholdPercent

Definetheminimumallowedruntimepercentfortheobject. ReportingServicesReport:RuntimeThresholdMin

ReportingServicesReportSource

Setting Description RelatedSettings



AllReportingServicesReportConditions-AnobjectmustbewatchedinorderforConditionstobeevaluatedforit.



HistoryFilterTheFilterusedforhistorysynchronization.Onlyeventsthatmeetthefilterwillbewrittentothedatabase.Seealso:HistoryFilter

N/A

SQLServerAgentAlertsSource




AllSQLServerAgentAlertConditions-AnobjectmustbewatchedinorderforConditionstobeevaluatedforit.


Themaximumrowsofhistoricaldatatocollectforthissource.

N/A

HistoryFilter TheFilterusedforhistorysynchronization.Onlyeventsthatmeetthefilterwillbewrittentothedatabase.Seealso:HistoryFilter

N/A

SQLServerAgentJob



Themaximumallowedruntimefortheobject.SQLServerAgentJob:RuntimeThresholdMax

MaximumRuntimeThresholdPercent

Themaximumallowedruntimepercentagefortheobject.SQLServerAgentJob:RuntimeThresholdMax




Theminimumallowedruntimefortheobject.SQLServerAgentJob:RuntimeThresholdMin

MinimumRuntimeThresholdPercent

Theminimumallowedruntimepercentfortheobject.SQLServerAgentJob:RuntimeThresholdMin

QueueOthersforupto

Themaximumlengthoftimethisjobwillqueueotherjobs.SeeJobQueuingformoreinformation. N/A

Auto-StartThreshold

Anyjobwhosenextscheduledruntimeisbeyondthespecifiedthresholdwillbestartedautomaticallyuponleavingthequeue.Ifajob'snextscheduledruntimeisbeforethethresholditwillnotauto-start.

N/A

QueueType Thebehaviorwhenthisjobisqueued.SeeJobQueuingformoreinformation. SQLServerAgentJob:Queued

QueueForUpTo Themaximumlengthoftimethisjobcanqueued.SeeJobQueuingformoreinformation. N/A

Auto-StartType Controlstheauto-startbehaviorforthejobwhenitleavesthequeue."Usedefaultsetting"willcausethequeuingjob's"Auto-StartThreshold"settingtobeused. N/A

SQLSeverAgentJobsSource




AllSQLServerAgentJobConditions-AnobjectmustbewatchedinorderforConditionstobeevaluatedforit.

MissedRunThreshold

Thelengthoftimethatmustpassbeforeanobjectrunisconsideredtobemissed. SQLServerAgentJob:RunMissed



SQLServerAgentLogSource




AllSQLServerAgentLogSourceConditions-AnobjectmustbewatchedinorderforConditionstobeevaluatedforit.



HistoryFilterTheFilterusedforhistorysynchronization.Onlyeventsthatmeetthefilterwillbewrittentothedatabase.Seealso:HistoryFilter

N/A



SQLServerInstance


Auto-enableSQLServerAgentTokens

OnSQLServer2005andabove,SQLAgentTokensaredisabledasasecuritymeasure.TheymustbeenabledtoallowSentryOnetowatchAlerts. AllSQLServer

AgentAlertConditions

Auto-recyclelargeSQLServerAgentLogs

WhetherornottoautomaticallyrecyclelargeAgentLogfiles.SentryOnepollstheAgentlogforhistorysynchronization.IfanAgentLogfilebecomestoolarge,thispollingwillcausetimeoutproblems.Topreventthis,SentryOnewillstoppollingandissueaClientAlertiftheagentlogfileexceeds1MB.Thisproblemoftenmanifestswheninformationallevelloggingisenabled.

N/A

MaximumQueueLength

Themaximumnumberofobjectsthatcanbequeuedatonetime.ThissettingalwaysappliestotheInstancelevel.

SQLServerAgentJob:Queued

SynchronizeType

ThissettingreferstohowtheSentryOneClientwillrespondifitdiscoversthedataintheSentryOneDatabaseisnotuptodate.ThedefaultistoshowamessageboxwarningoftheconditionandaskingiftheSentryOneClientshouldsynchronizetheinformationitself.

N/A


TheamountoftimethatmustpasssincethelastsuccessfulsynchronizationbytheSentryOneMonitoringServicebeforetheClientattemptstosynchronizedirectlywiththetarget.

N/A

MaxDatabasestoSynchronize(largestfirst)

Themaximumnumberofdatabasestosynchronize,orderedbytotalsize.Thisincludessystemdatabases. N/A

MaxUserDatabaseFilestoSynchronize(mostactivefirst)

Themaximumnumberofuserdatabasefilestosynchronize,orderedbyhighestactivity.Activityisdefinedbynumberofbytesreadandwritten.Thisnumberexcludessystemdatabaseswhichareautomaticallyincludedinthesynchronization.

N/A

MaintenanceWindow



FailsafeConditions

TopSQL



Themaximumallowedruntimefortheobject.Thisdefaultvalueis1hour.

TopSQL:RuntimeThresholdMax

TopSQLSource





MinimumDuration

TheMinimumDurationsettingdeterminestherequireddurationforaTopSQLeventtobecollected.Thedefaultsettingis5seconds.Forsafetyreasons,itcannotbereducedbelow100msunlessoneoftheCPU,ReadsorWritesfiltersis>0.

AllTopSQLConditions

MinimumCPU TheminimumrequiredCPUforastatementtobelogged.*

AllTopSQLConditions

MinimumReads Theminimumrequiredreadsforastatementtobelogged.*

AllTopSQLConditions

MinimumWrites Theminimumrequiredwritesforastatementtobelogged.*

AllTopSQLConditions

CollectTraceEvents

SpecifywhetherornottocollectTraceEvents.IfCollectTraceEventsisdisabled,SentryOnewillnotstartatraceorcollectanyTopSQLeventsfromamonitoredtarget. N/A

CollectStatementEvents

SpecifywhetherornottocollectStatementEvents.IfCollectStatementEventsisdisabled,statement-levelinformationwillnotbeavailableinthePlanExplorerStatementsTreewhenviewingaqueryplan.

WARNING:Onsystemswithveryhightransactionvolumesthatalsomakeextensiveuseofscalarfunctions,enablingCollectStatementEventsmaycauseanegativeimpactontheperformanceofthemonitoredtarget,regardlessoftheeffectiveTopSQLfiltersettingsorthenumberofeventsactuallycollected.Seealso:Performanceimpact:SQLtraceanduserdefinedscalarfunctions

N/A

CollectExecutionPlans

SpecifywhetherornottocollectExecutionPlans.IfCollectExecutionPlansisdisabled,TopSQLeventcollectionwilloccurasnormal,howeverqueryplaninformationwillnotbeautomaticallycollectedforthoseevents.PlaninformationcanstillbecollectedondemandfromwithinaPlanExplorersession,however.

N/A

MaxPlanSizetoCollect(MB)

SpecifiesthemaxplansizetocollectinMB.Defaultvalueis3. N/A

RunningEventsPollingInterval

Specifieshowoftentheservicechecksforrunningevents. N/A

CollectQueryStats

Specifieswhetherquerystatscollectionisenabled.ThissettingmustbesettoTrueforProcedureStatsandQueryStatstofunction.

N/A

QueryStatsSampleInterval

Specifieshowoftentosamplequerystats. N/A

FilterTimeSpan SpecifiesthebaselengthoftimeoverwhichthecollectionfilterswillbeappliedtoQueryStats. N/A

FilterFactor TheFilterFactoriscalculatedbydividingtheQueryStatsSampleIntervalbytheFilterTimeSpan.The N/A




collectionfilterssuchasMinimumDurationaremultipliedbythisvaluewhenappliedtoQueryStatscollection.

TopSQLSourceNote:

ThereisanANDrelationshipthatexistsbetweentheMinimum Duration,Minimum CPU,Minimum Reads,andtheMinimum WritesCollectionSettings.Thismeans,thatinordertobecollectedasTopSQL,theeventwillneedtosatisfyeachindividualCollectionSetting.Forexample,ifyousettheMinimumDurationat10secondsandtheMinimumReadsat25,aneventwouldneedtomeetbothaMinimumDurationof10secondsANDaMinimumReadsof25tobecapturedinTopSQL.

Minimum Durationcannotbesetbelow100msunlessMinimum CPU,Minimum Reads,orMinimum Writesisgreaterthan0.Thislowerlimitisenforcedbecausesettingthisthresholdsbelow100msforanextendedperiodoftimecoulddramaticallyincreasethevolumeofdatacollectedandstoredbySentryOne,andhaveanegativeimpactonthemonitoredserver.SentryOne'sQuickTracefunctionalityisbettersuitedtoanalyzeextremelyshortdurationevents.


7.3.2 SSASSettings

SQLSERVERANALYSISSERVICESSETTINGSAnalysisServicesInstance


CollectMemorybyCategoryData

EnableordisableMemorybyCategoryData.ThissettingisusedtoprovidemoredetailthanthebasicCleanermemorydata,butishigheroverheadtocollect.Usecautionwhenenablingtoensureitdoesnotimpactperformance.ThedefaultvalueforthissettingisFalse.

N/A

SynchronizeType


N/A



N/A

MaintenanceWindow


FailsafeConditions



TopCommands


MaximumRuntimeThreshold Definethemaximumallowedruntimefortheobject.

TopCommands:RuntimeThresholdMax

TopCommandSource


MaximumRowstoSynchronize.

Themaximumrowsofhistoricaleventdatatocollectfromthissource. N/A

HistoryFilter Thefilterisusedforhistorysynchronization.Onlyeventsthatmeetthefilterwillbewrittentothedatabase.Seealso:HistoryFilter

N/A

MinimumDuration Settheminimumrequireddurationforastatementtobelogged.AllTopCommandsConditions

CollectMDX/DMX/XMLAEvents Specifieswhethercommandcollectionisenabled. N/A


7.3.3 WindowsSettings

WINDOWSSETTINGSWindowsInstance


SynchronizationType


N/A



N/A


MaintenanceWindow



FailsafeConditions

CollectProcesses Specifieswhetherprocesscollectionisenabled. N/A

UncategorizedProcessFilter

Thefiltercontrolswhichuncategorizedprocessesarecollected.Categorizedor"well-known"processesarealwayscollected.SeeAlso:Processes

N/A

WindowsEventLogsSource


Auto-watchNewObjects Specifywhetherornotnewobjectswillbesettowatchedwhentheyarediscovered.

AllWindowsConditions-AnobjectmustbewatchedinorderforConditionstobeevaluatedforit.



HistoryFilter SeeHistoryFilterandWindowsEventLogssourcetopic.WindowsEventlog:Event

WindowsTask


MaximumRuntimeThreshold Themaximumallowedruntimefortheobject.

WindowsTask:RuntimeThresholdMax

MaximumRuntimeThresholdPercent Themaximumallowedruntimepercentagefortheobject.

WindowsTask:RuntimeThresholdMax

MinimumRuntimeThreshold Theminimumallowedruntimefortheobject.

WindowsTask:RuntimeThresholdMin



MinimumRuntimeThresholdPercent Theminimumallowedruntimepercentagefortheobject.

WindowsTask:RuntimeThresholdMin

WindowsTaskSource


Auto-watchNewObjects Specifywhetherornotnewobjectswillbesettowatchedwhentheyarediscovered.

AllWindowsTaskConditions-AnobjectmustbewatchedinorderforConditionstobeevaluatedforit.




7.4 ResponseRulesets

ResponseRulesetscontrolhowoftenActionsaretakeninresponsetoConditions.ThedefaultrulesetisNotify Every Time,meaningthattheActionwillbetakeneverytimetheConditionismet.Response Rulesetsallow for an extra level of configurability for certain notifications. They do thisby allowing you to define additional criteria that must be met in order for the Action to be taken.

For example, you may receive false-positive Database Offline/Online messages throughout theday on servers/networks that are highly utilized. An example Response Ruleset for this scenariomight specify that this Condition must be true for 5 minutes before an email is to be sent.Additionally you can specify under what criteria subsequent actions for this same Condition occur.

Actions and their configured Response Rulesets have a hierarchical configuration. When youconfigure an Action with a Response Ruleset the Action and the Action's Response Ruleset willbe inherited by each object below that level. For a visual representation of how inheritance workswithin SentryOne see the Alerting and Response System Hierarchy diagram.

Response Rulesets can be a powerful tool to help you fine tune alerts. Response Rulesetsare available globally, meaning the same Response Ruleset can be applied to multipleConditions. Keep in mind that any changes to a Response Ruleset will affect every Conditionwhere the Response Ruleset has been applied.

Windowsarealsoavailabletohelpyoufinetunealertinginyourenvironment.WindowsmaybeapplieddirectlytoanyconfiguredActiontocontrolthetimeframeofwhenthatActionwillbeprocessed.YoumayapplyaWindowintheResponse Ruleset tabofanyconfiguredAction.FormoreinformationaboutconfiguringWindowsseetheSchedulesandWindowstopic.

RULESETTYPESThere are two Ruleset types, Count Based and Time Based.


RulesetType Description

CountBased

With Count Based Rulesets you can control:

HowmanytimesaConditionmustoccurwithinaspecifiedtimeframebeforeActionsaretaken.HowmanytimesaConditionmustreoccurbeforesubsequentActionsaretaken.HowlongtocontinuetakingactionwhenaConditionisoccurring.

SeetheResponseRulesetCountBasedexampleformoreinformation.

TimeBased

WithTimeBasedRulesetsyoucancontrol:

HowlongaConditionmustexistbeforeactionsaretaken.Howmuchtimemustelapsebeforesubsequentactionsaretaken.HowlongtocontinuetakingactionwhenaConditionisoccurring.

SeetheResponseRulesetTimeBasedexampleformoreinformation.

RESPONSERULESETEXAMPLESForexampleusescenariosseetheResponseRulesetExamplestopic.

RULESETMANAGEMENTResponseRulesetscanbemanagedusingtheToolsmenu→ManageResponseRulesetcommand.Inthiswindowyoucancreate,edit,anddeleterulesets.YoucanalsoassignrulesetstoalloftheActionsconfiguredwithinyourenvironment.Once a Response Ruleset has beendefined, it can be associated with a Condition.

Response Rulesets can also be managedforindividualActionsfromtheResponseRulesettabfoundwithintheActionPane.

CREATE A NEW RESPONSE RULESETTo create a new Response Ruleset from within the Manage Response Ruleset dialogue select theNew Ruleset button.Choose a name for the Response Ruleset. Next use the Ruleset Type boxto select either a Count based or Time Based ruleset.Depending on which Ruleset type you arecreating the configuration options will be as follows.

Ruleset Configuration Options


CountBased ConfigurationOptions

ProcessActionsAfter:

Occurrences–numberoftimestheeventmustoccurpriortoprocessingactions.

Within(checked)–thewindowoftimeinwhichtheeventsneedstooccur.

Within(notchecked)–ignoretimelimit,enablesubsequentactions.

ProcessSubsequentActionsEvery:

Occurrences–numberoftimestheeventmustoccurpriortoprocessingsubsequentactions.

Forupto–howlongtofollowthesubsequentactionssettingbeforestartingrulesetover.

TimeBased ConfigurationOptions

ProcessActionsAfter:

Theamountoftimeaconditionmustexistpriortoprocessingactions.

ProcessSubsequentActionsEvery:

Theamountoftimeaconditionmustcontinuetoexistbetweenprocessingactions.Forupto–howlongtofollowthesubsequentactionssettingbeforestartingrulesetover.


Note:ModificationstoaResponseRulesetwilltriggeranAuditCondition.

ASSIGN A RESPONSE RULESET TO AN ACTIONYou can assign a Response Ruleset to an Action from within the Manage Response Rulesetdialogue as follows.

1. OpentheManageResponseRulesetdialogue.(Toolsmenu→ManageResponseRuleset)2. Select any Action found within the Configured Actions section.3. Select the drop-down arrow in the Ruleset column to see Response Rulesets applicable for

the Action.4. ClickontheResponseRulesetthatyouwouldliketoapply.

YoucanalsoassignaResponseRulesettoanActionfromtheResponseRulesettabfoundwithintheActionPane.

1. IntheNavigatorPaneselectthenodeappropriatetothelevelthatyouwouldliketoconfiguretheActionfor.

2. SelecttheActionthatyouwouldliketoapplyarulesetforintheConditionspane.(Viewmenu→General/Failsafe/AuditActions)

3. SelecttheRulesetstabfounddirectlybeneaththeAction.4. ClickontheResponseRulesetthatyouwouldliketoapply.

BESTPRACTICESFORUSINGRESPONSERULESETSNameglobalrulesetsbytheirbehavior.Namecustomrulesetsbytheobjectandevent/conditiontheyapplyto.Usecountbasedrulesetsforeventdrivenrules.Usetimebasedrulesetsforconditiondrivenrules.

7.4.1 ResponseRulesetExamples

ResponseRulesetscontrolhowoftenActionsaretakeninresponsetoConditions.ThedefaultrulesetisNotify Every Time,meaningthattheActionwillbetakeneverytimetheConditionismet.Response Rulesetsallow for an extra level of configurability for certain notifications. They do thisby allowing you to define additional criteria that must be met in order for the Action to be taken.ForageneraloverviewseetheResponseRulesettopic.

COUNTBASEDEXAMPLE:AsareminderwithCountBasedRulesetsyoucancontrol:

HowmanytimesaConditionmustoccurwithinaspecifiedtimeframebeforeActionsaretaken.HowmanytimesaConditionmustreoccurbeforesubsequentActionsaretaken.HowlongtocontinuetakingActionwhenaConditionisoccurring.

ThisCountBasedRulesetExampledealswithaSQLServerAgentjobthatoftenfails.


YouhaveaSendEmailActionconfiguredattheInstancelevelfortheSQLServerAgentJob:FailureCondition.ThereisaSQLServerAgentJobFrequentJob,thatrunseveryminute.The


occasionalfailureisexpectedandcanbedisregardedbutifthisjobbeginsfailingrepeatedlyitusuallyindicatesthereisaproblem.

Topreventgettinganalertoneveryfailure,youcouldsetaResponseRulesettolimittheprocessingoftheSend Email ActionfortheSQL Server Agent Job: Failure Conditionsothatanemailwasonlysentafterthejobfailedmultipletimeswithinaspecifiedtimeframe.FortheexamplewewilldothisbyconfiguringaCountBasedResponseRulesetthatwillrequirethejobtofail3timeswithin5minutes.

ToaccomplishthisyouneedtoapplyaCountBasedResponseRulesetatthejoblevel(FrequentJob).YouwillwanttoapplythisResponseRulesetattheindividualjoblevelasopposedtotheInstanceleveltoavoidsuppressingemailnotificationsfortherestofyourAgentJobsbelongingtothatInstance.

FirstyouwillwanttoconfigureaSend Email ActionfortheSQL Server Agent Job: FailureConditionfortheAgentJobFrequentJob.

1. SelecttheFrequentJobnodeintheNavigatorPane.2. NextopentheGeneralActionssectionintheConditionspane.IfyoudonotseetheConditionspaneusetheViewmenu->Conditions.

3. ClicktheAddbuttonfoundintheExplicitsectionoftheGeneralActionssection.ThiswillopentheSelectActionwindow.

4. ExpandtheSQL Server Agent Job: Failure Condition.UsethecheckboxtoselecttheSendEmail Action.ClicktheOKbuttontoaddtheconfiguredaction.BesuretospecifyaSelected TargetintheActionSettingstab.

NextyouwillwanttoapplyaResponseRulesettotheconfiguredAction.

1. SelecttheconfiguredemailactionintheExplicitsectionoftheConditions pane.2. SelecttheResponseRulesetstabfounddirectlybeneaththeExplicit sectionoftheConditions pane.YoushouldseethatthedefaultResponseRuleset,Notify Every Timeisapplied.ClicktheNewbuttontoopentheResponse Ruleset Editor.

3. GivetheResponseRulesetaname,rememberingthatitisabestpracticetonameacustomrulesetbytheobjectandConditionthatitappliesto.

4. FillintheinformationasspecifiedaboveandclicktheSavebuttontoapplythenewlycreatedResponseRulesettotheconfiguredAction.


NowthattheSend Email ActionconfiguredfortheSQL Server Agent Job: Failure ConditionhastheaboveResponseRulesetapplied,anemailwillonlybesentalertingyouthattheFrequentJobfailed,ifitdoesso3timeswithin5minutes.

OnlytheSQLAgentJobFrequentJobwillbeimpactedbythischange.OtherAgentJobswouldstillbesubjecttotheSend Email ActionconfiguredattheInstancelevelwhichhasthedefaultResponseRulesetofNotify Every Time.

Considerthefollowing:

WiththisrulesetinplaceontheSendEmailAction,youcouldstillhavethefailureexecutetheLogToDatabaseActionusingthedefaultruleset.Thiswayeveryfailurewouldberecorded.

YoucouldalsoapplyanadditionalSendEmailActionfortheSQL Server Agent Job:Failure Conditionwithadifferentruleset.Thiscouldbeusefulforescalationpurposesorifadifferentteammemberpreferstobenotifiedeverytimethejobfails.

TIMEBASEDEXAMPLE:WithTimeBasedRulesetsyoucancontrol:

HowlongaConditionmustexistbeforeActionsaretaken.HowmuchtimemustelapsebeforesubsequentActionsaretaken.HowlongtocontinuetakingActionwhenaConditionisoccurring.

ThisTimeBasedRulesetExampledealswithInstanceOffline/OnlineAlerts.


YouhaveaSendEmailActionconfiguredattheGloballevelfortheSQLServer:OfflineCondition.

YouhaveaSite,TransientSiteinyourenvironmentthatcontainsseveralInstances.YouarebeingalertedbyemailthattheseInstancesaregoingOfflineandOnline,butwhenyouchecktheseInstancestheseseemtobefalsenotifications.ThiscanhappeniftherearetransientnetworkissuesandtheMonitoringServiceisunabletoconnecttotheMonitoredServers.Iftheseproblemsaretrulytransient,youmaynotnecessarilywanttobenotifiedeverytimethishappens.

TopreventgettinganalertforeveryoccurrenceofthesetransientnetworkissuesyoucouldsetaResponseRulesettolimittheprocessingoftheSend Email ActionfortheSQL Server Instance:Offline Condition.ThisResponseRulesetwouldaddadditionalcriteriatotheprocessingoftheSendEmailActionsothatanemailisonlysentaftertheInstancewasdetectedtobeinanofflinestateforaspecificperiodoftime.

Forthisexamplewewilldothisby:


1. ConfiguringaTimeBasedResponseRulesetthatwillrequiretheSQL Server: OfflineConditiontobetruefor5minutes.

2. DisablingtheSQLServerInstance:OnlineCondition.

ToaccomplishthisyouwouldneedtoapplyaTimeBasedRulesetattheSite levelfortheTransientSite.YouwillwanttoapplythisResponseRulesetattheSite levelasopposedtotheGlobal leveltoavoidsuppressingemailnotificationsabouttherestofyourInstancesgoingofflineandonline.

FirstyouwillwanttoconfigureaSend Email ActionfortheSQL Server Instance: Offline ConditionattheTransientSitelevel.

1. SelecttheTransientSitenodeintheNavigatorPane.2. NextOpentheFailsafe Actions sectionintheConditionspane.IfyoudonotseetheConditionspaneusetheViewmenu->Conditions.

3. ClicktheAddbuttonfoundintheExplicit sectionoftheFailsafe Actions section.ThiswillopentheSelect Action window.

4. ExpandtheSQL Server Instance: Offline Condition.UsethecheckboxtoselecttheSendEmail Action.ClicktheOKbuttontoaddtheconfiguredaction.BesuretospecifyaSelected TargetintheActions Settings tab.

NextyouwillwanttoapplyaResponseRulesettotheconfiguredAction.

1. SelecttheconfiguredemailactionintheExplicit sectionoftheConditions pane.2. SelecttheResponse Ruleset tabfounddirectlybeneaththeExplicit sectionoftheConditions pane.YoushouldseethatthedefaultResponseRuleset,Notify Every Timeisapplied.ClicktheNewbuttontoopentheResponseRulesetEditor.

3. GivetheResponseRulesetaname,rememberingthatitisabestpracticetonamecustomrulesetbytheobjectandconditionthatitappliesto.

.

4. FillintheinformationasspecifiedaboveandclicktheSavebuttontoapplythenewlycreatedResponseRulesettotheconfiguredAction.

NowthattheSend Email ActionconfiguredfortheSQL Server Instance: Offline ConditionhastheaboveResponseRulesetapplied,anemailwillonlybesentalertingyouthatoneoftheInstancesbelongingtotheTransientSiteisoffline,ifitisdetectedtobeinthatstateforlongerthan5


minutes.Youwillreceiveanadditionalemailevery10minutesforupto1dayaslongastheInstanceremainsoffline.

NextwewilldisabletheSend Email ActionfortheSQL Server Instance: Online ConditionattheTransientSitelevel.ThiswillstopanySQLServeronlineemailnotifications.WedothisbecausewiththeaboveResponseRulesetapplied,onceyoustopreceivingemailsfortheSQLServer Instance: Offline ConditionyouwillknowthattheServerisonlineagain.

TodisabletheSend Email ActionfortheSQL Server Instance: Online ConditionattheTransientSiteLevel.

1. SelecttheTransientSitenodeintheNavigatorPane.2. NextopentheFailsafeActionssectionintheConditionspane.IfyoudonotseetheConditions paneusetheViewMenu->Conditions.

3. ExpandtheSQL Server Instance: Online Condition.UsethecheckboxtoselecttheSendEmail Action.ClicktheOKbuttontoaddtheaction.

4. SelecttheconfiguredemailactionintheExplicit SectionoftheConditions pane.IntheBehavior columnselectthedropdownboxandchoosetheDisabledbehavior.FormoreaboutactionbehaviorsseetheActionstopic.

Considerthefollowing:

YoumayalsowanttofollowthesameproceduresfortheSQL Server Agent:Offline/OnlineConditions,byapplyingthesameResponseRulesetfortheOfflineConditionanddisablingtheOnlineCondition.

BydefaultallFailsafeConditionsareconfiguredwithaLogToDatabaseAction,soyouwillalwayshavearecordofeachtimetheSQL Server Instance: Offline Conditionismetifyouneedtoreviewit.

YoucouldalsoapplyanadditionalSendEmailActionforthevariousOffline/OnlineConditionswithadifferentResponseRuleset.Thiscouldbeusedforescalationpurposesintheeventofanlongtermserveroutage.

7.5 OutputContentMatch

TheOutputContentMatchconditionsallowyoutoassignanactionbasedonamatchoftheoutputtextofaneventobject.Thisfeatureallowsyoutowatchforspecializedconditionsthatmaynototherwisebedetected.ThismayproveusefulwhenhandlingexitcodesfromWindowsTasks.

ConditionSettingfiltersintroducedinv7.2offeragreaterdegreeofflexibilityinmanagingAlerts.

SETTINGUPACTIONSFORTHEOUTPUTCONTENTMATCHCONDITIONOutputContentMatchActions,likeallotherGeneralActions,canbesetupfromthegloballeveltotheindividualeventobjectlevel.AfterselectingtheappropriatenodeontheNavigatorpane,selectAddintheConditionspane.ThiswillbringuptheActionsSelectordialog.ExpandthedesiredObjectandOutputContentMatchCondition.NextselectthedesiredActiontobecompletedwhentheConditionismet,andselectOKontheActionsSelector.OutputContentMatchoptionscanbeaccessedintheConditionSettingstab.


ClickingtheEditbuttonintheConditionSettingstabwillbringuptheContentMatchCriteriaform.Fromhereyoucanspecifyallconditionstheoutputtextfromtheobjecthastomeetbeforerespondingwiththedesiredaction.Thematchedtextcaneitherbeintheformofastringliteral,oryoucanenteraregularexpression.Touseregularexpressions,prefixthematchstringwith"regex:",i.e."regex:[a-z]*"tomatchanycharactera-z.ClickOKandtheActionisenabled.

NOTE:TheStepNamelistboxisonlyavailablewhensettingmatchcriteriaforanindividualSQLAgentJob.

CONDITIONINHERITANCEAllOutputContentMatchcriteriacanbesetatthegloballevelandwillbeinheritedlikeanyothersetting.Itisimportanttonote,however,thatanymatchcriteriadefinedatalowerlevelwilleffectivelyoverridetheinheritedcriteria.Evenifthereisnotamatchatthatlevel,SentryOnewillnotlookfurtheruptheinheritancechaintoseeifthereareanyothermatchcriteriasetatahigherlevel.Inheritedactions,however,willremainenabled.

Forexample,aSendEmailactionisconfiguredatthegloballevelfortheSQLAgentJob:OutputContentMatchconditionwhenthetextstring"overflow"appearsinanyjob'soutputtext.YouthenclickonyourDataImportjobonServerAandenableaLogtoDatabaseactionfortheSQLAgentJob:OutputContentMatchconditionandchangethematchcriteriaforthisjobto"insufficient".Fromnowon,theonlytextstringthatwillbecheckedwhentheDataImportjobrunsis"insufficient".Evenifthatstringisnotfounditwillnotlookforthe"overflow"stringsetatthegloballevel.However,ifthe"insufficient"stringismatchedforthatjob'soutput,boththeSendEmailandLogtoDatabaseactionswillbetaken.

WhenyouoverridetheOutputContentMatchsettingsatalowerlevel,youwillbepromptedifyouwantusethehigherlevelOutputContentMatchcriteriaasthebaselineforthissetting.ThisfeaturewasaddedbecauseoftenwhenoverridingtheOutputContentMatchcriteria,onlyminorchangesarerequired,sothisfeaturecansaveyoualotofworkwhenmanycontentmatchstringsareinvolved.


8 SentryOneEventCalendar

Appliesto:SQLSentry,WinSentry,BISentry,DBSentry,DWSentry,APSSentry*Somefeaturesmaynotbeavailabletoalltargettypes.Pleasereadfurtherformoredetail.

OPENINGTHEEVENTCALENDARTheSentryOneEventCalendarcanbeopenedbyselecting(Open→ Event Calendar) from thecontext menu of any applicable node in the Navigator pane. It can also be opened by double-clicking the Instance and choosing Event Calendar from the product selection form.

HISTORYFILTERHistoryFilter

FilterEditor

EVENTMANAGERVIEWSTheCalendarViewisthedefaultviewdisplayedintheWorkspaceArea.TheListViewdisplaysalleventdatainalistformat.

PERFORMANCEMONITORINGWITHEVENTSThefollowingtopicscoverperformancemonitoringwithSentryOneEvents.

CustomEventViewsWorkingWithCustomEventViewsFilteringProcessFilterProcessFlowchartLevelingBackupsAcrossaSANorNAS

CUSTOMEVENTVIEWSCustomEventViews

WorkingWithCustomEventViewsFilteringProcessFilterProcessFlowchartLevelingBackupsAcrossaSANorNAS

CHAININGANDQUEUINGChainingandQueuing

EventChainsJobQueuing

8.1 HistoryFilter

SentryOneprovidesadvancedsourcehistoryfilteringforyourmonitoredTargetsandInstances.SourceHistoryFilterSettingsareavailableinthesynchronizationgroupforselectEventSources(View→Settings).

WiththeHistoryFilteryoudefineruleswhichcontrolexactlywhattypesofeventstheMonitoring


ServicewritesintoEventHistoryconcerningyourmonitoredservers.IfaneventdoesnotmeetthecriteriayouhavedefinedintheHistoryFilter,informationaboutthateventisnotwrittentoyourSentryOneDatabase.

UsingtheHistoryFilteryoumaychoosetoignorecertaintypesofevents,asyoucanfilteronmultiplecolumnsincludingDuration,MessageText,andRunStatus.Thefilterwasdesignedwithflexibilityinmind.YoumaydefineafilterassimpleasEventDurationbeinggreaterthan5seconds,oryoumaychoosetocreatecomplexfilterconditions,usingconditionalgroupsandmultiplelogicaloperators.

Dependingonyourenvironmentandthetypeofinformationyoucollect,usingaHistoryFilterwiththevariousEventSourcescanalsodecreasethesizeofyourSentryOneDatabase.Onbusyservers,applyingaHistoryFiltertailoredforthosespecificenvironmentscanalsosignificantlyreducetheamountofnoise,leavingyouwithasmallersetofactionableinformation.OnepowerfulapplicationofthesourceHistoryFilteristhatitcanbeusedwiththeWindowsEventLogssource.TheWindowsEventLogssourceisavailablewhenyouaremonitoringyourcomputerwithWinSentry.

Ifyouarelookingformorecontroloveralerts,keepinmindConditionSettings,whichgiveyougranularcontroloverwhatyouarebeingalertedaboutwithinyourenvironment.

CONFIGURINGHISTORYFILTERSTheSourceHistoryFilterSettingsareavailableinthesynchronizationgroupforselectEventSources(View→Settings).PleaseseetheFilterEditortopicfordetailsaboutusingtheFilterEditor,includingcontextmenuinformation.

SYNCHRONIZATIONOFPERFORMANCEANALYSISSOURCESItisimportanttounderstandthattheHistoryFiltersynchronizationsettingsforDeadlocksaffectonlywhatisdisplayedontheEventCalendaranddoesnotimpactwhatisactuallycapturedordisplayedwithinSQLSentry.

ThisisbecausethesynchronizationoftheDeadlockssourceusesadifferentprocessthanthosesourceswhicharestrictlyEventCalendaronly.ThisdataisfirstwrittentovariousPerformanceAnalysisspecifictableswithintheSentryOneDatabase,andisthenusedtopopulatethePerformanceAnalysisDeadlockstab.

ThisdataisthencorrelatedandwrittenintoEventCalendartablesaccordingtoyourdefinedsynchronizationsettings,includinganyfiltersyouhavespecifiedwiththeHistoryFilter.ThisEventHistorydataisusedtopopulatetheEventCalendar,showingyouDeadlocksalongsideyourregularlyscheduledAgentJobsandvariousothereventobjects.

IfyouarelookingformorecontroloveralertsrelatedtoPerformanceAnalysissources,keepinmindConditionSettings,whichgiveyougranularcontroloverwhatyouarebeingalertedaboutwithinyourenvironment.ConditionSettingsallowyoutobuildcomplexalertcriteriaforConditions,includingthoserelatedtoTopSQL,BlockingSQL,andDeadlocks.

8.1.1 FilterEditor

SentryOneallowsyoutobuildcomplexfiltersforthepurposesofHistoryFilteringanddefiningConditionSettings.ThistopiccoversthefunctionalityoftheFilterEditor,whichis


http://www.sentryone.com/help/ug/Windows Event Log.html

commontobothHistoryFilteringandConditionSettings.

Note:TheFilterEditoriscase-insensitiveforallstringcomparisons.

FILTEREDITOROVERVIEWThebelowdiagramidentifiesthevariousaspectsoftheFilterEditor.

FILTERRULESUsingtheFilterEditor,youbuildcriteriathataneventmustmeetbydefiningrules.

Eachfilterruleismadeupofthreedistinctparts.

1. First,youdefinethescopeoftherule,byspecifyingacolumnname.2. Secondly,youselectanoperator(criteriaoperator)whichdefinesaninstructionfortestingthevalue(operandvalue).

3. Finally,youenterthevalue(operandvalue)forthisfilterrule.

RULEGROUPSIndividualrulesarelogicallygroupedintorulegroups.Eachgroupcontainsalogicaloperatorwhichdefineshowtherulesarecombinedwithinthegroup.UponcreationeachgroupwillusetheAndlogicaloperator.WhenagroupiscreatedwiththeAndlogicaloperatoreachfilterrulethatispartofthegroupmustbetrueinorderforthegrouptoevaluateastrue.Youmaychangethelogicaloperatordefinedforagroupbyfirstclickingit;adropdownmenuwillappear,allowingyoutochooseanalternative(And,Or,NotAnd,NotOr).

CONTEXTMENUSWhenyouclickonanylogicaloperatoradditionaloptionsareavailablefromthedrop-downmenu.

TheAddConditioncommandwilladdanewfilterruletotheconditiongroup.TheAddGroupcommandwillcreateanewsub-groupbeneaththeexistinggroupwiththedefaultAndlogicaloperator.TheRemoveGroupcommandwilldeletetheselectedgroup.TheClearAllcommand,availablefromtherootlogicaloperator,willdeleteallfilterrules.

Selectingtheplus+symbolnexttoanygroup'slogicaloperatorwilladdanewfilterruletothegroup.Selectingthexsymbolnexttoanyfilterrulewilldeletethatrulefromthegroup.


8.2 CalendarView

TheCalendarViewisthedefaultdisplayintheWorkspaceArea.Itcombinesbothhistoricalandfutureeventdatatopresentanaccuratevisualrepresentationoftheschedule.Visualindicatorshighlightoverlappingactiveeventinstances,eventstatus,andduration.Additionaldetailinformationisavailablewithasingleclickviapopupwindows.Youcanusedrag-and-droptoreschedulefuturejobsortasksinorderto"level”aschedule,thusminimizingcontentionbetweenmultipleeventsfightingforthesameresources.

TonavigatetotheCalendarView,double-clickonanyroot,group,Instance,source,object"EventView",orCustomEventViewnodeintheNavigatorPane.Theactualeventinstancesdisplayedontheviewwillvarydependingonthenodeselected.ForexampleifyouselecttheJobsnodeunderaSQLServer,onlyjobswillbedisplayed;allotherevents(maintenanceplans,etc.)willbefilteredfromtheview,andonlytheJobstabwillbeavailableinthecorrespondingEventViewfilter.

RECURRINGEVENTSPANEThispaneisusedtodisplayeventsthatrunfrequentlyorlongenoughthattheywouldclutterthecalendarinthecurrentintervalview.Exactlywhicheventsaredisplayedintherecurringeventspanedependsontheactiveintervalandtheschedulefrequencyoftherespectiveevents.Forexample,futureinstancesofajobthatrunsevery5minuteswillbepinnedtotherecurringeventsviewwhenina24hourinterval,butwillbedisplayedonthecalendarin1hourview.Todeterminehowlongeventsmustrunbeforeshowinginthiswindow,gototheCalendartabintheUserPreferencesmenu.

NOTE:Events listed in the recurring pane will not register as conflicts with other events on the Calendar.

CALENDARCONTEXTMENUSAContextMenuisavailableforalleventinstancesbyright-clickingtheinstanceinthecalendar.Exactlywhichcontextitemsareavailabledependonthesourcetypeoftheselectedinstance.

NAVIGATIONCONTROLThenavigationtogglebuttonatthetopleftofthecalendarallowsyoutomovequicklyforwardsandbackwardsthroughthecalendar.

ClicktheUp▲orDown▼Arrowstomovetothepreviousornexttimeinterval.TheRight►orLeft◄Arrowsmoveforwardorbackwardoneday,keepingthesameintervalandstarttime.ThePlus+andMinus-buttonsareusedtozoominoroutintheTimeRuler,oneintervalatatime,keepingtheintervalstarttimethesame.

DATEBAR


Thisbarshowsthedayoftheweekanddateforeachdaydisplayedinthecurrentview.

Wheninamulti-dayview,ifyousingle-clickanydateonthedatebaritwillmakethatdateactive,highlightingthedate.Youcanzoomintoasingledatebydouble-clickingthedateonthedatebar.Youcandrillintoanyintervalforoneormoredaysbydouble-clickingontheTimeRulerattheleftofthecalendar(seebelow).

TIMERULEROntheleftsideofthecalendar,averticalTimeRulershowsthecurrenttime-rangefortheselectedinterval.Bydefault,Hoursaredisplayed.YoucanusetheTimeRulertozoominorouttoadesiredtimeintervaldisplay.

WhenyouhoverovertheTimeRuler,therulerhighlightsatime-range.Double-clicktozoomintothetime-range.ThisissimilartoclickingtheZoomInbutton,exceptthattheZoomInbuttondoesnotchangethestarttime.

CURRENTTIMEThecurrenttimeisdisplayed(wheninview)withahorizontalredbar.Thebarwillmoveasthetimechanges.

CURRENTTIMECOLUMNToseetheexacttime,mouse-overthenarrowcolumnbetweenthetimerulerandthecalendarorbetweenadjacentdays.

ZOOMIN/OUTYoucanalsousethecalendartozoominorouttoanytimeintervals.Right-clickanywherethereisemptyspaceonthecalendarorontheTimeRulertobringupthecontextmenu.Selectatimeintervaltozoominandout.

INTERVALBUTTONSHoverovertheverytoporbottomofthetimerulerandpopuparrowsaredisplayedwhichyoucanusetoquicklymovetothepreviousorthenextinterval,justaswiththeUp▲orDown▼navigationcontrolarrows.

EVENTINSTANCESONTHECALENDARAlleventinstancesonthecalendarappearwitharectangularblock.Futureinstancesdon'tincludeaRunStatusindicatorbar.

StepDetailsareaccessiblebyclickingthebottom-rightcorneroftheeventinstance.Bydefaultaneventinstancebackgroundiswhite.

DefaultRunStatuscolorsare:

Green-Successful


Yellow-WarningRed-FailedOrange-RunningBlack-Stopped

GLYPHSGlyphsareusedtoprovidequickvisualcuesabouteventinstancesonthecalendar,includingtheireventsourcetype,queuingsettingsandstatus,blockstatus,etc.Eachinstancecontainsatleastoneglyphrepresentativeofitstype,whichmatchesexactlytheiconshowninthenavigatorpaneforthesourceobject.Belowisacalendarshowingseveraldifferenttypesofeventinstances.

Otherinformationalglyphsarelistedbelow:

Jobactivelyblockedorblocking

Jobactivelybeingqueued

Jobcannotbequeued

Jobsettoqueue

Jobactivelyqueuing

Eventinstanceoreventobjectcontainsanote

Eventinstancewasrunaspartofaneventchain

TopSQLindicator

AnalysisServicesTopCommandsindicator

Deadlockindicator

POPUPWINDOWSToviewdetailsforanyeventinstance,left-clickitanywheretotherightofthedurationbartoselectitandbringupapopupwindow.Thepopuprevealsdetailsabouttheinstance,includingthelaststepoutput,startandendtime,duration,runtimestatistics,schedules,queuingsettings,notes,etc.Theactualdatacontainedinthepopupwillvarybasedupontheinstanceseventsourcetype.Youcanclearthewindowbymovingyourmouseawayfromtheinstance.

HIGHLIGHTINGRELATEDEVENTSThecalendarprovidesseveraloptionsforgroupingeventsonthecalendar.Right-clickinganeventandselecting"Highlight"willdisplaytheapplicablehighlightingoptionsfortheevent.Oncethehighlightoption(s)arechosen,similareventstotheoneselectedwillbehighlightedonthecalendar.Theselectedelementswillbepersistedforallidenticaleventsourcesacrosstheinstallation.UsingtheJumpToDashboardfeaturewilloverlayeachoftheselectedeventsonthePerformanceAnalysisDashboard.

EVENTCONFLICTSAconflictisdefinedastwoactiveeventinstancesrunningonthesameserveratthesametime.Whenaninstance'sruntime(asindicatedbythedurationbar)overlapswithoneormoreotherinstancesinthesameview,itisconsideredconflictinganditsbackgroundcolorwillbeorangeasshownbelow,otherwisethebackgroundwillbewhite.


Youcaneasilyresolvemostconflictsbydragging-and-droppingfutureinstancesonthecalendar.TheamountoftimeinstancesmustoverlapbeforeshowingasinconflictcanbeadjustedinUserPreferences.

NOTE: Events listed in the recurring window will not register as conflicts with other events on the Calendar.

TOOMUCHDATAINDICATORSOnverybusyschedules,iftoomanyeventinstancesexistwithinagivenrangetodisplayalloftheminameaningfulfashion,asmallhashedboxwillbeshownontherightsideofthepane.Hoveringovertheboxwillshowatooltipwiththenumberofadditionaleventsinthattimeperiod.Double-clickingtheboxwillzoominsoeachactualeventcanbeseen.Ifconflictsexistwithinthespecifiedrange,theboxwillbedisplayedinorange(default).Afiltercanalsobeappliedtoreducethenumberofeventinstancesonthecalendar.

SELECTINGANEVENTINSTANCEClicktoselectanyeventinstanceonthecalendaranditwillbedisplayedwithablueborderonthetopandbottom.Notethatallotherinstancesofthesameobjectonthecalendarwillchangebackgroundcoloratthesametimeforeasyreference.

RESCHEDULINGVIADRAG-AND-DROPAfteryouselectafuturejobortaskinstance,youcaneasilymoveittoadifferenttimeslotbydragging-and-droppingtheinstance.Afteryoumoveaninstance,youwillreceiveaconfirmationdialogbox.EitherclickOKtoconfirmthemoveorCanceltoreturntheinstancetoitsoriginalposition.

NOTE:This feature is disabled in the evaluation version of SentryOne.

VIEWINGSTEPDETAILSToviewfullstepdetailsforanevoentinstance,clickthesmallgraytriangleinthelower-rightcorneroftheinstanceandthestepcalloutwindowwillappear.Youcanmovethewindowbyclickingthegraybaratthetop,andyoucanresizeitbyclickingthesmalldashedtriangleinthelower-rightcorner.Notethateventinstancesthatdon'tcontainsteps,suchasstatuseventsorWindowstasks,willnothaveastepcalloutbutton.

8.3 ListView

LISTVIEWTovieweventhistoryinalistformat,selectListfromtheViewtoolbar.Thelistviewshowsalleventdatathatwouldotherwisebedisplayedonthecalendar,butinalistformat.Clickthe[+]icontoexpandandviewthefullstepdetailsfortheevent,ifanyexist.Failedinstanceswillbe


highlightedinred.

NOTE:ThehistoryListViewforonedaycanbeopenedbypressing(CTRL+ALT+H)whenanapplicableobjectisselected.

SPLITVIEWYoucanshowboththeCalendarViewandtheListViewsimultaneouslybychoosingSplitfromtheViewtoolbar.Whenyouselectaneventinstanceonthecalendar,itwillbeauto-selectedinthelistwindow,andviceversa.

GROUPINGANDSORTINGYoucandrag-and-dropanycolumnheadingintooroutoftheareadirectlyabovethelistviewtochangetheactivegrouping.Youcanalsoclickanycolumnheadingtosortbythatcolumn.

8.4 CustomEventViews

CustomEventViewsareusedtotailorviewstoviewandmonitorspecificactivityacrosstheenterprise.

Forexample,ifyouwantedtomonitorallbackupjobsacrossallyourserverstodetermineifthereiscontentionforabackupdevice,youcouldeasilybringupthatspecificinformationtoyourcalendarviewanddrag-and-dropthosejobstolevelyourbackupscheduleorviewperformanceinformation.AfteryousetupaCustomEventView,itwilloperatelikeotherviewsselectedfromtheNavigatorpane.CustomEventViewsmayalsobesetastheDefaultViewwhentheSentryOneClientstartsbyright-clickingtheviewnodeandselectingtheappropriatecontextmenuitem.

SeeWorkingwithCustomEventViewsfordetailsonpropersetupandconfiguration.

NOTE:ToseenewCustomEventViewscreatedbyotherClientusers,right-clickonthemainCustomEventViewsnodeandselectRefresh.

8.4.1 WorkingWithCustomEventViews

FromtheNavigatorpaneexpand“CustomEventViews”.ThiswillprovidetheSub-Nodes:“Local”and“Shared”.LocalViewsareonlyavailabletotheUserthatcreatedthem.SharedViewsareavailabletoanyUseronanySentryOneClient.ThesetupoftheViewisthesameforeitheroption.

ToaddanewCustomEventView,double-clickontheLocalorSharedNodeorselect"New"fromthecontextmenu.Thiswillbringupthe“AddaCustomEventView”windowntheworkspace.The“Creator”fieldisalreadypopulatedwithyourusernameandisuneditable.


Completethe“Name”and“Description”fieldswithinformationthatwillmakesensetoanyonewhowillusetheview.

ADDINSTANCESNext,clickonthe“AddInstances…”buttontoaddobjectsthatwillbeincludedintheview.ThetopboxallowsyoutoselectbyindividualInstances,includingWindowsTaskSchedulers.Additionally,itallowsyoutospecifyallInstancesofaspecifictype,i.e.AllSQLServerInstances.ThemiddleboxallowsyoutoselectentireSQLServergroups.Finally,thebottomsectionallowsyoutofilterforspecificobjectsfromthoseInstances.Thisspecifieswhichobjectswillbemonitoredbyperformancecountersinthisview.

IMPORTANT:Instancetextfiltersdirectlycontrolwhicheventobjectsintheviewwillbeconsideredmonitorablewhenperformancemonitoringisenabledforaview,versustheGeneraltabtextfilterswhichcontrolonlywhichobjectswillbedisplayedontheactiveCalendar/ListView.Instancetextfiltersarealwaysappliedfirst,beforeGeneraltextfilters.It'sveryimportanttoensuretheInstance-leveltextfiltersaresetproperlytoavoidmonitoringotherobjectsunnecessarily.PleaseseeFilteringProcesstopicformoredetails.

Click“OK”tosaveyourInstancesandreturntotheViewConfigurationwindow.Notethetextboxnexttothe“AddInstances…”buttonverifiesthatInstancesarenowassignedtothisView.

SELECTOBJECTSNext,clickonthe“SelectIndividualEventObjects"buttontoselectadditionalindividualobjectstoview

The“SelectObjects”windowisbrokendownintothreesections.Usethetopsectiontosearchforobjectsbytype,objectname,orsteptext.Oncethecriteriaareentered,clickthe“Search”buttonandtheresultswillbepopulatedinthemiddle“SearchResults”section.

Selectobjectstoaddbyclickingontheobjectinthe"SearchResults"sectionandclickonthe“Add”button.

The"SelectedObjects"sectionshowwhatobjectswillbeincludedintheview.

Clickonthe“OK”buttontosaveyourselectionsandreturntotheViewConfigurationwindow.


Notethatthetextboxnexttothe“SelectIndividualEventObjects"buttonverifiesthatobjectsarenowassignedtothisView.

SELECTEVENTSOURCESNext,clickonthe"SelectEventSources"button.ThisiswhereyouwilldefinewhichEventSourceswillbeassociatedwiththeView.Forexample,ifyouonlywantedSQLAgentJobsintheView,ensurethatthe"ShowSQLServerAgentJobs"checkboxischeckedandtheremainingsourcesinthelistboxareunchecked.Youalsohavetheoptionofselectingspecificobjectsorcategorieswhenavailable.

SETFILTERSFinally,clickonthe“SetFilters”buttontoselectspecificfilterstoapplytotheView.ThefiltertabswillberestrictedbytheInstancetypesselectedpreviouslyandtheeventsourcesavailableonthoseInstances.Forexample,ifReportingServicesdoesn'texistonanyselectedInstances,theReportstabwillnotbedisplayed.

IMPORTANT:Generaltabtextfiltersareusedonlytocontrolwhicheventobjectsaredisplayedontheactivecalendar/listview.Theydonotaffectwhichobjectswillbeconsideredmonitorablewhenperformancemonitoringisenabledforaview-thisisdirectlycontrolledbytheInstancetextfilters,whicharealwaysappliedfirst,beforetheGeneraltextfilters.PleaseseetheInstancesandFilteringProcesstopicsformoredetails.

Afterconfiguringyourfiltersettings,click“OK”tosaveandreturntotheViewConfigurationwindow.Notethetextboxnexttothe“SetFilters…”buttonverifiesthatthefilterissetforthisView.

SAVEYOURVIEWClickontheSavebuttononthetoolbaranditisreadytouse.

YournewViewwillbeaddedtothetreemenuintheNavigatorpane.Justdouble-clickonittoopenit,orexpandthenodetoaddPerformanceCounters('GeneratingPerformanceAlerts'intheon-linedocumentation).

SAVEVIEWAS...MENUITEMAnotherwaytocreateaCustomEventViewisbyusingtheSaveViewAsitemundertheFilemenu.AnytimeaparticularcalendarviewisactivethatcontainstheInstancesandfiltersettingsyouwouldliketosaveforaCustomEventView,simplygotoFile > Save View As.Youwillbeaskedforanameandoptionaldescriptionfortheview.Youmayalsochecktheboxtomakeitpublic.ThisplacesitundertheSharednodeinCustomEventViewsforuseinanySentryOneClient.

NOTE:If a view has performance monitoring enabled, usingSave View Asdoes not transferperformance counter settings to the new view.

CreatinganewSharedCustomEventViewwilltriggeranAudit:CustomEventView:Createdcondition.Deletingand/ormodifyingexistingSharedCustomEventviewswillalsotriggersimilarAudit:CustomEventView:DeletedorAudit:CustomEventView:ModifiedconditionsinSentryOne.


ORGANIZINGCUSTOMEVENTVIEWSBothLocalandSharedCustomEventViewscanbeorganizedusingcustomfoldernames.Createafolderbyselecting"NewFolder"fromthecontextmenuontheSharedorLocalnodes.Oncefoldersarecreated,viewscanbemovedbetweenfoldersbydragginganddroppingtheviewintothedesiredfolder.

Seealso:

FilteringProcess

ConditionsandActions

8.4.2 FilteringProcess

WhensettingupaCustomEventView,itisimportanttounderstandthetwolevelsofobjectfilteringthattakeplace.Thefirstleveloffiltering,sourcelevelfiltering,determineswhichobjectsareincludedintheview.Anyperformancecountersthatareappliedtothisviewwillbeappliedtoeveryobjectthatisincludedafterthisleveloffiltering.Thesecondleveloffiltering,generalfiltering,onlydeterminesunderwhichcircumstancestheaboveobjectswillbevisibleonthecalendar.Theywillstillhaveperformancecountersappliedtothemwhethertheyarevisibleornot.

SOURCELEVELFILTERINGAnyfiltertextspecifiedfromtheAddInstanceswindowwhensettingupormakingchangestoaviewisatthesourcelevel.Thiswillrestrictthenumberofobjectsassociatedwiththeviewandthereforethenumberofobjectsthatwillbemonitorable.

Aftertheviewiscreated,additionalsourcelevelfilteringcanbeappliedthroughtheEventSourcestabsuchasJobs,Alerts,Tasks,etc.Bycheckingorun-checkingtheShow<source>checkboxes,youdeterminewhetherobjectsofthistypewillbeincludedintheview.

AlsoontheEventSourcestabareEventObjectsandCategoriesboxesthatallowyoutofurtherfilterobjectsfromtheview.TheseboxesaretypicallypopulatedwhenworkingwithaviewwithonlyoneInstance.

GENERALFILTERINGAnyfiltersappliedfromtheFiltertaboftheEventViewspaneonlydeterminewhetherornotcertaineventobjectswillbevisibleonthecalendar.Eveniftheyaremadeinvisiblebythisfilter,theywillstillhaveanyperformancecountersappliedtothemthatareappliedtotheview.Thisisanimportantdistinctionforperformancepurposes.Ifyoudonotwantaperformancecounteractivatedforanobjectinaview,youmustensurethatitisfilteredatthesourcelevel,andnotsimplymadeinvisiblebytheFiltertab.

PleaseviewtheEventViewFilterProcessFlowchartforanillustrationofthisprocess.

8.4.3 FilterProcessFlowchart

EVENT VIEW FILTER PROCESS FLOWCHART


8.4.4 LevelingBackupsAcrossaSANorNAS

Sampleviewscanbeeasilymodifiedtofurtherrestricteventinstancesshowntoonlythose


utilizingthesame"sharedresource",suchasaNAS(NetworkAttachedStorage)orSAN(StorageAreaNetwork)device,orevenanetworksegment.Inthisexample,we'lldemonstratethesimplestepsrequiredtomodifyanexistingsampleviewtocreatea"sharedresourceview"forallRed-GatebackupswritingtoaSAN,forthepurposeoflevelingthebackupactivityacrosstheSANtoeliminateanybottlenecks,thusreducingcontentionandmaximizingperformanceoftheSANandnetwork.

FromtheNavigatorpaneexpand“CustomEventViews.”Thiswillexposethe“Local”and“Shared”sub-nodes.Localviewsareonlyavailabletotheuserthatcreatedthem.SharedviewsareavailabletoanyuseronanySentryOneClient.Thesetupofaviewisthesameforeitheroption.

Ifyouexpandthe“Shared”node,you'llnoticethepre-existing“SampleViews”sub-node.Clickthesampleviewforthebackupsystemyouuse.(Inthisexamplewe'llusethesampleviewforRed-GateSQLbackups.)

Thefirsttimeyoudouble-clickonasamplevieworselect"Open"fromthecontextmenu,thefollowingmessageboxwillappear.

Clicking“Yes”willbringupthe“SelectInstances”box.

Notethattheboxhasthreesections,"Instances","SQLServerGroups",and"InstanceTextFilters".ThisallowsyoutoselectindividualInstances(SQLServerorTaskScheduler),allSQLServersinagroup,oracombinationofboth.SincewewanttoseeallRed-GatebackupjobsacrossallSQLServersintheenterprise,we'llselect"All"underSQLServerGroups.

Thekeytoeachsampleviewisthe"InstanceTextFilter."WithityoucaneasilyrestrictthejobsplacedintheviewbytheactualTSQLorCmdExectextusedinajob'ssteps.Multiplekeywordsareseparatedwithasemicolon,andaplussign(+)isusedinfrontofanykeyword(s)thatyouwanttoapplyusingan"and"...otherwisethekeywordwillbeappliedwithan"or".

Notethedefault"StepText"filterfortheRed-GateSQLbackupssampleview:"master..sqlbackup;SqlBackupC".Thisfilterwillreturnonlyjobswhichcontainanyofthosestringssomewhereinthestepcommandtext.Itwillreturnallmatchingbackupjobs,notjustthosewritingtoaparticularSAN.

TorestricttoonlythosejobswritingtoaSAN,oneminoradjustmenttothefiltershouldbemade,asshownbelow.Addan"and"filterusingthebaseSANnameorIPaddress.Inthisexamplewe'veused"+\\SAN01".Thiswillcausetheviewtoreturnanyjobswhichcontain"master..sqlbackup","SqlBackupC"ANDcontain\\SAN01.

Afterclicking“OK”,wehaveaCustomEventViewreadytouse.


Thejobswithanorangebackgroundindicateschedulingconflicts-notewehaveseveralcaseswherebackupscomingfromdifferentserversarehittingtheSANatthesametime.Drag-and-dropfunctionalitycanbeusedonfuturejobinstancesonthecalendartoeliminatetheschedulingconflictsandreduceassociatedcontentionontheSANornetwork.

Whenalljobshaveawhitebackground,youknowyouhavea“leveled”schedule.AleveledscheduleensuresthatanybottlenecksandassociatedIOerrorsontheSAN'sdisksubsystemandnetworkareminimized,andthatbackupjobsrunatoptimalspeed!

SeeAlso:

SaveViewAs...MenuItem

8.5 ChainingandQueuing

8.5.1 EventChains

Aneventchainisaseriesofdependenciesbetweeneventsrunningonthesameserverordifferentservers.Thereisnolimittothelengthofachain,orthenumberofeventsthatcanbedefinedforachain.Tonavigatetoeventchains,selectthe"EventChains"nodefromtheNavigator.

Name-ContainsthenameoftheEventChain.ThisalsoisthevaluedisplayedinthetreeviewundertheEventChainsnode.

Description-Descriptivetextfortheeventchain.

Createdby-Displaysthechaincreatorandthedate/timeofchaincreation.

Updatedby-Ifthechainisupdated,displaystheupdateranddate/timeofupdate.


SelectChainInstance-Usethisdrop-downlisttoselectapastruntimeforthechaintoviewitshistory.

EndTime-Whenviewinganhistoricalchaininstance,thiswillshowthetimethechaincompleted.

Status-Displaysthestatusofthechainbeingviewedas,"Ready","Running",or"Completed".

ChainEnabled-Optiontoenableordisabletheeventchain.

EditButton-Toaddnodesormakechangestoachain,clickthisbutton.

Autorefresh-Determineshowoftenthechainworkspacewillrefreshtoshowupdatedinformationwhenthechainiscurrentlyrunning.

Note:OnlytheinitialjoboftheEventChainneedstobescheduledforthechaintorun.

EVENTCHAINEXAMPLESExampleA:WhenJob1(SQLServerjob)completes,thenexecuteJob2(SQLServerjob).IfJob2succeeds,executeTask A(WindowsTaskSchedulerTask).IfJob2fails,executeJob3


Inordertoaccommodateapaththatencompassesthesameeventmorethanonceandavoidacircularreference,theconceptofnodesareused.ANodeissimplyauniquerepresentationofanevent.EventhoughJob1islistedtwice,thechaincantreattheeventastwoseparateinstancesandapplyvaryingconditionstoeachinstancewhichprovidesagreaterdegreeofflexibility.

CIRCULARREFERENCESAneventchainisalogicalworkflowthroughaseriesofoneormoreeventobjects,witheachoccurrenceofaneventobjectrepresentedbyauniqueeventnode.Acircularreferencewouldoccuriftheworkflowwasbuilttoreferenceaneventnodeasecondtime.Suchaworkflowisnot allowedinaneventchain.

Forexample:WhenEvent Acompletes,thenexecuteEvent C.WhenEvent Ccompletes,thenexecute


Event A.

Toallowaneventtooccurasecondtimeinaneventchain,addtheobjectEvent Aasecondtimetotheobjectlist.ChangetheToNodeinthesecondlinktoreferencethenewlycreatednode.Thismethodcanberepeatedtoallowtheeventtooccuradiscretenumberoftimes.

ADDANEVENTCHAINDoubleclickthetheEventChainsnodeintheNavigatorpaneorusetheNewcontextmenucommand.Assigntheeventchainanameandoptionallyadescription.Right-clicktoaddobjectsthatwillbeusedintheeventchainordraganddropjobsfromtheNavigatorontotheEventChaindiagram.Nodenameswillbegiventoeachobject.Addlinkstothechainbyright-clickingtheappropriatenode,thenselectWorkflow.Next,selectthestatusconditionforexecutionandthetargetnode.Nodescanbedraganddroppedtorepositionforeasierviewingofthechain.TheAutoLayouttoolbarbuttonmayalsobeusedoncelinksareestablished.Savethechain.

EDITANEVENTCHAINSelectEventChainnodefromthetreeviewintheNavigatorwindow.ClicktheEditbutton.EditthenecessarypropertiesoftheEventChain.Savethechain.

REMAPPINGNODESINANEVENTCHAINEventChainnodescanberemappedtoothereventobjects.ThiscansaveyoutimeoverdeletingandrecreatingnodesinyourEventChain.WhenyouremapanodeinanEventChainthenextstep(s)intheworkflowwillremainintact.ToremapanodeusetheRemapNodecommandavailablethroughthenodecontextmenu.


Important:IfanyEventChainnodesorworkflowstepsarechanged,includingtheremappingofanode,thehistoryforthechainbecomesinvalidandwillbelost.

CHAINHISTORYToviewanhistoricalrunofachain,selecttheruntimefromtheSelectChainInstancelistbox.Runtimeandstatusinformationwillbedisplayedforeachnode.Iftheobjectcompletedsuccessfully,itwillhaveagreenbackground.Ifitfailed,itwillhavearedbackground.Thisisalsoshownforcurrentlyexecutingchains.Currentlyexecutingnodeswillhaveanorangebackground

CONTEXTMENUS

NAVIGATORPANE

Item Description

Open OpenstheEventChain.

Edit OpenstheEventChaininedit-mode.

StartChain StartsallleadnodesofthisEventChain.

Delete Deletethechain.

Disable Disablethechain.

Reset Resetacurrentlyrunningchain.

ChangeFolder Allowsyoutomovethespecifiedchaintoadifferentorganizationalfolder.

VIEWMODEWorkspace

Item Description

Refresh Refreshthecurrentview.AlsodonebypressingF5.

Print Printthechaindiagram.

PrintPreview Previewtheprintedchainlayout.

Zoom Zoominorouttoviewentirechain.

Node-<Current>ChainInstance

Item Description

ExecuteNode

Allowsyoutomanuallyrunanodeinachain.Ifthenodeisaleadnodeforachain,thenanychildnodeswillbeexecuteduponcompletion.Nochildnodeswillstartifthenodebeingexecutedisnotaleadnode.


JumpTo...

--ThisInstance Bringsupacalendardisplayingtheselectednode'scurrentinstance.

--LastFailure Bringsupacalendardisplayingthelastfailurefortheselectednode.

--LastInstance Bringsupacalendardisplayingthelastinstanceoftheselectednode.

--NextInstance Bringsupacalendardisplayingthenextinstanceoftheselectednode.

--Navigator NavigatestotheselectednodeintheNavigator.

Show

--History

----4Hours Displaysthelast4hoursofjobhistoryfortheselectednode.

----1Day Displaysthelast1dayofjobhistoryfortheselectednode.

----3Days Displaysthelast3daysofjobhistoryfortheselectednode.




--RuntimeStats Showsthecurrentruntimestatsfortheselectednode.

Properties Viewthepropertiesoftheobject.

Node-HistoricalChainInstance

Item Description

ExecuteNode

Allowsyoutomanuallyrunanodeinachain.Ifthenodeisaleadnodeforachain,thenanychildnodeswillbeexecuteduponcompletion.Nochildnodeswillstartifthenodebeingexecutedisnotaleadnode.

JumpTo...

--ThisInstance Bringsupacalendardisplayingtheselectednode'scurrentinstance.

--LastFailure Bringsupacalendardisplayingthelastfailurefortheselectednode.

--LastInstance Bringsupacalendardisplayingthelastinstanceoftheselectednode.

--NextInstance Bringsupacalendardisplayingthenextinstanceoftheselectednode.

--Navigator NavigatestotheselectednodeintheNavigator.


Show

--History

----4Hours Displaysthelast4hoursofjobhistoryfortheselectednode.

----1Day Displaysthelast1dayofjobhistoryfortheselectednode.





--Runtimestats Showsthecurrentruntimestatsfortheselectednode.

StartChainHere Allowsyoutoexecuteachainfromanodeotherthanaleadnode.Whenthisoptionisselected,anewchaininstanceiscreatedthatcontainsacopyofthenodesstatusfortheinstanceyouareviewing.

Properties Viewthepropertiesoftheobject.

EDITMODEWorkspace

Item Description

AddNodes AllowsyoutoaddnewJobsorTasksasnodesinthechain.

Save Saveanychangestothechain.

Print Printthechaindiagram.

PrintPreview Previewtheprintedchainlayout.

AutoLayout Organizesandarrangesthechainintoadefaultflowchartpattern.

Zoom Zoominorouttoviewtheentirechain.

Node

Item Description

Workflow Allowsyoutospecifytheconditiononwhichonenodewillexecuteanother.

RenameNode Renamethenode.Thiswillnotrenametheactualjobortask.

DeleteNode Deletetheexistingnodefromthechain.

Properties Viewthepropertiesofthejobortask.


EVENTCHAINNOTIFICATIONS

GENERALACTIONS

Condition FiredWhen

EventChain:Started AnyleadnodeforanEventChainhascompleted.

EventChain:Completed AfterlastnodeinanEventChainhascompleted.

EventChain:Success EverynodeinanEventChainruns.

EventChain:Failure OneormorenodesinanEventChaindonotrun.

EventChain:RuntimeThresholdMaxTheEventChainruntimeexceedstheMaximumRuntimeThresholdsettingsspecifiedfortheEventChain.

EventChain:RuntimeThresholdMinTheEventChainruntimeexceedstheMinimumRuntimeThresholdsettingsspecifiedfortheEventChain.

EventChainNode:Started TheEventChainnodestarts.

EventChainNode:Completed TheEventChainnodecompletes.

EventChainNode:Success TheEventChainnodecompletes,reportingasuccess.

EventChainNode:Failure TheEventChainnodecompletes,reportingafailure.

EventChainNode:RuntimeThresholdMax TheEventChainnodeexceedstheMaximumRuntimethresholdspecifiedforthenode.

EventChainNode:RuntimeThresholdMin TheEventChainnodeexceedstheMinimumRuntimethresholdspecifiedforthenode.

Whenmorethanoneworkflowpathexistsinachain,theChainSuccessandChainFailureconditionsbecomelessvaluablesincetheyarebasedexclusivelyonwhetherornotallnodescompleted.AtthatpointtheNodeSuccessandNodeFailureconditionsshouldbeusedformoreaccuratestatusinformationabouttherespectivenodesand/orpaths.

SETTINGSEventChainsandEventChainNodessupportRuntimeThresholdsettings.Thesesettingsarespecifiedasabsoluteruntimesforboththeminimumandmaximumruntimethresholds.

Setting Description

InheritFromParent Specifiedwhethertheruntimethresholdsettingsareinheritedfromtheparentobject.

MaximumRuntimeThreshold Themaximumallowedruntimeforthechain/node.

MinimumRuntimeThreshold Theminimumallowedruntimeforthechain/node.


AUDITACTIONS

Condition FiredWhen

EventChainModified ModificationsaremadeandsavedtoanEventChain.

EVENTVIEW

AllEventChainscontainanEventViewsub-node.Double-clickingorselectingOpenfromthecontextmenuwillproduceacalendarofalltheobjectsthatareapartoftheselectedchain.AswithanyCustomEventView,youalsohavetheabilitytoaddPerformanceCounterstoanyEventChainView.

EVENTCHAINCALENDARINFO

AllEventSourceObjectsthatappearonacalendarbecauseofanEventChainwilldisplayasmallchainglyphinthetopleftcorner.

Additionally,theEventSourceObjecttooltipwilldisplayinformationaboutanychain(s)thatthisobjectisassociatedwith.An*isplacednexttotheactualchainthatcreatedthisinstance.


REPORTINGSERVICESJOBSINEVENTCHAINSItisaknownlimitationthatReportingServicesjobswillnotworkwithinchainsinversionspriorto2.7.ThislimitationoccursbecauseReportingServicesjobsarefilteredoutofSentryOneastheyhavenodurationanddonotreflecttheaccurateinformationaboutthereport.

Aworkaroundisavailableinversion2.7andlater,asdescribedbelow:

Normally,SentryOnefiltersoutaReportingServicesjob.YoucanforcethemtostayinthehistoryandthusalertchainingthattheyhavecompletedbyplacinganadditionalspaceaftertheAddEventcall.

Forexample,ifyoucurrentlyhave:AddEvent @EventType='Test', @EventData= '5B0537EA-7A87-4C8B-B002-03A51DD5100C'

Youcouldchangeitto:AddEvent @EventType='Test', @EventData= '5B0537EA-7A87-4C8B-B002-03A51DD5100C'

Afterthechangeismade,resetthechain.

**IMPORTANT**IfyoumanuallymodifytheSSRSschedulerjobsteptextasdescribedabove,andatalaterdatemakemodificationstothereportscheduleviaanySSRStool,themanualsteptextchangesyoumadewillbeoverwritten.ItisimportanttoremembertomakethesemodificationstothesteptextagainifyouhaveincludedanSSRSreportasnodeinanEventChain.

COPYCHAINYoumayrunintoasituationwhereyouwanttocreateasecondchainthatissimilartoanexistingchain,orwanttouseanexistingchainasatemplatefornewchain.Youcaneffectivelycopyachain,usingtheSaveChainAs...optionontheFileMenu,

Youwillthenbeaskedtoenteranewnameandoptionaldescriptionforthechain.

NOTE:ToseenewEventChainscreatedbyotherClientusers,right-clickontheEventChainsrootnodeandselectRefresh.

ORGANIZINGEVENTCHAINSEventChainscanbeorganizedusingcustomfoldernames.AnyEventChaincanbemovedintoanotherfolderbydragginganddroppingintoanotherfolder.

Seealso:

EventHistoryMonitorSettings

CustomEventViews

PerformanceMonitoring('SchedulePerformanceMonitoring'intheon-linedocumentation)

ConditionsandActions

8.5.2 JobQueueing

JobQueuingallowsaresourceintensivejobtodelayotherjobsfromexecutinguntilithascompleted.Thisallowstheresourceintensivejobtoutilizemoreoftheserverresources,allowingalljobstofinishfasterandmoreefficiently.UnlikeEventChains,JobQueuingappliesonlytothejobsonanindividualSQLServerinstance.


EachSQLAgentjobhasitsownqueuingsettings.Simplyclickonthedesiredjobandselectthe"Settings"tabfromtheConditionsandSettingsPane.NotethatyoucanalsoconfiguredefaultqueuingsettingsatboththeGlobalandInstancelevels,andthosesettingswillbeinheritedbyanyassociatedjobs.

BEHAVIORWHENQUEUINGOTHERJOBS

INHERITFROMPARENTSelectFalseifyouwanttoconfigurethequeuingbehaviordifferentlythantheinheritedsettings.

QUEUETYPEUnderQueueTypethereare3options:

1.Neverqueue–Thisjobwillnotqueueanyotherjobs.

2.Queueforspecifiedtime–Thisjobwillqueueotherjobsforthespecifiedtime.

3.Queueindefinitely–Thisjobwillqueueotherjobsuntilthisjobhascompleted.

QUEUEOTHERSFORUPTOThisisthemaximumamountoftimethisjobwillqueueotherjobs.ThissettingisnotavailableGlobally,sinceitcouldbedisastrousifitwereaccidentallyenabledforalljobsonallSQLServers.

AUTO-STARTTHRESHOLDAnyqueuedjobwhosenextscheduledruntimeisbeyondthespecifiedthresholdwillbestartedautomaticallyuponleavingthequeue.Ifajob'snextscheduledruntimeisbeforethethresholditwillnotauto-start,butresumewithitsnextscheduledrun.Thissettingisextremelyvaluableforavoidinghavingtoconfiguretheauto-starttypeforeverypossiblejobthatcanbequeued.It


effectivelyprovidesasafeguardsothatjobsthatdon'trunveryfrequentlywillauto-startandthusnotmissascheduledrun,andthosethatdorunfrequentlywillresumetheirschedulessinceitusuallydoesn'tmatteriftheymissafewruns.Italsohelpstoautomaticallyeventheloadwhenaqueuingjobfinishes,sothatallqueuedjobsdon'tauto-startatthesametimeandcauseresourcecontentionissues.

Note:ThemaximumnumberofjobsthatcanbequeuedonaserverisspecifiedbytheMaximumQueueLengthsettingunderSQLServerInstancesettings.

BEHAVIORWHENTHISJOBISQUEUED

INHERITFROMPARENTSelectFalseifyouwanttoconfigurethequeuingbehaviordifferentlythantheinheritedsettings.

QUEUETYPEUnderQueueTypethereare3options:

1.Neverqueue–Thisjobcannotbequeuedbyanotherjob.

2.Queueforspecifiedtime–Thisjobwillonlybequeuedforthespecifiedtime.

3.Queueindefinitely–Thisjobcanbequeuedindefinitely.

QUEUEFORUPTOThisisthemaximumamountoftimethisjobcanbequeued.

AUTO-STARTTYPEControlstheauto-startbehaviorforthejobwhenitleavesthequeue.

Thereare3Auto-Startoptions:

1.Don'tAuto-Start,resumeschedule-Skipthejobuntilit'snextscheduledrun.

2.Auto-startimmediately-Ifthisoptionischeckedthejobwillexecuteassoonasitleavesthequeue.However,sometimesyoumaynotwantthisbehavior,suchasforjobsthatshouldonlyrunataspecifictime,orforrecurringjobs(jobsthatrunmultipletimesperday)whereasinglemissedrunisnotcritical.

NOTE: If this option is not selected and the job is always queued by another job, such as two jobswith the exact same schedule, it may never run.

3.Usedefaultsetting-Thejobwillusethequeuingjob's"Auto-StartThreshold"setting.Thisisthedefaultsetting,andisrecommendedformostcases.

Note:JobswhichusesharedschedulesonSQLServer2005andabovewillnotbequeued.

QUEUELOGTheQueueLogcanbeviewedbyselectingViewQueueLogfromthecontextmenuoftheJobsnodeofaSQLServeroranindividualjobnode.TheQueueLogprovidesdetailsaboutallrecentqueuingactivitythathastakenplaceontheserverorfortheparticularjob.


ANEXAMPLESCENARIOTheprimaryreasonforqueuingjobsistoensureahighpriority,resourceintensivejobhasfullaccesstotheserver'sresourcestocompleteitstaskwithoutcompetingwithotherjobsthatcanbedelayeduntilthehighpriorityjobisdone.

Forexample,considerafullbackupjobthatrunsonceaweek,everySundayat1AM.Ifthisistheonlyjobrunning,havingfulluseoftheserver'sresources,itcancompleteinabout45minutes.However,therearetypicallyotherrecurringjobsonthesameserverthatcancausecontentionforresources,resultinginthebackuptakingalmosttwohourstocomplete.Thisinturncausesdelaysinmanyotherrecurringjobsbeingabletosuccessfullycomplete.Whileitisnotplausibletorescheduleafiveminuterecurringjobtorecuronceanhourforthesakeofthisoneweeklybackup,itmaybeacceptabletotemporarilyqueuethatjobforonehouronceaweekuntilthebackupiscomplete.

8.6 ClearingFailedInstances

IDENTIFYINGAFAILEDINSTANCEWhenacertaineventhasfailed,thereareseveralwaystheSentryOneClientsignalsyoutothatfact.

IntheNavigatorPane,thetextoftheobjectwillberedtoindicateafailedinstance.IntheCalendarView,thestatusbarforthatevent'sinstancewillbered

andintheListView,thefirstcellhasaredbackground.


CLEARINGTHEFAILUREInordertoclearafailure,right-clickonanyoftheabovementionedinstanceviews.SelectClearFailedStatus.Youwillbeaskedifyouwanttoleaveanotebeforeclearing.

Alternately,selectAdd/EditNotesfromthecontextmenuandtheNoteswindowwillappear.Enterdetailsaboutthefailureandresolutiontaken,thenclickSave.Amessageboxwillappearaskingifyouwouldliketoclearthefailedstatusfortheobject.ClickYes,andallopenfailuresfortheobjectwillbecleared,andNavigatornodesshowninredwillbechangedbacktoblack.Whenclearingthefailedstatusforamaintenanceplanjob,maintenanceplan,etc.,anyrelatedchildorparentobjectswillalsobecleared.

Seealso:

Notes

Reporting

8.7 CopyJob/AlertWizard

SentryOneallowsyoutocopyanyjoboralerttoanotherserverorserversquicklyandeasilywiththeCopyJob/AlertWizard.Thiscanbedoneby:

Right-clickingajoboralertinstanceontheSentryOneClientandselectingtheCopyJobTo..orCopyAlertTo..fromthecontextmenu.Next,selecttheserverstowhichyouwouldliketocopytheobject.ClickNext,confirmthetargetserversandclickexecute.Theobjectswillbecopiedandreadilyavailableonthetargetservers.ClickFinishtoclosethewizard.

8.8 ConflictViewer


EventconflictsareoftenoneofthegreatestcontributorstoperformanceproblemsonaSQLServer.TheConflictViewerprovidesvaluableinsightintohoweventschedulesarecontendingwitheachother,andenablesquickandeasycleanupofconflictconditions,ensuringyoureventschedulesareleveled.ToopentheConflictViewer,clicktheViewConflictsbuttonontheToolbars.

Theviewisinitiallysorteddescendingby“TotalConflictTime”,whichisthetotaltimeaneventconflictswithotherevents.Thismeasureisextremelyvaluableindeterminingwhicheventobjectsmaybecausingthemostresourcecontention.TheprimaryeventobjectislistedwithitsdetailinformationincludingName,StartTime,EndTimeandDuration.Theeventobjectsthatareconflictingwithitarelistedbelowitalongwiththeirdetailinformation,aswellastheactualtimeinconflict.

Double-clickanyconflictrecordtojumpdirectlytothecorrespondingjobinstanceonthecalendar.Fromthereyoucanusedrag-and-droptorescheduletheassociatedeventsandcleanuptheconflictcondition.Thisisthequickestandmosteffectivewaytolevelaneventschedule.

NOTE: The Drag-and-Drop feature is disabled in the Evaluation copy of SentryOne.

VIEWERSETTINGSShowConflictsOver

Usethissettingtosetthetimerangeoverwhichyouwanttoviewconflicts.TheConflictViewerwillstartatthecurrenttimeandprojectoutintothefuturebythespecifiedamount

MinimumTimeinConflict

Usethissettingtoeliminatenoisecausedbyshort-runningevents.

8.9 EventObjectInformationWindow

Whenyouright-clickanyeventobjectintheNavigatorandselectOpenordouble-clickaneventinstanceontheCalendar,Navigator,orRuntimeGraph,atabfortheeventobject'sInformationWindowwillappear.Thewindowcontainsvariousmetadataabouttheobject.Theinformationdisplayedwillchangebaseduponthetypeofobject.


Foractiveeventobjects,runtimestatisticsandtheCalculateRuntimeStatisticsSinceoptionwillalsobeshown,aswellasschedulesforschedulableobjectssuchasjobs,tasksandreports.Tasksincludeadditionaldatasuchastheoptiontodefineasuccessexitcode.

RECALCULATINGRUNTIMESTATISTICS

Ontheinformationwindowforallactiveeventobjectsyou'llseetheCalculateRuntimeStatisticsSinceoption.Usethisfeaturewheneveramajorchangeismadetoaneventdefinitionwhichmaycauseit'stypicalruntimetoincreaseordecreasedramaticallyfromwhatitwaspreviously,toavoiderroneousruntimeminimumormaximumnotificationsfrombeingsent.SimplychecktheboxnexttoCalculateRuntimeStatisticsSinceandenterthedateandtimetheeventwaschanged,thenclickSaveonthetoolbar.ThiswillcauseSentryOnetoimmediatelyrecalculateruntimestatisticsusingonlyrunhistorysincethespecifieddate/time.ThisvaluewillalsobeusedwhenevertheSentryOneMonitoringServiceauto-calculatesstatisticsfortheeventinthefuture.

8.10 Multi-serverAdministration(MSX/TSX)

SentryOneprovidesadditionalfunctionalityformulti-serveradministration.Anyserverdesignatedasamasterserverwillhave"(MSX)"afteritsnameintheNavigatorpane.Youwillalsoseeanadditionalsub-nodecalled"Multi-serverJobs".ThisnodeprovidesthesamefunctionalityandcontextmenuitemsasthestandardJobsnode,however,jobsunderthisnodearedistributedtotargetservers.Justlikethe"Jobs"node,ifyouopenit(bysingle-ordouble-clicking)youwillseeacalendar/listviewofallmulti-serverjobsacrossalltargetservers-bydefaultthisviewisfilteredtoshowonlyfailedorlongrunninghistoricalevents,justliketheglobalandgroupviews.ThefiltercriteriacanbechangedintheFilterpane.

TargetserversappearintheNavigatorpanewith"(TSX:<SERVERNAME>)",whereSERVERNAMEisthenameofthemasterservertowhichitisenlisted.

PUBLISHINGCONFIGURATIONTOTARGETSERVERSJustlikestandardlocaljobs,ConditionsandActionscanbeexplicitlyconfiguredformulti-serverjobsbysingleclickingamulti-serverjobnodeintheNavigatorpane.Also,justlikelocaljobs,multi-serverjobsonamasterserverinheritanyConditionsexplicitlyconfiguredforthemasterserverconnection(accessedbysingle-clickingthemasterservernode).Bearinmind,however,thatmulti-serverjobsdon'tactuallyexecuteonthemasterserver-theyarecreatedandconfiguredonthemasterserverandthenpushedouttooneormoretargetserversforexecution.

Inotherwords,themulti-serverjobsexistonthemasterserverstrictlyforconfigurationpurposes,


andthisappliestowatchedstatusandactionsaswell.Thesesettingsformulti-serverjobsdon'tactuallydoanythingonthemasterserver-theyexistonlysothattheycaneasilybeappliedtotargetservers,toavoidhavingtomanuallychangeconfigurationsoneachtargetserverindividually.ThisisaccomplishedbythePublishConfigurationWizard.WhenachangeismadetoconfiguredConditionsorwatchedstatusformulti-serverjobsonthemasterserver,thosechangescaneasilybepushedouttoselectedtargetserversusingthewizard.

ThePublishConfigurationWizardcanberunforanindividualmulti-serverjob,oratthemasterserverlevel.Tostartthewizard,rightclickanyjobunderthe"Multi-serverJobs"node,orattheInstancelevelbyrightclickingontheMSXservernode.

SelectPublishConfigtoTargets,andthePublishConfigurationWizardappears.AfterclickingNextattheintroduction,selectthetargetserverstowhichyouwishtopublishconditionsandwatchedstatus.Ifyoulaunchthewizardfromthemasterservernode,youhavetheoptionofpublishingwatched/unwatchedsettings,SQLServerInstance-levelconditions,and/orjob-levelconditions.Ifyoulaunchfromanindividualjob,youmayonlypublishthewatchedsettingandconditionsforthatjob;theInstance-levelconditionsoptionisunavailable.

Aftermakingyourselections,thewizardwillconfirmyouractionsandexecutethescripttomakethechangestothespecifiedtargetservers.Allspecifiedtargetsarenowconfiguredidenticallytothemasterserver,basedontheoptionsyouselected.

NOTE:

Target (TSX) SQL Servers are really no different than any other SQL Servers managedby SentryOne . Other than the fact that they can include a mix of local and multi-serverjobs, the hierarchical configuration process used by SentryOne applies to target servers andall jobs on target servers just as with any other Instance or object. For example, if you neverrun the Publish Actions Wizard, but have configured global actions, the global actions willbe inherited by all target servers as usual.Likewise, if you have set Auto-watch new Objects to True for SQL Agent Jobs at the globallevel (either manually or using the Quick Start Setup Wizard), any local or multi-server jobson a target server will be watched by default.There isn't a two-way relationship for watched status and actions configuration betweentarget servers and a master server. Once you have published these settings to a targetserver from the master, you can easily override them later on the target server as usual, butwatched status and actions changes made on a target server have no effect on the masterserver configuration.

8.11 RuntimeStats

TheRuntimeStatsnodedisplaysanactiveeventobject'shistoricalruntimeinformation.Twoviewsareprovided:RuntimeHistoryandRuntimeAggregates.Thisselectioncanbemadefromthemaintoolbar.Thesegraphsmakeiteasytoidentifyruntimetrends,whichcanbeanindicatoroforeventuallyleadtoperformanceissueswiththeeventortheserver.

RUNTIMEHISTORYGRAPHThisgraphshowsajob’sactualruntimeandstatusoverthespecifiedinterval.Aredbarindicatesthattheinstancefailed.


RUNTIMEAGGREGATESGRAPHThisgraphsshowthedistributionofthejob’sactualruntimeoverthespecifiedinterval.Thisdatacanbevaluablewhendecidingwheretoplaceajobinthescheduletominimizecontention.

GRAPHCONTROLSUsetheNavigationtoolbartochangethestartdate/timeandintervalforthegraph.TheDayscontrolcangoupto60days.Whenevertheselectedintervalislessthan1day(1minutethrough4hours),theDayscontrolwillbechangedto1day.

Min/MaxYVal

Whenaruntimegraphisfirstdisplayed,SentryOnewilltrytodeterminethemostappropriateintervalandmaximumY-axisvalue.Youcanchangeeitherofthesesettingsatanytime.

Auto-scaletoMaxValue

CheckingthisboxwillautomaticallyselecttheappropriateMaxYValueofthedatabeingshowninthecurrentview.

IntervalType ChangestheintervalusedfortheY-axis.

ShowValueLabels

Deselectthischeckboxtohidethebarvaluelabels.Thiscanbecomenecessaryforbroaderrangeswithhundredsorthousandsofbarstoreducethenoiseonthegraph.

ForinformationontheTopSQLRuntimeStats,seeTopSQLRuntimeStats.

8.12 Toolbars

SAVEANDPRINTTOOLBARThefollowingdescribestheSaveandPrintToolbarbuttons:

Save Universalsavebutton.

PrintPreview Displaysaprintpreviewwindowfortheselectedobject.

Print Printstheselectedobject.

NAVIGATIONTOOLBAR


TheNavigationToolbarisusedfornavigatingthroughouttheCalendarViewaswellasPerformanceGraphsandRuntimeStats.

DATE/TIMESELECTORTheDate/TimeSelectorcontrolsallowyoutojumptoaspecificdateortime,andselectthedesiredtimeinterval.

DateSelector Usedtoselectthedatetoviewonthecalendar.

TimeSelector Usedtoselectthetimetoviewonthecalendar.

GoMovesthecalendartodisplaythetimeselectedinthedate/timeselectormaintainingthecurrentlyselectedinterval.

GotoCurrentTime

Jumpsdirectlytothecurrenttimemaintainingthecurrentselectedtimesliceandinterval,unlesstheintervalisgreaterthan1hourinwhichcase1hourwillbeused.

WhenyouclicktheDateSelectorasmallcalendarwillappear.Clickanydaytoselectit.Clicktherightandleftarrowstochangethemonth.ClicktheboldTodaytextatbottomtoauto-selectthecurrentday.Youcanalsotypeinvaluesforthedayoryeardirectly.

Tonavigatetoaspecifictimeontheselectedday,selecttheTimeSelectorbyclickingatimeincrement(hour,minute,etc.)andthenusingtheup/downarrowsortypinginanewvalue.

TheworkspaceviewwillnotrefreshuntilyouhavecompletedyourselectionsandclickedtheGobutton.

INTERVALSELECTORTheIntervalSelectorisusedtozoomthecurrenttimeintervalinorout.

1Minute Displaysthecalendarinaoneminuteinterval.

10Minutes Displaysthecalendarinatenminuteinterval.

1Hour Displaysthecalendarinaonehourinterval.

4Hours Displaysthecalendarinafourhourinterval.

1Day Displaysthecalendarinaonedayinterval.

MISCELLANEOUSCONTROLS

Setsthetotalrangeofdaystobedisplayedonthecalendarorgraph.Clickeitherarrowtodecreaseorincreasethevalue,


DaysSelector orsimplytypeinanewvalue.Themaximumvalueis30days.Thecurrentlyselectedinterval(1minuteto4hours)aswellasthestarttimeoftherangewillbemaintainedwhenchangingthenumberofdays

PreviousInterval Usedtonavigatebackwardintimetothepreviousinterval.

PreviousSmallInterval

Usedtonavigatebackwardintimeusingasmallerinterval.

NextInterval Usedtonavigateforwardintimetothenextinterval.

NextSmallInterval

Usedtonavigateforwardintimeusingasmaller.

Refresh

UsedtorefreshtheactiveworkspaceviewbyretrievingthelatestinformationfromtheSentryOnedatabase.

HolddowntheCtrlkeywhenyouclickittoforceahardrefresh.ThiswillcausetheSentryOneClienttoconnectdirectlytoandcollecteventdatafromthetargetInstanceincasetheMonitoringServiceisdown.(NotavailableonCustomEventViewsorviewswithmultipleInstances)

ViewConflicts DisplaysallscheduleconflictsfortheselectedInstance.(SeeConflictViewer)

VIEWTOOLBARSelectfromCalendar,List,orSplitviews.Theactiverangewillnotechange,onlytheformatinwhichtheeventdataisdisplayed.(SeeCalendarView)

8.13 ExtendedJobStepLogging/SSISLogging

SentryOneEventCalendariscapableofcollectinganddisplayingextendedsteplogdataforSQLServerAgentjobstepsonSQLServer2005andabove.Inorderforthisdatatobecollected,certainoptionsmustbeenabledatthejobsteplevel.

Theseoptionsareonlyavailableforthefollowingstepsubsystems:

OperatingSystem(CmdExec)

AnalysisServicesCommand

AnalysisServicesQuery

Transact-SQLscript(T-SQL)

Refertothesetopicsforadditionalinformation:

ExtendedJobStepLogging(SQLServer2005+)

EnablingSSISLogging


8.13.1 ExtendedJobStepLogging(SQLServer2005+)

BydefaultthestephistoryforSQLServerAgentjobsincludesamaximumof1024charactersofoutput,anditisnottypicallycleanlyformatted.Ifyouneedtoseemoreofthehistorydatausingthenativeoutputformat,inSQLServer2005andaboveyoucaneasilyenableextendedloggingforajobstep.Onceenabled,SentryOnewillcollectandprocessthefirst512KBofstepoutput.

Note:LoggingforSSIS(SQLServerIntegrationServices)packagesshouldalwaysbeenabledusingtheSentryOneClient.SeetheEnablingSSISLoggingtopicformoredetails.

Toenableextendedloggingforajobstep,openthepropertiesforthejobstepinSQLServerManagementStudio.Select“Advanced”ontheleftsideoftheform.Check"Logtotable"toenableextendedsteplogging,thenclickOK.

Important:Donotselectthe"Appendoutputtoexistingentryintable"option,orSentryOnewillnotcollecttheextendedsteplogdata.

Onceenabled,extendedjobsteplogdatacanbeviewedintheSentryOneClient,bothinjobstepcalloutwindowsonthecalendar,andinhistorylistviews.Anewlevelwillbeaddedunderneathanyjobstepswithextendedloggingenabled.Simplyclick[+]toexpandthelevelandviewthehistorydetails.

ForjobstepswhereSSISLogginghasbeenenabledthroughtheSentryOneClient,thesteplogisparsedanddisplayedasonerowperSSISevent.

8.13.2 EnablingSSISLogging

OnwatchedSQLServer2005andaboveinstances,SQLAgentjobswhichhaveoneormorestepswithasubsystemtypeofSQL Server Integration Services PackagewillhaveanSSISLoggingOptionscommandwithintheircontextmenu(thisincludesSQLServerMaintenance Planjobs).TheSSISLoggingOptionscommandmakesiteasytoenableordisableSSISLogging.

OnceSSISLogginghasbeenenabledforaSQLAgentjob,anewmessagetextlevelwillbeaddedbeneathanySSISjobsteps,inboththeEventCalendarstepcallouts,andinhistorylistviews.ArowwillbeaddedforeachSSISevent,uptothefirst512KBoflogdata.

WhenyouenableSSISLoggingforaSQLAgentjobthefollowingwilltakeplace:

1. AllSSISsubsystemstepswillbechangedtoCmdExecsubsystemsteps.2. Theappend/CONSOLELOGandotherappropriateparameterswillbeaddedtothecommandlineofeachSSISstep.

3. TheLog to TableoptionwillbesetforeachSSISstep.

SeeExtendedJobStepLoggingformoredetails.

LOGGINGLEVELTheSSISLoggingOptionsdialogallowsyoutosettheLoggingLeveltooneofthefollowing.

Setting Description

Disabled SSISLogdatawillnotbecollectedordisplayed.

SSISLogdatawillbecollectedanddisplayedforthefollowingpackage


Enabled

events:

PackageStartPackageEndOnErrorOnTaskFailedOnWarning

Thisistherecommendedsetting.

Enabled(Verbose)

SSISLogdatawillbecollectedanddisplayedforallpackageevents.Sincelargeamountsofdatawillbecollectedandprocessedwithverboselogging,toavoidpossibleperformanceissuesitishighlyrecommendedthatthissettingonlybeusedfortroubleshootingpurposes,andimmediatelysetbackto"Enabled"whencomplete.

Note:SentryOnewillcollectandprocessonlythefirst512KBofSSISlogdataforeachjobstep.Typicallytheonlytimeajobwouldeverexceedthislimitiswhenverboselogginghasbeenenabled.

RUNASWhenenablingSSISLogging,usingtheRunAsdrop-downlist,youmayselecttorunthepackageasfollows:

RunAs Description

Keepcurrentproxysettings

WhenyouselecttheKeepcurrentproxysettingsoption,theaccountspecifiedwithintheJobSteppropertieswillbeusedtoruntheSSISjobstep.

Note:ThecurrentproxymusthaveactiverightstotheOperatingsystem(CmdExec)subsysteminordertoenableSSISloggingwithinSentryOne.

SQLAgentServiceAccount WhenyouselecttheSQLAgentServiceAccountoption,theSQLServerAgentServiceAccountwillbeusedtoruneachSSISjobstep,insteadoftheaccountspecifiedwithintheJobStepproperties.

Additionalproxyaccounts AdditionalproxyaccountswiththenecessaryOperatingsystem(CmdExec)subsystemrightswillalsobelistedasanoption.

ChangingtheSSISLoggingoptionsforajobwilltriggertheEventObject:PropertiesModifiedAuditConditionwithinSentryOne.

Setting Description


9 SentryOnePerformanceAnalysis

SENTRYONE PERFORMANCE ANALYSISDashboard

DashboardResolutions/RetentionBaseliningPerformanceMetrics

ProcessesDiskActivityDiskSpaceTopSQL

PlanExplorer(integrated)PlanExplorerSessionsSQLPerformance.comPlanUploadPlanDiagramOptionsIndexAnalysis

TopSQLRuntimeStatsAlwaysOnQueryPlansIndexestab

FragmentationManagerSSASUsageTotalsBlockingSQLDeadlocksQuickTracesPerformanceAnalysisOverviewPerformanceAnalysisToolbarDataGridsVirtualMachineSupportcloud.sentryone.com

ServerDetailsServerHealthStatus

OPENINGTHEPERFORMANCEANALYSISDASHBOARDThePerformanceAnalysisDashboardcanbeopenedbyselecting(Open>PerformanceAnalysis)fromthecontextmenuofanyInstance.Itcanalsobeopenedbydouble-clickingtheInstanceandchoosingPerformanceAnalysisfromtheproductselectionform.

PERFORMANCEANALYSISTABSWhenusingSentryOnetomonitorSQLbasedtargetsandinstances(SQLServer,SSASorAzure


SQLDatabase)theinterfaceconsistsoftheseveraltabs.Notalltabsareincludedforalltargetandinstancetypes.

→Dashboard

TheDashboardtabcontainsrelevantperformancedataforboththephysicalserverandSQLServer,allononescreen.Useittoviewrealtimedataorhistoricaldataforanypointintime.ThePerformanceMetricssectionoftheUserGuidecontainsadetaileddescriptionofthevariousperformancemetricsdisplayedontheDashboard.

→DiskActivity

TheDiskActivitytabcontainsagraphicalviewofyourserver'sdisktopology.UsetheDiskActivitytabtoquicklypinpointperformancebottlenecksatthedatabasefile,physicaldisk,orcontrollerlevelforSAS,NAS,ordirectattachedstorage.

ThistabisnotdisplayedforanAzureSQLDatabasetarget.

→DiskSpace

TheDiskSpacetabcontainsinformationaboutdiskspaceutilizationwithinyourenvironmentbydatabaseandfile.UsetheDiskSpacetabtoeasilyidentifydiskcapacityissuesandunderstandwherevariousdatabasefilesresideonthedisksystem.

ThistabisnotdisplayedforanAzureSQLDatabasetarget.

→Indexes

TheIndexestabdisplaysinformationthathasbeencollectedaboutyourtablesandindexesbyFragmentationManager.TheIndexestabcanbeusedtohelpyoumakeintelligentdecisionsaboutindexmanagementinyourenvironment:suchaswhenandhowtoperformdefragmentationoperations,whentoadjustfillfactors,orevenwhenanindexdefinitionshouldbechanged.

ThistabisnotdisplayedforanAzureSQLDatabasetargetorSSASinstance.

→AlwaysOn

TheAlwaysOntabdisplaysinformationaboutyourAlwaysOnenvironment,includingOverviewDiagramswithcompletetopology,HistoricalCharting,andadetailedlevelGridiviews.WhenyoumonitortheSQLServerinstancehostingthePrimaryReplicaofanavailabilitygroupwithSQLSentry,theentiretopologyofthatavailabilitygroupwillbedisplayedaspartoftheOverviewArea.Unwatchedinstanceshostingreplicasaredisplayedwithagraybackground.


→TopSQL(TopQueries,TopCommands)

TheTopSQLtabcontainsinformationaboutyourhighimpactworstperformingstoredprocedures,batches,andstatements.UsetheTopSQLtabtoquicklyidentifyandcorrecttheworstperformingoffenders.TheinformationTopSQLcapturescanbebasedonanycombinationofduration,cpu,reads,orwrites.FromtheTopSQLtabyoucanuseTheViewbuttoninthePlancolumntoopenaPlanExplorersessionforanycapturedquery.

TheQueryPlanstablistsallplanscollectedforTopSQLeventsforthespecifieddaterange.Thisprovidesadetailedchronologyofallqueryplan


→QueryPlans changes,soyoucangobacktoanypointintimetoseewhenaplanchangemayhaveledtoaqueryperformanceproblem.


→BlockingSQL

TheBlockingSQLtabcontainsahierarchicalviewofblockingprocesschains.YoucanusetheBlockingSQLtabtoidentifyblockshappeninginreal-timeandkilltheoffendingprocess,oryoucanviewhistoricalinformationaboutanycapturedblocks.TheinformationBlockingSQLcapturesisbasedonaminimumblockdurationandcanbeadjustedasneeded.


→Deadlocks

TheDeadlockstabcontainsinformationaboutdeadlockshappeninginyourenvironment.UsetheDeadlockstabtoidentifyandcorrectDeadlocksinyourenvironment.DeadlockcapturescanbeturnedoffforindividualInstancesasneeded.


→QuickTraces

TheQuickTracestabcanbeusedexecuteanewQuickTraceorviewhistoricaldataaboutpastQuickTraces.UseQuickTracestogatherfullstatementandprocessleveldetailswhiletheproblemisstilloccurringwithoutlengthytracesetupandexecution.YoucanalsoautomateQuickTracestotakeplacewhenspecificconditionsaredetectedviatheRunQuickTraceAction.


WATCHINGASQLSERVERWITHSQLSENTRYThefollowingfeaturesareenabledwithSQLSentry:

PERFORMANCEANALYSISTABSJumpToCalendarcontextitemsaremadeavailablefromvariouspointsallowingyoutonavigatedirectlytoacalendarviewfortheactivedaterangeshowingallassociatedPerformanceAnalysisevents(TopSQL,BlockingSQLandDeadlocks)alongsideEventCalendareventssuchasSQLAgentJobs,andWindowsTasks.

NAVIGATORNeweventsourcenodesareaddedunderSQLServersforTopSQL,BlockingSQLandDeadlocks,enablingcalendarsandotherfunctionsforthesesources.

EVENTVIEWTheEventSourcestabhasnewoptionsforTopSQL,BlockingSQLandDeadlockstocontrolwhetherornotthesesourcesaredisplayedintheview.

CALENDARViewTopSQL,BlockingSQL,andDeadlocksonSQLServer,Device,andCustomViewcalendars.JumpToPerformanceAnalysiscontextitemsonallcalendareventswilltakeyoutothe


selectedtabofPerformanceAnalysispresettothecurrentcalendardaterange.OpeningaTopSQL,Block,orDeadlockeventonthecalendarwilltakeyoudirectlyintoPerformanceAnalysiswiththateventselectedandexpanded.

PERFORMANCEANALYSISCONDITIONS,ACTIONS&SETTINGSPerformanceAnalysisconditionsareavailableintheConditionsPaneforSQLServerInstances:

BlockingSQLBlockingSQL:OutputContentMatchBlockingSQL:RuntimeThresholdMaxDeadlockDeadlock:OutputContentMatchTopSQLTopSQL:OutputContentMatchTopSQL:RuntimeThresholdMax

TheRunQuickTraceactionisavailableforcertainSentryOneconditions.ThisactionwillexecuteandsaveaQuickTracewhentheconditionistriggered,including:

EventChainNode:RuntimeThresholdMaxEventChain:RuntimeThresholdMaxPerformanceCounter:ThresholdMaxPerformanceCounter:ThresholdMinSQLServerAgentJob:BlockSQLServerAgentJob:RetrySQLServerAgentJob:RuntimeThresholdMaxSQLServer:BlockingSQLSQLServer:BlockingSQL:RuntimeThresholdMax

PerformanceAnalysissettingsareavailablefromtheSettingspane:BlockingSQLBlockingSQLSourceDeadlocksSourceTopSQLTopSQLSource

WINSENTRYWinSentrysupportsmonitoringWindowsTargets,eveniftheTargetdoesnothaveanactiveSQLServerinstallation.ThisgivesyoutheabilitytoindependentlymonitoranyWindowsTarget.Forinstance,youmayhaveaneedtoindependentlymonitorawebserver.Inthiscase,WinSentrydeliversacompletehistoricalrecordofwhichprocessesareconsumingwhichresources.

WinSentryincludesthePerformanceAnalysisDashboardandtheProcessestab.Ifyouare


familiarwithSQLSentryyouwillrecognizetheWindowschartsfromthelefthalfoftheDashboard.SeveralenhancementshavebeenmadetotheDashboardwithWindowsonlymonitoringinmind.TheSystemMemoryandCPUUsagechartsnowcontainvisualrepresentationsforseveraldifferentwell-knownprocessgroups,includinggroupsforSSRS,SSIS,andIIS.Ifyouhaveaspecializedgroupofapplications,WinSentryevengivesyoutheabilitytodefineyourownwell-knownprocessgroups.

TheProcessestabisalsoincludedaspartofWinSentry.Thistabcontainsagridviewofalltheprocesseswhichyouarecollectinginformationabout,includingrelatedmetrics.Bydefault,processesareshownintheirwell-knownprocessgroups,givingyouacompletepictureofhowapplicationgroupsareconsumingresourceswithinyourenvironment.Processesarealsoauto-correlatedwithrelatedservices.

ADDINGAWINDOWSTARGETInordertomonitoraserverwithWinSentryyouwillfirstneedtoaddtheWindowstargettoyourinstallation.YoumayaddaWindowsTargetusingtheAddTargetcommandfoundintheright-clickcontextmenuofthefollowingNavigatorpanenodes:AllTargets(rootnode),Sitenode,orGroupnode.YoumayalsoaddatargetthroughtheFilemenu.

FromtheAddTargetdialogyouwillchooseWindowsComputerfromtheTargetTypedrop-downmenu.

Note:YoumaymonitortheindividualWindowsmachineswhicharepartofaWindowsCluster,butWinSentryisnotclusteraware.

9.1 Dashboard

Appliesto:SQLSentry,WinSentry,BISentry,VSentry,andDBSentry*Somefeaturesmaynotbeavailabletoalltargettypes.Pleasereadfurtherformoredetail.

ThePerformanceAnalysisDashboardprovidesanoverviewofdifferenttargetsandinstances,suchasWindowsandSQLServer.Thedashboarddisplaysthemostimportantmetricsusedfordetermininghealthandload.Performancedataisorganizedintotwoverticalpanes,splitintosmallersectionsdependentuponthetypeofdashboardyouareviewing.TheDashboardforaWindowsbasedtargetwithaSQLServerinstancewillshowWindowsoperatingsystemspecificmetricsintheleftpane,andSQLServerorSSASmetricsintherightpane.

PleaseseethePerformanceMetricssectionoftheUserGuideforadetaileddescriptionofthevariousperformancemetricsdisplayedontheDashboard.

MetricsforallSQLServerorSSASinstancesontheserverareintegratedintotheWindows Network: Total,CPU Usage: Total,andSystem Memorycharts,soyoucanquicklydetermineexactlyhowmuchofeachoftheseresourcesisbeingusedbyeachinstance,foranypointintime.Whenhoveringovercoloredsectionsofthesechartsthecorrespondinginstancewillbedisplayed.Notethateachinstancehasauniquecolorassignedtoitthatremainsconstantacrossallcharts.

Forperformancereasons,thedashboardneverqueriestheremoteserverdirectly--alldatais


retrievedfromtheSentryOnedatabaseafterithasbeencollectedbytheSentryOneMonitoringService.Thismeansthattheremaybeaslightdelaybetweenthetimetheperformancedatawascollectedandthetimeit'sdisplayedonthedashboard,althoughthisistypicallynomorethanafewseconds.

Wheninrealtimemode(auto-refreshisenabled),thechartsandgaugeswillupdateautomaticallyapproximatelyevery10secondstoshowthevaluesforthelastcollectedsample.

DASHBOARDDISPLAYMODESTheDashboardhastwodisplaymodes:SampleandHistory.Thedisplaymodecanbechangedatanytimebytogglingthemodetoolbarbutton.Notethegraphicandthetextwillchangewhentoggled,andwillalwaysindicatethemodethatwillbecomeactivewhenyouclickthebutton,versusthecurrentlyactivemode.

Samplemodeusesvariousbarchartsanddigitalgaugestoshowactivityforaspecifictime,orsampletime.Thismodeincludescertainmetricsthataren'tavailableinHistorymode,suchasNetwork Activity by Adapter,CPU Usage by individual Processor,andSQL Server waits by specificwait class.

Note:InSamplemode,aQuickReportcanberundirectlyfromanyofthegaugesbyright-clickingthegaugeandselectingQuickReportfromthecontextmenu.Forexampleright-clickintheUserConnectionsgaugeandchooseQuickReport.

HistorymodeuseslineandstackedareachartstoshowyouhowtheWindowsserverandSQLServerhavebeenperformingoveranytimerange.TherangecanbechangedbyadjustingtheStartand/orEndTimesonthetoolbar,thenclickingtheGobutton.Thereisnorestrictiononthesizeoftherange,althoughtheresolutionofthedatadisplayedwillchange,growinglessdetailedasyouzoomout.Forexample,foranyrangesizeof30minutesorlessyouwillbeviewingtheactualrawperformancedata,andifyouzoomouttoan8hourrange,10-minuteaverageswillbedisplayed.FormoreinformationseetheDashboardResolutions/Retentiontopic.

CUSTOMIZINGSQLSERVERWAITSCHARTYoucancustomizetheSQLServerWaitshistoricalchartbyaddinganadditionalcategorytothePerformanceAnalysisWaitTypeCategorytable,thenassigningcountersinthePerformanceAnalysisWaitTypetabletothenewlycreatedcategory.

Forexample,youcouldcreateanewcategoryforparallelismbyusingthefollowingquery.NewCategoryCreation

INSERT INTO [SentryOne].[dbo].[PerformanceAnalysisWaitTypeCategory] (Name, SortOrder, Enabled, RGBColor) VALUES ('Parallelism',6,1,'#bb7fd1')

AftercreatingtheParallelismcategory,youcanaddacountertoit.AddingaCountertotheCategory

UPDATE [SentryOne].[dbo].[PerformanceAnalysisWaitType] SET WaitTypeCategoryID = 7 WHERE Name = 'CXPACKET'

INTERACTINGWITHTHEDASHBOARD


ChangingtheactiveSQLServer/SSASinstance

YoucanchangetheSQLServerorSSASinstanceusingtheInstancedropdowncontrolinthetopmiddleofthescreen.Themetricsintherightpanewillreload,buttheactivedaterangeandotheroptionswillbemaintained.

ThefollowingfunctionsareavailablewheninHistorymode:

Tooltips

Hoveroveranypointonthecharttoseetooltipswithspecificsaboutthesample,includingthesampleinstancename,time,andvalue.

SampleSelection

Clickingonahistorychartwillpresentaverticalredlineatthatpositioncalledacursor.TheselectedtimeisindicatedbytheSamplePosboxatthetopright.Thecursorissynchronizedacrossallchartssothatyoucaneasilycorrelatewhatwashappeningwithoneperformancemetricwithwhatwashappeningwithotherrelatedmetricsatthatsametime.

Afterselectingasamplewiththecursor,ifyoutoggletheModebutton,thedetaildatafortheselectedtimewillbeloadedinsamplemode,allowingyoutoseespecificsforthatsamplethataren'tavailableinhistorymode.Forexample,ifyouclickonaspikeontheSQLServerWaitschartandchangetosamplemode,youcanseethespecificwaitclasseswereresponsibleforthespike,whereasinhistorymodeonlygeneralwaitcategoriesaredisplayed.

ClickandHold

Ifyouclickandholdasample,afterashorttimethecursorwillchangecolor,andwhenyoureleasethemouseyou'llbepresentedwiththeasubsetoftheJumpTocontextitemsusedforrangeselection(below),allowingyoutojumpdirectlytoadifferenttabandviewonlyoperationsthatoverlappedthecurrentlyselectedsampletime.

RangeSelection

Clickonahistorychartanddragthecursortoselectarange.TheRangeStartandRangeEndboxeswillupdate,andwhenyoureleasethemousebuttoncontextitemswillbepresentedtoallowyoudochoosewhethertoZoomIntotheselectedrange,orJumpToanotherpartoftheapplicationusingtheselectedrange.Forexample,ifyouselectarangethatincludesaspikeinnetworkactivity,thenselectJumpTo->TopSQL,theTopSQLtabwillbedisplayedandloadedonlywithqueriesthatranduringthatrange,enablingyoutodeterminewhichqueriesmayhavebeenresponsibleforthenetworkspike.

NotethatwhenyouuseaJumpTooption,theSynctoolbarbuttonwillautomaticallybedeactivated,sincethetoolbardaterangesforthedifferenttabswillnolongerbeinsync.ThisallowsyoutojumpbackandforthbetweentheDashboardandtheothertabsusingJumpTowithdifferentsub-ranges,withoutlosingtheoriginalfullrangedisplayedontheDashboard.YoucanreactivateSynchronizeTabsatanytime,justrememberthatallothertabswillimmediatelyusetherangethat'svisibleandactiveonthetoolbarforthecurrenttab.

ContextMenus

Note:Notalltargetdashboardswillincludeallthecontextmenusdescribedbelow.Forexample,sinceQuickTraceisnotavailableonAzureSQLDatabasethecontextmenuforthat


featurewillnotbeshown.

SampleModeContextMenus

ShowHistoryMode-changestheviewtohistorymode.QuickTrace-runaQuickTrace.ShowWindowsProcesses-displaysWindowsprocessesrunningontheserver

HistoryModeContextMenus

ShowSampleMode-changestheviewtosamplemode.QuickTrace-runaQuickTrace.ShowWindowsProcesses-displaysWindowsprocessesrunningontheserver.ZoomIn-Zoomintotheselectedrange.JumpTo-JumptoanotherPerformanceAnalysistaborEventCalendarwiththeselecteddaterange.

Controls

SampleMode

Network

Total-displaysnetworkactivityasanaggregateacrossalladapters,withSQLServer/SSASactivityintegrated.

Adapters-displaysactivitybytheindividualnetworkadapter,enablingyoutospotadapter-specificsaturationissues.

HistoryMode

DiskIO

Total-displaysaveragelatencyacrossallphysicaldisks.

ByDisk-displaysactuallatencyforaspecificphysicaldisk.

DatabaseIO

Total-displaysaveragelatencyacrossalldatabasefiles.

ByDatabasefile-displaysactuallatencyforaspecificdatabasefile.

USINGQUICKTRACE™QuickTracegivesyouaninstantsnapshotofwhatalloftheprocessesonaSQLServerarecurrentlydoing.Traceandprocess-leveldataiscollectedforaspecifiedintervalandthenautomaticallycorrelated,effectivelycombiningthefunctionalityofProfilerandActivityMonitortogetherwithasingleclick.YoulaunchQuickTracebyclickingtheQuickTracetoolbarbutton,byright-clickingaTargetintheNavigatorpane,ordirectlyfromthedashboardbyright-clickinganychart.Forexample,ifyouobserveaspikeinactivitywheninrealtimemode,youcanimmediatelylaunchQuickTraceandseeexactlywhichSQLServerprocessesorapplicationsareresponsibleforthespike.

QuickTraceisnotsupportedonanAzureSQLDatabasetarget.

SeetheQuickTracestopicsformoredetails.

VIEWINGWINDOWSPROCESSACTIVITY


YoucanseemetricsforallWindowsprocessesusingShowWindowsProcessesfunctiondirectlyfromSentryOne,toavoidhavingtoopenaRemoteDesktopconnectiontoaserverandopenWindowsTaskManager.TheProcessActivitywindow,whichissimilartoTaskManager,willloadlistingallactiveoperatingsystemprocesses,sorteddescendingbyCPUbydefault.YoucanlaunchtheProcessActivitywindowusingtheShowWindowsProcessestoolbarbutton,byright-clickingaTargetintheNavigatorpane,ordirectlyfromthedashboardbyright-clickinganychart.

LikeotherSentryOnegrids,toeliminatebackgroundnoise,rowswithzerovaluesinthesortcolumnarehiddenbydefault.Youcanunhidethembyuncheckingtheassociatedoptionatthebottomofthescreen.

ViewingWindowsProcessActivityisnotsupportedonanAzureSQLDatabasetarget.

Note:AdministrativeaccesstothetargetserverisrequiredinordertolaunchtheProcessActivityviewer.

EVENTOVERLAYSSpecificeventstakingplaceinyourenvironmentcanalsobeoverlaidonthePerformanceAnalysisDashboard.ThisfeaturecanbeaccessedviatheJumpToDashboardoptionfromanumberofplaceswithintheSentryOneClientwhichdisplayarangeofhistoricalevents,includingany;EventCalendar,TopSQLtab,Blockingtab,orQuickTracestab.

WhenyouusetheJumpToDashboardfeature,eventsareoverlaidonthex-axisforeachchart.Thestartofeachdistincteventwillbearepresentedwithagreencircle,withtheevent'sdurationrepresentedwithapinkline,endinginapinkdot.Hoveringoveraneventwilldisplayatooltipaboutthatevent.

Iftheselectedtimerangeisnotlargeenough,eventswillberepresentedsimplybyagreencircle.Ifthisisthecase,changingthetimerangetoasmallerintervalwillpreservetheoverlayoftheevent,andmayofferabetterviewoftheimpactthateacheventhad.

FromtheEventCalendar

WhenusingtheJumpToDashboardfeaturefromtheEventCalendaranyeventswhicharehighlightedviatheCalendarHighlightingfeaturewillbeoverlaidontheDashboard.

FromtheTopSQLtab

WhenusingtheJumpToDashboardfeaturefromtheTopSQLtab,iftheShowTotalsmodeisenabledalleventsbelongingtotheselectedgroupwillbeoverlaidontheDashboard.IftheDefaultmodeisenabledonlytheselectedeventwillbeoverlaidontheDashboard.

FromtheBlockingorQuickTracestab

WhenusingtheJumpToDashboardfeaturefromtheBlockingorQuickTracestabtheselectedeventwillbeoverlaidontheDashboard.

9.1.1 DashboardResolutions/Retention

Appliesto:SQLSentry,WinSentry,BISentry,VSentry,andDBSentry

DASHBOARDRESOLUTIONSThePerformanceAnalysisDashboardwilldisplaymetricsatdifferentresolutionlevels,


dependingonthehistoricaltimerangewhichisselectedinthetoolbar.WheneveryouareviewingtheDashboardineitherSamplemode,orinHistorymoderangesof30minutesorless,therawsamplescollected(detaildata)willbedisplayed.Thisdetailleveldatahasacollectionfrequencyofanywherefrom10secondsto1minute,dependingonthemetric.Asyouexpandthetimerangeyouareviewing,averagesovertheindicatedresolutionintervalareshown.

TimeRange Resolution

0<=30min DetailData

30min<=8hrs 2min

3hrs20min<=36hrs 10min

12hrs<=5days 30min

2days<=20days 2hrs

3days8hrs<=40days 4hrs

10days<=1year 1day

20days<=2years 2day

30days<=3years+ 3day

HISTORICALDATARETENTIONPerformanceAnalysisusestheSentryOneDatabasetostorealloftheperformancedataitcollects.Performancedataisrolleduporaveragedbasedontheageofthedata.Oncedatabecomesoldenoughtomoveintothenextrangeitwillberepresentedbyanaverageoverthetime.Thedefaultsettingsfordataretentionforthedifferentresolutionsarelistedbelow:

Resolution RetentionLength

DetailData 3days

2min 5days

10min 10days

30min 20days

2hour 40days

4hour 60days

1day 1year

2day 2years

3day 3years

EXAMPLE 1:ADBAcomesintoworkonMondayandwantstoinvestigateaperformancerelatedissuethathappenedlateFridayafternoon.Sincedetaildataisretainedfor3days(72hours)theywillbeabletoaccessitusingthemostgranulardetailresolution(0<=30min.).

EXAMPLE 2:ADBAwantstocompareperformancedataforthelasttwomonths(60days).Thedatawillneedtobecomparedusingthevaluesforthe4hourresolution,sincethatistheresolutionavailableat60daysbydefault.

NOTE:Thedataretentionperiodcanbecustomizedforspecificneeds.SeetheSentryOneDataCapacityPlanningarticleformoreinformation.


http://answers.sqlsentry.com/questions/68/how-should-i-plan-for-database-growth-with-sql-sen.html

http://answers.sqlsentry.com/questions/68/how-should-i-plan-for-database-growth-with-sql-sen.html

9.1.2 Baselining

Appliesto:SQLSentry,WinSentry,BISentry,VSentry,andDBSentry

BaselinescanbecreatedandmanagedfromtheHistoryviewofthePerformanceAnalysisDashboard.Therearetwodistinctbaselinetypesavailable.ThefirsttypeofbaselineisthePredefinedtype.SentryOneincludesseveralpredefinedbaselineswhicharebasedonthehistoricalmetricsgatheredinyourmonitoredenvironment.ThesecondtypeofbaselineistheCustomtype.SentryOnealsoallowsyoutodefineyourowncustombaselines.

Onceabaselinehasbeenselected,itisoverlaidonthevariousPerformanceAnalysisDashboardcharts,givingyou“ataglance”informationthatcanhelpyoutomanagechangeinyourmonitoredenvironment.CustombaselinescanalsobeusedinAdvisoryConditions,allowingthecomparisonofbaselinevaluestolivemetrics,astheyarecaptured.

Atthistimeyoucannotdisplayabaselinecreatedbyonetypeoftargetoverlaidonadifferenttypeoftarget.Forexample,creatingabaselineagainstaSQLServerInstancerunningonaWindowsTargetcannotbethenoverlaidonanAzureSQLDatabasedashboard.

PREDEFINEDBASELINESPredefinedbaselinesareavailablewithoutanycustomconfiguration.TheycanbeaccessedfromtheBaselinedrop-downmenuontheDashboardwhileinHistoryview.ThedifferentpredefinedbaselinesareavailablebasedonthehistoricaltimerangeyouareviewingontheDashboard.Referencethetablebelowformoreinformation:

Baseline TimeRangeAvailability RangeOptionAvailability(detaildata)

PreviousPeriod Isalwaysavailable.Correspondstotheimmediateprecedingtimeframe. Yes

PreviousDay 0<=24hrs Yes

PreviousWeek 0<=168hrs Yes

PreviousMonth 36<=720hrs No

PreviousQuarter 480<=2160hrs No

PreviousYear 960<=8760hrs No

AVERAGEANDRANGEMODESItisimportanttounderstandthatpredefinedbaselinesarebasedonthehistoricaldatacollectedinyourmonitoredenvironment.Thegranularityofthedata-pointswhichmakeupabaselineisentirelydependentonthetimerangeyouareviewing.

AVERAGEBydefault,predefinedbaselinesareshownwithdata-pointswhichshowtheaveragevalueoverthatsampleperiod.

RANGEWhenviewingcertainpredefinedbaselines,withinatimerangewhichhasaresolutionofdetaildata,anadditionaloptionwillbeavailable,allowingyoutoviewthatbaselinewithaRangeofvalues(referencetheRangeOptionAvailabilitycolumninthechartabove).Thisrangeincludesbothaminimumandmaximumvalueobservedduringtherespectivesampleperiod.


CUSTOMBASELINESCustombaselinescanbecreatedondemandviatheDashboarduserinterfacewhileinHistoryview.Tocreateacustombaseline,firstleft-clickonanyDashboardchartanddragtohighlightyourdesiredtimeframe.Next,selecttheCreateBaselineoptionavailablefromthecontextmenu.TheCreateBaselineformwillbedisplayed.

CREATEBASELINEFORMTheCreateBaselineformcontainsinformationaboutallofthemetricswhicharecapturedaspartofacustombaseline.Seebelowforcolumnexplanations.

Metric Thenameofthemetriccapturedinthebaseline.

Default DefineswhichmetricintheChartwillbeusedwhendisplayingthebaseline.Note:Thiscanbechangedatanytime.

Average

Averageisthevaluewhichwillbeusedforthatparticularmetricinthebaseline.ThiscontrolsboththeactuallinedisplayedontherespectivechartandthevalueusedforcomparisonpurposesinAdvisoryConditions.Averageiscalculatedbasedontheobservedvaluesfortheparticularmetricwithinthebaseline'stimerange.

Todefinecustomvaluestobeusedwiththebaseline,simplyeditthepre-calculatedAveragevalue.

Min Theminimumvaluecapturedduringthebaseline'stimerange.

Max Themaximumvaluecapturedduringthebaseline'stimerange.

StandardDeviation Thestandarddeviationforthevaluescapturedduringthebaseline'stimerange.

USINGCUSTOMBASELINESINADVISORYCONDITIONSThevaluesdefinedformetricswhichmakeupacustombaselinecanbeusedinAdvisoryConditions.ToaccessabaselineinaAdvisoryCondition,youwillneedtodefinetheAdvisoryConditionatthatsameInstancelevelatwhichthebaselineisdefined.Forexample,ifyoucreateabaselineontheservernamedLONDON.UK.COM,inordertoaccessthebaselineinanAdvisoryCondition,youwillneedtocreatetheAdvisoryConditionfromthecontextoftheLONDON.UK.COMserverintheNavigatorpane.Foranin-depthlookatAdvisoryConditionsseetheAdvisoryConditionstopic.

BASELINESANDPERFORMANCECOUNTERMAPPINGWhenusingbaselinesinAdvisoryConditionsyouwillneedtoreferencethefollowingtableswhichincludesthemappingbetweenthemetricscapturedinbaselinesandtheirassociatedfriendlyPerformanceCounternames.

SQLServerBaselineMapping

Chart Metric AssociatedExposedPerformanceCounter(AdvisoryConditionformat)

Backup/Restore

BackupMB/sec SQLServerDatabaseEngine:SQLServer:Databases:Backup/RestoreMB/sec

CacheHitRatios

PageLifeExpectancy(sec) SQLServerDatabaseEngine-BufferNode-PLE:Equals:"NodeName"

SQLPlans SQLServerDatabaseEnginePlanCacheHitRatio:Equals:SQLPlans

ObjectPlans SQLServerDatabaseEnginePlanCacheHitRatio:Equals:ObjectPlans


Checkpointpgs|Lazywrites

Checkpointpages/sec SQLServerDatabaseEngineSQLServerBufferManager:Checkpointpgs

Lazywrites/sec SQLServerDatabaseEngineSQLServerBufferManager:Lazywrites/sec

CPUUsage

TotalCPUUsage% Windows:ProcessorInformation:%ProcessorTime:Total

DatabaseLatency

Totalms/Read SQLServerDatabaseEngine:SQLServerVirtualFileStatistics:ms/Read

Totalms/Write SQLServerDatabaseEngine:SQLServerVirtualFileStatistics:ms/Write

DiskIO

Totalms/Read Windows:PhysicalDisk:ms/Read

Totalms/Write Windows:PhysicalDisk:ms/Write

Faults(Read|Write)

Faults:Read Windows:Memory:Faults:Read

WriteFaults:Write Windows:Memory:Faults:Write

Keylookups|Fwdedrecs

Keylookups/sec SQLServerDatabaseEngine:SQLServer:AccessMethods:Keylookups/sec

Forwardedrecords/sec SQLServerDatabaseEngine:SQLServer:AccessMethods:ForwardedRecords/sec

LogFlushes

LogFlushes/sec SQLServerDatabaseEngine:SQLServer:Databases:Logflushes/sec:Total

NetworkIn

In% Windows:NetworkInterface:Received%:Total

Networkout

Out% Windows:NetworkInterface:Sent%:Total

Pages

Pagereads/sec SQLServerDatabaseEngine:SQLServer:BufferManager:Pagereads/sec

Pagewrites/sec SQLServerDatabaseEngine:SQLServer:BufferManager:Pagewrites/sec

SQLActivity

Batches/sec SQLServerDatabaseEngine:SqlServer:SQLStatistics:Batches/sec

Transactions/sec SQLServerDatabaseEngine:Databases:Transactions/sec:Total

Compiles/sec SQLServerDatabaseEngine:SQLServer:Statistics:Compiles/sec

Recompiles/sec SQLServerDatabaseEngine:SQLServer:Statistics:Recompiles/sec

SQLServerMemory

TotalSQLMemoryUsage(MB)

SQLServerDatabaseEngine:SQLServer:BufferNode:Databasepages:Total

SQLServerWaits

TotalWaitTime(ms) SQLServerWaitStatistics:WaitsbyCategory:Total

SystemMemory

TotalMemoryUsage(MB) Windows:Memory:TotalusedMemory(MB)

SSASBaselineMapping


CPUUsage

TotalCPUUsage% Windows:ProcessorInformation:%ProcessorTime:Total



DiskIO

Totalms/Read Windows:PhysicalDisk:ms/Read

Totalms/Write Windows:PhysicalDisk:ms/Write

Faults(Read|Write)

Faults:Read Windows:Memory:Faults:Read

Faults:Write Windows:Memory:Faults:Write

NetworkIn

In% Windows:NetworkInterface:Recieved%:Total

Networkout

Out% Windows:NetworkInterface:Sent%:Total

SSASActivity:RowsTransferred

Queryrowssent/sec SSAS:StorageEngineQueryrowssent/sec

Processingrowsread/sec SSAS:Processing:Processingrowsread/sec

SSASActivity:ThreadsFormulaEngine

Querypoolbusythreads SSAS:Threads:Querypoolbusythreads

Querypooljobrate SSAS:Threads:Querypooljobrate

Querypooljobqueuelength SSAS:Threads:Querypooljobqueuelength

SSASActivity:ThreadsStorageEngine

Busy SSAS:Threads:ProcessingpoolbusyI/Ojobthreads

Processingpooljobrate SSAS:Threads:ProcessingpoolI/Ojobcompletionrate

Queued SSAS:Threads:ProcessingpoolI/Ojobqueuelength

SSASGeneral:AvgTime

TotalWaitTime(ms) SSASTraceWaits:TotalWaitTime(ms)

SSASGeneral:MDX

Cellscalculated/sec SSAS:MDX:Cellscalculated/sec

Calculationcovers/sec SSAS:MDX:Calculationcovers/sec

Sonarsubcubes/sec SSAS:MDX:Sonarsubcubes/sec

Recomputes/sec SSAS:MDX:Recomputes/sec

NONEMPTYunoptimized/sec SSAS:MDX:NONEMPTYunoptimized/sec

NONEMPTYforcalculatedmembers/sec SSAS:MDX:NONEMPTYforcalculatedmembers/sec

SSASGeneral:Processing

Processingrowswritten/sec SSAS:Processing:Processingrowswritten/sec

Indexrowscreated/sec SSAS:ProcIndexes:Indexrowscreated/sec

Aggregationrowscreated/sec SSAS:ProcAggregations:Aggregationrowscreated/sec

SSASMemUsage(MB)

TotalCleanerMemory(MB) SSAS:Memory:TotalCleanerMemory(MB)

TotalCategoryMemory(MB) SSAS:Memory:usagebyCategory:TotalmemoryUsage(MB)

SSASMemory:CacheActivity

Cacheinserts/sec SSAS:Cache:Cacheinserts/sec

Cacheevictions/sec SSAS:Cache:Cacheevictions/sec

Flatcacheinserts/sec SSAS:MDX:Flatcacheinserts/sec

KBadded/sec SSAS:Cache:KBadded/sec

KBshrunk/sec SSAS:Memory:KBshrunk/sec



SSASMemory:CacheLookups

Dimensioncachehits/sec SSAS:Cache:Lookups/sec

Measuregroupcachelookups/sec SSAS:StorageEngineQuery:Measuregroupcachelookups/sec

Calculationscachelookups/sec SSAS:StorageEngineQuery:Calculationscachelookups/sec

Flatcachelookups/sec SSAS:StorageEngineQuery:Flatlookups/sec

SSASStorage:CurrentPartitions

Indexes SSAS:ProcIndexes:Currentpartitions(indexes)

Aggregations SSAS:ProcAggregations:Currentpartitions(aggregations)

SSASStorage:FileQueries

Totalqueriesfromfile/sec SSAS:StorageEngineQuery:Totalqueriesfromfile/sec

Aggregationhits/sec SSAS:SSASTrace:Aggregationhits/sec:Total

SSASStorage:FileReadKB

TotalSystemFileReadKB Windows:System:TotalSystemreadKB/Sec

SSASStorage:FileWriteKB

TotalSystemFileWriteKB Windows:System:TotalSystemwriteKB/Sec

SystemMemory

TotalMemoryUsage(MB) Windows:Memory:TotalusedMemory(MB)


9.1.3 PerformanceMetrics

PERFORMANCE METRICSThistopiccoversthevariousperformancemetricsdisplayedbythePerformanceAnalysisDashboardandPerformanceAnalysisOverview,andhowtointerpretdifferentmetricvaluesandcombinationsofvaluesacrossdifferentmetrics.

WindowsMetrics

Network

Totalnetworkutilization

UtilizationbySQLServer/SSASinstance

Utilizationbynetworkadapter

Networkoutputqueuelength

CPUUsage

Totalprocessortime

UsertimebyCPU

KerneltimebyCPU

%GuestRuntime

vCPUWaitTime

ProcessortimebySQLServer/SSASprocess

ContextSwitches

Processorqueuelength

SystemMemory

MemorybySQLServer/SSASinstance

Otherprocessesmemory

FileCachememory

AvailableMemory

Balloonedmemory

ReadFaults

WriteFaults

Pagefileusage

DiskIO

Readlatencybyphysicaldisk

Writelatencybyphysicaldisk


SQLServerMetrics

SQLServerActivity

UserConnections

BlockedProcesses

Batches

Transactions

Compiles

Recompiles

Keylookups

Forwardedrecords

BackupMB/sec

SendQueue/RedoQueue

SQLServerWaits

CPU%ofTotalWaits

WaitTime:byCategory

WaitTime:byClass

SQLServerMemory

Buffercachesize

Plancachesize(SQL)

Plancachesize(Objects)

Othercachesize

Plancachehitratio(SQL)

Plancachehitratio(Objects)

Pagereads

Pagewrites

Pagelifeexpectancy

Memorygrantspending

DatabaseIO

Readlatencybydatabasefile

Writelatencybydatabasefile

Checkpointpages

LazyWrites

LogFlushes

Hyper-VHostMetrics

CPUUsage(VM)

UtilizationbyVirtualMachineGuest

UsagetimebyGuest

vCPURootusagetime

%GuestRuntime

vCPUWaitTime

SystemMemory(VM)

MemorybyVirtualMachineGuest

DiskIO(VM)

IOPS(Read)

IOPS(Write)

ReadThroughput

WriteThroughput

AzureSQLDatabaseMetrics

DTUUsage

TotalDTU%

CPU

DataIO

LogIO

MemoryUsage

AllocatedMemoryUsage

DatabaseSize

SizeinGB

SQLServerActivity

UserConnections

BlockedProcesses

Transactions


BackupMB/sec

SQLServerWaits

CPU%ofTotalWaits

WaitTime:byCategory

WaitTime:byClass

SQLServerMemory

BufferCacheSize

PageLifeExpectancy

DatabaseIO

ReadLatencybyDatabaseFile

WriteLatencybyDatabaseFile

LogFlushes

VMWareHostMetrics

CPU

Ready

Memory

Active

Consumed

Overhead

Granted

WINDOWSMETRICS

Section PerformanceMetric Type Description ModesS=SampleH=History

WarningRange

CriticalRange

Maycorrelatewith

Network Totalnetworkutilization % Thetotalcombined%utilizationforalladaptersontheserver. S,H CPUUsage:Kerneltime

Network UtilizationbySQLServer/SSASinstance %

The%utilizationforeachinstanceisoverlaidontopofthetotal%utilization,enablingyoutoseehowmuchofthenetworktrafficisrelatedtoSQLServer,SSAS,orotherprocessesontheserver.

IfSQLServer-relatednetworkactivityishigh,useQuickTracetodeterminewhichprocessesmayberesponsible.

S,H

Network Utilizationbynetworkadapter Mb/sec SelecttheAdaptersradiogroupitemtoviewactivityforupto4networkadaptersontheserver.Thisenablesyoutospotadapter-specificsaturationissues. S CPUUsage:Kerneltime

Network Networkoutputqueuelength LastvalueThelengthofthenetworkoutputpacketqueue,inpackets.Thisisthetotalvalueacrossalladaptersonthemachine.Asustainedvalueof>3mayindicateanetworkbottleneck. S >3

>3formorethanapprox.20sec

CPUUsage Totalprocessortime % Thetotalprocessortime%acrossallprocessorsontheserver.Asustainedvaluegreaterthan80%generallyindicatesaCPUbottleneck. S

CPUUsage UsertimebyCPU % Theusertime%foreachindividualCPU.Representedbythecolorgreen.IfusertimeforindividualCPUsareatornear100%forasustainedperiod,SQLServerorotherapplicationsmaynotbeparallelizingeffectively. S,H >85% >95%

CPUUsage KerneltimebyCPU %

Thekernel(orprivileged)time%foreachindividualCPU.Representedbythecolorred.Kerneltimeshouldtypicallybe<40%total,and<25%ofusertime.IfkerneltimeforindividualCPUsarehighforasustainedperiod,adrivermayberesponsible.Forexample,anetworkdrivermaycausehighkerneltime,anditmaybeisolatedtospecificCPUs,inwhichcaseitmaycorrelatewithnetworkactivity.

S

Networkactivity

CPUUsage ProcessortimebySQLServer/SSASprocess %

CPUtimerelatedtoSQLServerandSSASprocessesisoverlaidontopofthetotalCPUseries.NotethatthereisonlyoneSSASchartseriesanditrepresentsallSSASinstancesontheservercombined.

UseTopSQLandQuickTracetodeterminewhichqueriesareutilizingthemostCPUresources.

S,H

SQLServer:Compiles,recompiles,batches,transactions,keylookupsCPUwaittimeQueries:parallelism,hashjoins,sortoperationsIndexrebuilds&defragConsistencychecks

SSAS:FormulaEnginetimeCellscalculatedRecomputesFlatcachelookupsAggregationrowscreated

CPUUsage %GuestRuntime* %

FortheHyper-VHypervisorLogicalProcessor,theaveragepercentageoftimeguestcodeisrunningonanLogicalProcessor.SeeAlso:https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/chrisavis/2013/03/25/performance-management-monitoring-cpu-resources/

S,H

CPUUsage vCPUWaitTime* %

The%timetheguestvirtualmachinespentwaitingforaHostkernelresource.SeeAlso:https://www.sqlskills.com/blogs/jonathan/hyper-v-equivalent-to-vmware-cpu-ready-time/

S,H

CPUUsage Contextswitches Avg/secThecombinedrateatwhichallprocessorsonthecomputerareswitchedfromonethreadtoanother.Consistentlyhighvaluescanmeanthattheserverisspendingtoomuchtimeswitchingthreadsinsteadofactivelyrunningthreads.

S>5,000times#ofprocessors

>7,500times#ofprocessors

CPUUsage:Kerneltime

CPUUsage Processorqueuelength LastvalueThenumberofthreadsintheprocessorqueue.Ifthisvaluegoesover2perprocessor,andCPUusageforSQLServerishigh,itcanbeindicativeofhighcompiles/recompiles,orahighrateofkeylookups,whichcanoftenbeaddressedbycoveringindexes.UseQuickTracetotroubleshoot.

S >2timesthe

#ofprocessors

SystemMemory MemorybySQLServer/SSASinstance MB

TheamountofphysicalmemoryusedbyeachSQLServerandSSASinstance.Importantfordeterminingwhetheravailablememoryisbeingusedeffectively,andwhetherornotthereismemorycontentionbetweenmultipleinstancesonthesameserver.

S,H

SystemMemory Otherprocessesmemory MB TheamountofphysicalmemoryusedbyallprocessesontheserverotherthanSQLServerorSSAS.NotethatifaSQLServerorSSASinstanceisn'tbeingwatchedbySentryOne,thememoryituseswillbeincludedhere. S,H

SystemMemory FileCachememory MB

Theamountofphysicalmemorycurrentlyallocatedtothesystemfilecache.

SSAS--SSASdatabasefilesmaybeloadedintoandservedfromthefilecache,eveniftheassociatedfiledatadoesn'texistintheSSASinternalcaches.Forthisreason,monitoringthefilecacheisimportanttoensurethatphysicalmemoryisbeingusedeffectively,andthatmemorycontentiondoesn'toccurbetweentheSSASprocess,thefilecache,andotherprocessesontheserver.

SQLServer--ThisisnotaparticularlyimportantmetrictomonitorfordedicatedSQLServers.

S,H

Memoryballooningallowsaphysicalhosttorecaptureunusedmemoryonavirtualmachine,anduseitelsewhere.Theportionofmemorybeing


https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/chrisavis/2013/03/25/performance-management-monitoring-cpu-resources/


https://www.sqlskills.com/blogs/jonathan/hyper-v-equivalent-to-vmware-cpu-ready-time/

SystemMemory Balloonedmemory** MB

balloonedisdeterminedindifferentwaysdependingonthehypervisor.

(Hyper-V)SeeAlso:https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/saponsqlserver/2013/08/31/virtualization-overcommitting-memory-and-how-to-detect-it-within-the-vm/(VMware)SeeAlso:http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-55/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.vmware.vsphere.monitoring.doc%2FGUID-88CA95AD-A583-4EF6-838E-D92C87B0BB00.html

S,H

SystemMemory Availablememory MB

Theamountofphysicalmemorynotinusebyanyprocesses.Ifthisvalueisconsistentlyverylow,itcanbeastrongindicatorofmemorypressure.Whenavailablememorygetstoolow,WindowswillsignalapplicationslikeSQLServerofthelowmemorycondition,andthiscancauseSQLServertopageitsowndatatodisk.Forthisreasonit'sgenerallyagoodideatohaveafewhundredMBavailable,toavoidthissignaling,andsoWindowscanmakeuseofitasneeded.

S,H

<100MB

SystemMemory Readfaults Avgpages/sec

PagesreadfromdiskintomemorybyWindows.Thismetricincludesbothpagefileandfilereads,butnotSQLServerfilereads.Hardfaultscanbecausedbyvariousactivities,including:-copyingfiles,locallyoracrossthenetwork-anti-virusorothersecurity-relatedscans-fileindexingactivitybyWindowsorotherappsincludingSQLServerfulltextindexing-SQLServerbackupswrittentothelocaldisksystem.

Ifhighhardfaultscorrelatewithhighnetworkactivity,itmayberelatedtocopyingfilesacrossthenetwork,suchaswithWindowsbackupsoftware.Ifthebackupsoftwarehasalocalagentorservice,usetheProcessActivityViewertomonitorPagefaults/sec(sortdescending)toconfirm.Ifthereisnolocalagent,itcanbemoredifficulttodeterminethesourceoftheactivity,howeverthebestplacetostartistypicallytheSessionslistunderWindowsTargetManagement.

SQLServer--WindowshardfaultsarenotcausedbySQLServeritselfsinceitmanagesitsownmemoryandmemory/diskaccess.HeavyWindowspagingcanimpactSQLServerperformancebycontendingwithnormalSQLServerdiskactivity.TheonlyscenariowhereSQLServermaycontributetohardfaultsiswhenitsprocessmemory(workingset)isbeingpagedtodiskbytheoperatingsystem.ThiscanhappenwithseverememorypressurewhenSQLServerdoesn'trespondquicklyenoughbyreleasingitsownmemory.Thiscanhaveadramaticimpactonperformance,particularlyon64-bitsystemswherearestartofSQLServermayberequiredtorecover.

SSAS--WindowspagingwilloftenstronglycorrelatewithSSASfileIOactivity.SinceSSASdatabasesconsistofmanyfilesonthedisksystemandSSASdoesn'tmanageitsownmemory/diskaccessasdoesSQLServer,readsfromandwritestotheSSASfileswillshowupashardpagefaults.

S,H

NetworkactivitySSAS:FileIOactivity

SystemMemory Writefaults Avgpages/sec

PageswrittenfrommemorytodiskbyWindows.Ifyouseehighwritefaultsincombinationwithanincreaseinpagefileusage,itmaymeanthattheSQLServerorSSASprocessisbeingpagedtodisk.ForSQLServer,thiscanbeconfirmedbyqueryingthesys.dm_os_ring_buffersDMVforRESOURCE_MEMPHYSICAL_LOWeventswithMemoryUsage<100.

See"Pagefileusage"and"Hardreadfaults"formoredetails.

S,H

SystemMemory Pagefileusage %

Thepercentageofpage(orswap)filecurrentlyinuse.Windowsusesthepagefiletostorepagesofmemoryusedbyprocessesthatarenotcontainedinotherfiles.Ifthefileisadequatelysizedandusage%ishigh,itisalikelyindicatorofmemorypressure.

SQLServer--IfSQLServerdoesn'trespondquicklyenoughtoalowphysicalmemorycondition,memoryfortheSQLServerprocess(workingset)canbeswappedtothepagefile.Thiscanhaveadramaticimpactonperformance,particularlyon64-bitsystemswherearestartofSQLServermayberequiredtorecover.NotethatifAWEorthe"Lockpagesinmemory"optionisinuse,WindowscannotsendSQLServerprocessmemorytothepagefile.Thisoptionisrecommendedon64-bitsystems.

SSAS--SSASdoesn'tacknowledgeorrespondtoWindowslowmemoryconditions,soit'smorelikelythatitsprocessmemorycanbesenttothepagefilewhenthereismemorypressure.SSASperformancecansufferwhenthishappens.

S

DiskIO Readlatencybyphysicaldisk Avgms/Read

Theaveragetimeinmillisecondseachphysicaldiskreadistaking.Logicaldisksonthesamephysicaldisksaregroupedtogether,sincetheysharethesamesetofdiskspindlesandlatencybetweenthemwillalwaysbethesame.

DisklatencyistheonlydiskmeasurementforwhichtherearegenerallyacceptedrangesthatrepresentgoodandbadperformancefromaSQLServerperspective.Diskqueuemetrics,forexample,arenotaccurateformanySANsystems,andtherearealsonouniversallyagreedupongoodandbadrangesforSQLServer.Thefollowingrangescanbeusedasageneralguidelinetodeterminewhetherdisklatencyisacceptable:

Lessthan10ms-Fast*Between10ms-20ms-AcceptableBetween20ms-50ms-SlowGreaterthan50ms-Critical

*Fortransactionlogwrites,between0msand2msisdesirable.

NOTE:TheDiskActivitytabshowsyoutheactuallayoutofcontrollers,disks,anddatabasefiles,anddetailedlatency/volumemetricsforeach.WhereastheDashboardgivesyouataglanceandhistoricaltrendinginformationforlatency,theDiskActivitytabshouldbeusedformoreindepthtroubleshootingofhighlatencyissues.

S,H

DiskIO Writelatencybyphysicaldisk Avgms/Write Theaveragetimeinmillisecondseachphysicaldiskwriteistaking.See"DiskIO:Readlatency"abovefordetails. S,H

*MetricwillONLYbevisiblefortargetsthatareHyper-VHosts**MetricwillONLYbevisiblefortargetsthatareVMguestswhosehostisalsowatched

SQLSERVERMETRICS


WarningRange

CriticalRange

Maycorrelatewith

SQLServerActivity UserConnections Lastvalue ThetotalnumberofconnectionsestablishedtotheSQLServer.Detailsforeachconnectioncanbeviewedbyqueryingthesys.dm_exec_connectionsDMV. S

SQLServerActivity BlockedProcesses LastvalueThetotalnumberofblockedprocessesdetectedontheSQLServer.TheDashboardisdesignedtogiveyou"ataglance"informationaboutthenumberofblockedprocesses.TheBlockingSQLtabshouldbeusedforindepthtroubleshootingofanyblockingissues.

S

SQLServerActivity Batches Avg/sec

Thetotalnumberofselect,insertordeletestatementspersecond,includingthoseinsideastoredprocedure.Thenameissomewhatmisleadingsinceitdoesn'trepresentbatches(groupsofmultiplestatements)inthetraditionalsense.ItisoneofthebestmeasuresofoverallactivityonaSQLServer.

Over1000persecondisgenerallyconsideredmoderatetohighactivity.A100Mbnetworkcanreachsaturationataround3000persecond.

Ifhigh,useQuickTracetodeterminewhichapplications,hosts,etc.areresponsible.

S,H

SQLServerActivity Transactions Avg/sec

Thetotalnumberoftransactionspersecondacrossalldatabasesontheserver.Atransactioncanbeeitherauser-definedstatementblocksurroundedbyaBEGINTRANandENDTRAN,oranindividualDMLstatement(insert,updateordelete).

Comparewithbatchespersecond.OnsystemswithhighDMLyoutypicallywanttoseealowratiooftransactionstobatches.Alowratioindicatesthattheindividualstatementsarebeingbundledtogether,andcanresultindramaticallyhigherthroughputandreducedIOduetologflushes.

TransactionspersecondcanbehigheronSQLServer2005and2008duetoincreasedsystemprocessactivity.

Ifhigh,useQuickTracetodeterminewhichapplications,hosts,etc.areresponsible.

S,H

Thetotalnumberofinitialcompilesandrecompilespersecond.Thevalueshouldgenerallybe<10%ofbatchesper


https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/saponsqlserver/2013/08/31/virtualization-overcommitting-memory-and-how-to-detect-it-within-the-vm/

https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/saponsqlserver/2013/08/31/virtualization-overcommitting-memory-and-how-to-detect-it-within-the-vm/

http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-55/index.jsp?topic=/com.vmware.vsphere.monitoring.doc/GUID-88CA95AD-A583-4EF6-838E-D92C87B0BB00.html

http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-55/index.jsp?topic=/com.vmware.vsphere.monitoring.doc/GUID-88CA95AD-A583-4EF6-838E-D92C87B0BB00.html

SQLServerActivity Compiles Avg/sec

second.Highervaluesindicateplanreuseislow,andwillgenerallycorrelatewithhighCPU,sinceplancompilationisaCPU-intensiveoperation.Itmayalsocorrelatewithlowcachehitratiosforobjectand/orSQLplans(see"Plancachehitratios"below).

Itcanalsobeastrongindicatorofmemorypressure,sincetheremaynotbeenoughroomtokeepallplansincache.

Ifyouseeconsistentlyhighcompiles,runQuickTraceandsortresultsby"Cachemisses/sec",thenexpanddetailstoviewtheactualqueriesorprocedurecallsthatarecausingthemisses,whichwillbehighlighted.

Alsosee:http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc966425.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc293623.aspx

S,H HighCPULowcachehitratios

SQLServerActivity Recompiles Avg/sec Thenumberofrecompilespersecond.Thevalueshouldgenerallybe<10%ofinitialcompilespersecond.Alsosee"Compiles"above. S,H

SQLServerActivity Keylookups Avg/sec

Thenumberoftimespersecondthatthequeryprocessorhadtoperformakeylookup,acrossallqueries.Lookupsoccurwhentheindexbeingusedisnon-covering,meaningitdoesn'tincludeallofthecolumnsrequiredbythequery.Foreachrowreturnedbytheindexoperation,thequeryprocessorhastogobacktoeithertheclusteredindextoperformakeylookup,orthebasetabletoperformaRIDlookupinthecaseofaheap.Lookupsareahighoverheadoperation,especiallywhenlargenumberofrowsareinvolved,sinceeachlookupincursarandomI/Oandadditionalprocessing.ThisoftencorrelateswithhigherCPUusageandpagereads.Lookupscanbeeliminatedbyusingacoveringindex,adjustingjoinstoreducethesetsothelookupisn'tneeded,orusingmultipleindexes(intersection).

Alsosee:http://blogs.msdn.com/b/craigfr/archive/2006/06/30/652639.aspxhttp://sqlskills.com/BLOGS/KIMBERLY/category/The-Tipping-Point.aspx

S,H

CPUUsage:UsertimePageReads

SQLServerActivity Forwardedrecords Avg/sec

Thenumberoftimespersecondthatthequeryprocessorhadtolookupforwardedrecords,acrossallqueries.Forwardedrecordsoccurintableswithnoclusteredindex(heaps)whenrowsbecometoolargetofitonthepageandhavetoberelocated.OvertimethiscancauseseverefragmentationandqueriestoincurmuchhigherthannormalI/Os,specificallyrandomreads.ThiscancorrelatewithhighSQLServerpagereads,andhighSQLServerdiskwaittime,datafileandphysicaldisklatencyifthedisksystemisn'tkeepingupwiththeadditionalreads.Notethatonmanysystemsit'snotunusualforthiscountertostayatzeroifalltableshaveaclusteredindex,anyheapsaren'tfragmented,ortheyjustaren'taccessedfrequently.

Alsosee:http://blogs.msdn.com/b/mssqlisv/archive/2006/12/01/knowing-about-forwarded-records-can-help-diagnose-hard-to-find-performance-issues.aspxhttp://sqlskills.com/BLOGS/PAUL/post/Forwarding-and-forwarded-records-and-the-back-pointer-size.aspxhttp://sqlblog.com/blogs/kalen_delaney/archive/2008/05/25/whats-worse-than-a-table-scan.aspx

S,H

SQLServerMemory:ReadpagesSQLServerWaitsbyCategory:DiskDiskIO/DatabaseIO:ms/Read

SQLServerActivity BackupMB/sec MB/sec ThedatarateinMB/secforanybackupoperationstakingplaceontheserver. S,H

SQLServerActivity SendQueue/RedoQueue MB

TheSendQueueandRedoQueueareapplicableforserversinvolvedinadatabaseMirroringSession.

TheSendQueuerepresentsunsentlogwhichhasaccumulatedonthelogdiskoftheprincipaldatabase.TheRedoQueueisthelogwaitingonthemirror'sdisk.Seealso:MSDNDatabaseMirroringSessions

S,H

SQLServerWaits CPU%ofTotalWaits %CPU%ofTotalWaitsrepresentsthepercentageofallwaitswhichareSignalWaits.SignalwaittimeisthetimeathreadhasspentwaitingontheCPUafterbeingsignaledthatitsresourceisavailable.Ahigh'CPU%ofTotalWaits'percentagemayindicateCPUpressure.

S

HighCPU

SQLServerWaits WaitTime:byCategory Avgms/sec

Theaveragewaittime(inmilliseconds)persecondforallprocessesontheserver,brokendownbymajorphysicalresourcecategory(Network,CPU,Memory,Disk).Althoughtherearehundredsofwaittypes,onlytherelativelyfewwaittypesthatcandefinitivelybeattributedtooneofthephysicalresourcecategoriesareincludedinthecalculationsforthischart.The"Other"categoryisforafewotherimportantwaittypesthatcaneitheraffectperformanceinmorethanonemajorcategory,orcannotbedirectlyattributedtoanycategorywithabsolutecertainty,suchasbackupsandparallelismrespectively.

Waitsbycategoryisoneofthemostimportantchartsonthedashboard,sinceitprovidesaninstantprofileoftheSQLServerandwhereitisspendingthemosttimewaitingforphysicalresources.Itcanbearguedthatifwaitsbycategoryareconsistentlylow,thenwhattheotherdashboardchartsareshowingislessimportant.Forexample,ifCPUandbatcheslookunusuallyhigh,butCPUwaitsarelow,thentheserverhardwareiseffectivelyhandlingtheload.

Generallyspeaking,totalwaitsoflessthan200msisverygood.Between200msand1000msisaverage.Greaterthan1000mslikelyrequiressomeattentiontodeterminewherethebottlenecklies.Over5000msmayindicateseverebottlenecking.

Bearinmindthatthetotalwaittimemaybehigherbyvirtueofalargenumberofprocesses(spids)activeontheserver,sincewaittimeissummedacrossallprocesses,itisnotaperprocessaverage.ThiscanbeespeciallyapplicabletotheOthercategory,sinceseveralprocessesexperiencingparallelismatthesametimecancauseittospiketoveryhighlevels.

Toviewthespecificwaitclassesinvolvedforaparticularinterval,selecttheintervalbyclickingonthechart,thenclicktheSamplebuttononthetoolbar.

Ifyouhoveroveracategory,thedetailedwaittypesforthattimesampleareshowninatooltip.Youcanalsoseethespecificwaittypesforarangebyrunningthe"SQLServerWaitStatsAnalysis"reportfromtheReports->PerformanceAnalysismenu.

Seealso:http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc966413.aspxhttp://www.sqlskills.com/BLOGS/PAUL/post/Wait-statistics-or-please-tell-me-where-it-hurts.aspx

H

SQLServerWaits WaitTime:byClass Avgms/sec

Theaveragewaittime(inmilliseconds)persecondforallprocessesontheserver,brokendownbywaitclass.Thereareapproximately30differentwaitclasses,andeachrepresentsaparticularSQLServerfunctionalareaortypeofactivity.Meaninglessorinnocuouswaittypessuchastimerandqueuewaitsarepre-filteredfromview.EachclassisfurtherbrokendownintoresourceandCPUwaits.

S


http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc966425.aspx


http://blogs.msdn.com/b/craigfr/archive/2006/06/30/652639.aspx

http://sqlskills.com/BLOGS/KIMBERLY/category/The-Tipping-Point.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/mssqlisv/archive/2006/12/01/knowing-about-forwarded-records-can-help-diagnose-hard-to-find-performance-issues.aspx



http://sqlskills.com/BLOGS/PAUL/post/Forwarding-and-forwarded-records-and-the-back-pointer-size.aspx

http://sqlskills.com/BLOGS/PAUL/post/Forwarding-and-forwarded-records-and-the-back-pointer-size.aspx

http://sqlblog.com/blogs/kalen_delaney/archive/2008/05/25/whats-worse-than-a-table-scan.aspx

http://sqlblog.com/blogs/kalen_delaney/archive/2008/05/25/whats-worse-than-a-table-scan.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms189901(v=sql.105).aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc966413.aspx

http://www.sqlskills.com/BLOGS/PAUL/post/Wait-statistics-or-please-tell-me-where-it-hurts.aspx


Ifyouhoveroveraclasscolumn,thedetailedwaittypesareshowninatooltip.

Seealso:http://answers.sqlsentry.com/questions/9/how-can-i-enable-hidden-wait-types-in-performance.html

SQLServerMemory Buffercachesize MB Thecurrentsizeofthebuffercache,inMB.Youwantthistobeaslargeaspossibleformaximumperformance,andonadedicatedSQLServeritshouldconsumemostoftheSQLServermemoryandphysicalmemory. S,H

SQLServerMemory Plancachesize(SQL) MB

Thecurrentsizeofthecacheusedforqueryplans,inMB.Thisincludesadhoc,autoparameterized,andpreparedplans.Ahighvalueinproportiontothebuffercachemayindicatequeryplansaren'tbeingeffectivelyreused.

Seealso:http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc293623.aspx

S,H

SQLServerMemory Plancachesize(Objects) MB

Thecurrentsizeofthecacheusedforobjectplans,inMB.Thisincludesstoredprocedures,functions,andtriggers.Ahighvalueinproportiontothebuffercachemayindicatequeryplansaren'tbeingeffectivelyreused.


S,H

SQLServerMemory Othercachesize MBThecurrentsizeofthecacheusedforallotherplans,inMB.Thisincludesboundtrees,extendedstoredprocedures,temporarytables,andtablevariables.Thiscachesizeshouldbelowinproportiontotheotherplancaches.Ifitgoesoverroughly10%oftheobjectorSQLplansize,furtherinvestigationmaybeneeded.

S,H

SQLServerMemory Plancachehitratio(SQL) % Theratioofhitstolookupsforthequeryplancache.Thisvalueshouldstayabove90%. S,H

SQLServerMemory Plancachehitratio(Objects) % Theratioofhitstolookupsfortheobjectplancache.Thisvalueshouldstayabove90%. S,H

SQLServerMemory Pagereads Avg/sec

Theaveragenumberofbufferdatapagesreadfromdiskpersecond.Ideallythisvalueshouldbeatornear0mostofthetime.Ifitisabove0,itmeansthatthedatawasn'tfoundinthebuffercache,andsoithadtoberetrievedfromdisk.Ifspikesinpagereadscorrelatewithhighdisklatency,thedisksystemmaynotbekeepingup.

Notethatqueryingnewlycreatedtemptableswillalsoshowupaspagereads,aswellasactivityfrominternaltempdbobjects.Thisincludeshashjoins,hashaggregates,sortandqueryspooloperations.Thismeansthatyoucanstillseehighpagingfromtempdbduetoqueryactivity,eventhoughyouaren'texplicitlyusingtemptables.

Whenpagereadsandpagewritescorrelateclosely,it'sastrongindicatorthatit'srelatedtotempdbactivity,sincepagesarebeingwrittentodiskwhentheobjectsarecreated,thenimmediatelyreadbackintomemoryforusebyqueryingoperations.

Iflazywrites>0andtrackcloselywithpagereads,andpagelifeexpectancy<600,it'sastrongindicatorofmemorypressure,sincedataisbeingmovedoutofbuffertomakeroomfornewdatacomingin.

Notethatlazywritesalsocausepagewrites,butgenerallymuchlessthantempdbactivity.Soifyouseehighpagereads,andrelativelylowlazywritesandpagewrites,it'slikelymemorypressureandnottempdbactivity.


S,H

DiskIO/DatabaseIO:ms/Read

SQLServerMemory Pagewrites Avg/sec

Theaveragenumberofbufferdatapageswritestodiskpersecond.

Pagewritescanbecausedbycheckpoints,lazywrites,aswellastempdbactivity.Tocalculatetheapproximateamountofwritesrelatedtotempdb,foranygiveninterval,subtractcheckpointsandlazywritesfromtotalpagewrites.

Ifhighpagewritescorrelatewithhighlatency,thedisksystemmaynotbekeepingup.

See"Pagereads"formoredetails.

S,H

DiskIO/DatabaseIO::ms/WriteLazywritesCheckpointpages

SQLServerMemory Pagelifeexpectancy Lastvalue

Theaveragelifespanofadatapage.Ifthisvalueislessthan600,it'sanalmostcertainindicatorofmemorypressure.Ideallyitshouldbemuchhigherthan600ifamplememoryisavailable.Ingeneral,thelargerthebuffercachesize,thehigheritshouldbe.Thisisthebestuniversalindicatorofmemorypressure.

Seealso:http://www.sqlmag.com/blog/sql-server-questions-answered-28/sql-server/what-does-page-life-expectancy-mean-137153

S

<600

SQLServerMemory Memorygrantspending Lastvalue

Thenumberofprocesseswaitingforaqueryworkspacememorygrants.Ideallythisvalueshouldbe0atalltimes,butitcangoabove0incasesofseverememorypressure.

Whenitdoes,RESOURCE_SEMAPHOREwaitswillalsobe>0,sincethiswaitisameasureofthetimethatquerieshadtowaitformemorygrants.ThistypewillbevisibleintheWaitscharttooltipsfortheMemoryclassandcategory.

S

>0

DatabaseIO Readlatencybydatabasefile Avgms/Read

Theaveragetimeinmillisecondseachphysicaldiskreadistakingforaparticulardatabasefile.Thetop10databasefiles(dataandtransactionlog)withthehighestlatencyforthespecifieddaterangeareshown.Inhistorymode,usethedropdowntodeterminewhethertotaldatabaselatencyoraspecificdatabasefileisshownonthechart.

Seethe"DiskIO:Readlatency"sectionformoredetailsandperformanceranges.

S,H

DatabaseIO Writelatencybydatabasefile Avgms/WriteTheaveragetimeinmillisecondseachphysicaldiskwriteistakingforaparticulardatabasefile.

See"DatabaseIO:Readlatency"and"DiskIO:Readlatency"sectionsaboveformoredetails.S,H

DatabaseIO Checkpointpages Avg/sec

Theaveragepagespersecondwrittentodiskbythecheckpointprocess.CheckpointsflushalldirtybufferpagesforagivendatabasetodiskandareanormalpartofSQLServeroperations.Thefrequencyofcheckpointsandvolumeofcheckpointpagesisdictateddirectlybythe"recoveryinterval"serveroption.SQLServerusescheckpointstobatchwritestodisk,whichisgenerallymoreefficient.However,ifthevolumeofeachcheckpointistoohighandyouseeacorrelationwithhighdisklatency,itmayindicatethatthedisksystemisn'tkeepingup.

Checkpointswillsometimescorrelatewithlowerpagelifeexpectancy,butonlybecausewhenpagesareflushedfrommemoryPLEcandrop,notbecausethereisadirectcorrelationwithmemorypressureandcheckpoints.ItwillalsocorrelatedirectlywithhighSQLServerpagewrites.IfyouseeacorrelationwithhighdisklatencyorhighSQLServerdiskwaits,thenthedisksystemmaynotbekeepingupwiththecheckpointvolume.Byloweringtherecoveryintervalyoucanincreasethefrequencyandatthesametimelowerthevolumeofeachcheckpoint,whichmaylessentheoverallimpactondiskwaits.Everysystemisdifferentinthisregard,however,sotestingofdifferentrecoveryintervalsshouldbeperformedandtheimpactobserved.

Thiscountermay,butdoesnotalways,correlatewithlazywrites,sinceitdependsmoreontheactivityprofileoftheserver,evenundermemorypressure.Ifcheckpointsarehappeningoftenenoughtomeetthespecifiedrecoveryinterval,theremaynotbemuchworkforthelazywriterthreadstodowhentheywakeup.

Ontheflipside,ifthelazywriterthreadsarestayingcontinuallybusy,andthenumberofdirtypagesislowenoughtomeettherecoveryinterval,thecheckpointprocessmaynoteverhavemuch,ifany,worktodo.

OnSQLServer2008,youcanusethe-kstartupparametertocontrolthemaxMBpersecondthatcanbewrittenbythecheckpointprocess,intheeventthatthecheckpointprocessisoverwhelmingthedisksystem.Thisisnotatypicalscenario,however,sothisoptionshouldbetestedcarefullybeforeuse,andotherpossiblesolutionsshouldbeinvestigatedfirst.

Ifwritelatencyexceeds20ms,thecheckpointprocesswillbeautomaticallythrottledtoavoidoverloadingthedisk.Thiscanhappenevenwhenthediskiscapableofeasilysustaininghigherthroughput,andcanleadtoabnormallylongcheckpoints,andblockingofthelogwriterprocess.

DBCCTRACEON(3502,3504,-1);willlogmanyadditionaldetailsaboutthecheckpointprocesstotheSQLServererrorlog,andcanbeveryhelpfulfortroubleshootingcheckpointrelatedissues.


S,H

DiskIO/DatabaseIO:ms/WriteLazywrites

DatabaseIO Lazywrites Avg/sec

Theaveragenumberofwritespersecondbythelazywriter.Thelazywriterperiodicallyscansthebufferandevictspagesthathavelowusecountsinordertomaintainacertainnumberofpagesonthefreelist.Ideallythisvalueshouldbeatornear0mostofthetime.Whenthereisnomemorypressure,thelazywriterwillgenerallyleavedatapagesinmemory,eventhosewithlowusecounts.However,whenpressureexists,thelazywriterwillcontinuallybeworkingtomakeroomfornewdatacomingintothebuffer.

Acertainindicatorofmemorypressureisongoinglazywrites>0withpagereads/writes>0andpagelifeexpectancy<600.

S,H

>20 PagelifeexpectancyPagereads/writes


http://answers.sqlsentry.com/questions/9/how-can-i-enable-hidden-wait-types-in-performance.html




http://www.sqlmag.com/blog/sql-server-questions-answered-28/sql-server/what-does-page-life-expectancy-mean-137153

http://www.sqlmag.com/blog/sql-server-questions-answered-28/sql-server/what-does-page-life-expectancy-mean-137153


Alsosee"Checkpointpages"above.

DatabaseIO Logflushes Avg/sec

LogflushesoccurwitheveryDMLoperation,andareanormalpartofSQLServeractivity.It'simportanttonotethatlogwritestophysicaldiskfromupdatestobufferpageshappenimmediatelyupontransactioncommit,whereaswritestophysicaldiskfromthechangedbufferpagesisdelayeduntilthenextcheckpointoccurs.Assuch,itiscriticalthatthephysicaldisksystemwherethetransactionlogresidesisfastenoughtokeepupwithactivity.Ifnot,itcanslowdownallDMLoperationsoccurringinthedatabase.

Ideallyeachbusytransactionlogshouldhaveitsowndedicateddisks,sothatwritescanhappensequentially,whichwillminimizelatency.Iflogflushesarehighandlatencyishighforatransactionlogfile,thenthedisksystemislikelyunderpoweredforthecurrentload.

S,H

HYPER-VHOSTMETRICS


WarningRange

CriticalRange

Maycorrelatewith

Network(VM) UtilizationbyVirtualMachineGuest Mbps Thedatatransferrateinmegabitspersecondforeachguest,enablingyoutoseehowmuchofthenetworktrafficisrelatedtoeachindividualguestmachine. S,H

CPUUsage(VM) UsagetimebyGuest % Theusagetime%foreachindividualguestmachine.RepresentedbythecolorselectedforeachindividualVirtualMachineguest(consistentoverthedashboardsection). S,H

CPUUsage(VM) vCPURootusagetime %Theusage%timefortheHypervisorrootvirtualprocessor.SeeAlso:https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc768535(v=bts.10).aspx

S,H

CPUUsage(VM) %GuestRuntime %FortheHyper-VHypervisorLogicalProcessor,theaveragepercentageoftimeguestcodeisrunningonanLogicalProcessor.SeeAlso:https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/chrisavis/2013/03/25/performance-management-monitoring-cpu-resources/

S,H

CPUUsage(VM) vCPUWaitTime% The%timetheguestvirtualmachinespentwaitingforaHostkernelresource.

SeeAlso:https://www.sqlskills.com/blogs/jonathan/hyper-v-equivalent-to-vmware-cpu-ready-time/S,H

SystemMemory(VM) MemorybyVirtualMachineGuest MB Theamountofphysicalmemoryusedbyeachguestonthehostmachine. S,H

DiskIO(VM) IOPS(Read) Reads/sec ThenumberofreadoperationspersecondacrossallVirtualMachinesbelongingtotheHost.InSamplemodereadoperationsarebrokendownbyindividualVirtualMachine.Usethedrop-downtoselectanindividualguestmachine. S,H

DiskIO(VM) IOPS(Write) Writes/sec

ThenumberofwriteoperationspersecondacrossallVirtualMachinesbelongingtotheHost.InSamplemodewriteoperationsarebrokendownbyindividualVirtualMachine.Usethedrop-downtoselectanindividualguestmachine.

S,H

DiskIO(VM) ReadThroughput MB/sec TheaverageMBpersecondreadacrossallVirtualMachinesbelongingtotheHost.Usethedrop-downtoselectanindividualguestmachine. S,H

DiskIO(VM) WriteThroughput MB/sec TheaverageMBpersecondwrittenacrossallVirtualMachinesbelongingtotheHost.Usethedrop-downtoselectanindividualguestmachine. S,H

AZURESQLDATABASEMETRICS


Maycorrelatewith

DTUUsage TotalDTU% %

ADTUrepresentsthepowerofthedatabaseengineasablendedmeasureofCPU,memory,andreadandwriterates.ThismeasurehelpsyouassesstherelativepoweroftheSQLDatabaseperformancelevels.EachServiceTier,whichsetspricingandusagelimitsforanAzureSQLDatabase,expressestheamountofresourcelimitsasanumberofDTUs.ThemoreDTUsanAzureSQLDatabaseisallocatedthemoreresourcesthedatabasewillhavetoservicetheworkload.

IfyourdatabaseisseeinghighTotalDTU%usageitmaybenefitfromadjustingtothenexthighestServiceTiertoimproveperformance.LikewiseifyouareconsistentlyseeingverylowTotalDTU%usageyoumaysavesomemoneybyscalingdowntothenextlowerServiceTier.

FormoreinformationregardingDTUsreadthedocumentationonAzure.com.ForvariableperformingworkloadsandsharingresourcesacrossmultipleAzureSQLDatabasesalsoseeElasticDatabasePools.

S,H

DTUUsage CPU % ThismetricistheaverageCPUpercentagebasedonthelimitoftheservicetier.ThisisoneofthemetricsthatmakesupDTU. S,H

DTUUsage DataIO % ThismetricistheaverageDataI/Opercentagebasedonthelimitoftheservicetier.ThisisoneofthemetricsthatmakesupDTU S,H

DTUUsage LogIO % ThismetricistheaveragelogI/Opercentagebasedonthelimitoftheservicetier.ThisisoneofthemetricsthatmakesupDTU. S,H

MemoryUsage AllocatedMemoryUsage %

EachServiceTierhasamaximumamountofmemoryallowedfortheAzureSQLDatabasetouse.Thismetricprovidesthepercentageoftheallowedmemorybeingusedforthedatabase.

Itwillbeverycommonforthismetrictobehigh.Ifmuchofthedatayourapplicationsneedisinmemoryitmeansbetterperformancesincethedatabasewillnothavetoreadfromthephysicaldisktoreturnthedata.

S,H

DatabaseSize SizeinGB %,GB

EachservicetierhasamaximumsizeallowedfortheAzureSQLDatabase.ThismetricprovidesthesizeoftheDatabase,notincludingthetransactionlog.

Ifyouareapproachingthemaximumsizeallowedyoumayneedtoincreaseyourservicetiersizeorlooktoscaleoutyourdatabaseusingshardingtechniques.

FormoreinformationaboutshardingwithAzureSQLDatabaselookattheElasticDatabasetools.

S,H

SQLServerActivity UserConnections Lastvalue ThetotalnumberofconnectionsestablishedtotheAzureSQLDatabase.Detailsforeachconnectioncanbeviewedbyqueryingthesys.dm_exec_connectionsDMV. S

SQLServerActivity BlockedProcesses Lastvalue ThetotalnumberofblockedprocessesdetectedontheAzureSQLDatabase.TheDashboardisdesignedtogiveyou"ataglance"informationaboutthenumberofblockedprocesses. S,H

SQLServerActivity Transactions Avg/sec TheaveragenumberoftransactionspersecondfortheAzureSQLDatabase.Atransactioncanbeeitherauser-definedstatementblocksurroundedbyaBEGINTRANandENDTRAN,oranindividualDMLstatement(insert,updateordelete). S,H

SQLServerActivity BackupMB/sec MB/sec

ThedatarateinMB/secforanybackupoperationstakingplaceontheserver.

InAzureSQLDatabasetheplatformcreatesbackupsautomaticallyforyou.Whileyoudonothavedirectcontroloverthebackuptimes,thisdoesallowyoutohelpdetermineifbackupsarenegativelyaffectingyourperformance.

S,H

SQLServerWaits CPU%ofTotalWaits % CPU%ofTotalWaitsrepresentsthepercentageofallwaitswhichareSignalWaits.SignalwaittimeisthetimeathreadhasspentwaitingontheCPUafterbeingsignaledthatitsresourceisavailable.Ahigh'CPU%ofTotalWaits'percentagemayindicateCPUpressure. S HighCPU

SQLServerWaits WaitTime:byCategory Avgms/sec

Theaveragewaittime(inmilliseconds)persecondforallprocessesonthedatabase,brokendownbymajorphysicalresourcecategory(CPU,Memory,etc.).Althoughtherearehundredsofwaittypes,onlytherelativelyfewwaittypesthatcandefinitivelybeattributedtooneofthephysicalresourcecategoriesareincludedinthecalculationsforthischart.The"Other"categoryisforafewotherimportantwaittypesthatcaneitheraffectperformanceinmorethanonemajorcategory,orcannotbedirectlyattributedtoanycategorywithabsolutecertainty,suchasbackupsandparallelismrespectively.

Waitsbycategoryisoneofthemostimportantchartsonthedashboard,sinceitprovidesaninstantprofileoftheSQLDatabaseandwhereitisspendingthemosttimewaitingforphysicalresources.Itcanbearguedthatifwaitsbycategoryareconsistentlylow,thenwhattheotherdashboardchartsareshowingislessimportant.

Toviewthespecificwaitclassesinvolvedforaparticularinterval,selecttheintervalbyclickingonthechart,thenclicktheSamplebuttononthetoolbar.

Ifyouhoveroveracategory,thedetailedwaittypesforthattimesampleareshowninatooltip.

Seealso:http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc966413.aspxhttp://www.sqlskills.com/BLOGS/PAUL/post/Wait-statistics-or-please-tell-me-where-it-hurts.aspx

H

SQLServerWaits WaitTime:byClass Avgms/sec

Theaveragewaittime(inmilliseconds)persecondforallprocessesontheserver,brokendownbywaitclass.Thereareapproximately30differentwaitclasses,andeachrepresentsaparticularSQLServerfunctionalareaortypeofactivity.Meaninglessorinnocuouswaittypessuchastimerandqueuewaitsarepre-filteredfromview.EachclassisfurtherbrokendownintoresourceandCPUwaits.

Ifyouhoveroveraclasscolumn,thedetailedwaittypesareshowninatooltip.S


https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc768535(v=bts.10).aspx


https://www.sqlskills.com/blogs/jonathan/hyper-v-equivalent-to-vmware-cpu-ready-time/

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/sql-database-technical-overview/

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/sql-database-elastic-pool/

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/sql-database-elastic-pool/

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc966413.aspx


Seealso:http://answers.sqlsentry.com/questions/9/how-can-i-enable-hidden-wait-types-in-performance.html

SQLServerMemory BufferCacheSize MB Thecurrentsizeofthebuffercache,inMB.Youwantthistobeaslargeaspossibleformaximumperformance. S,H

SQLServerMemory PageLifeExpectency Lastvalue

Theaveragelifespanofadatapage.Ifthisvalueislessthan600,itisanalmostcertainindicatorofmemorypressure.Ideallyitshouldbemuchhigherthan600ifamplememoryisavailable.Ingeneral,thelargerthebuffercachesize,thehigheritshouldbe.Thisisthebestuniversalindicatorofmemorypressure.

AzureSQLDatabaseisamulti-tenantenvironmentandthismetricrepresentsmorethanjustyourdatabase.Usethismetricmoreasanindicatorofoverallmemorypressureandtrends.

S

DatabaseIO ReadLatencybyDatabaseFile Avgms/ReadTheaveragetimeinmillisecondseachphysicaldiskreadistakingforaparticulardatabasefile.ForAzureSQLDatabasetheloganddatafileareshown.

TheloganddatafilesinAzureSQLDatabasearehandledforyouaspartofthePlatformasaServiceoffering.S,H

DatabaseIO WriteLatencybyDatabaseFile Avgms/WriteTheaveragetimeinmillisecondseachphysicaldiskwriteistakingforaparticulardatabasefile.

TheloganddatafilesinAzureSQLDatabasearehandledforyouaspartofthePlatformasaServiceoffering.S,H

DatabaseIO LogFlushes Avg/sec

LogflushesoccurwitheveryDMLoperation,andareanormalpartofSQLServeractivity.It'simportanttonotethatlogwritestophysicaldiskfromupdatestobufferpageshappenimmediatelyupontransactioncommit,whereaswritestophysicaldiskfromthechangedbufferpagesisdelayeduntilthenextcheckpointoccurs.Assuch,itiscriticalthatthephysicaldisksystemwherethetransactionlogresidesisfastenoughtokeepupwithactivity.Ifnot,itcanslowdownallDMLoperationsoccurringinthedatabase.

S,H

VMWAREHOSTMETRICS


Maycorrelatewith

CPU Ready % Percentageoftimethatthevirtualmachinewasready,butcouldnotgetscheduledtorunonthephysicalCPU.CPUreadytimeisdependentonthenumberofvirtualmachinesonthehostandtheirCPUloads. S,H

Memory Active MB Amountofmemorythatisactivelyused,asestimatedbyVMkernelbasedonrecentlytouchedmemorypages. S,H

Memory Consumed MB Amountofmachinememoryusedonthehost.ConsumedmemoryincludesIncludesmemoryusedbytheServiceConsole,theVMkernel,vSphereservices,plusthetotalconsumedmetricsforallrunningvirtualmachines. S,H

Memory Overhead MB Totalofalloverheadmetrics(includingVMoverheadandVMKerneloverhead)forpowered-onvirtualmachines,plustheoverheadofrunningvSphereservicesonthehost. S,H

Memory Granted MB Amountofmachinememoryor“physical”memorythatismappedforthehost. S,H

9.2 Processes

TheProcessestabisavailableaspartofPerformanceAnalysisforWindows.

Bydefault,PerformanceAnalysisforWindowscollectsinformationaboutwell-knownor"categorized"processes.Thereareseveralofthesepredefinedwell-knownprocessgroups,includinggroupsforSQLServer,IIS,SSAS,SSIS,andSSRS.Ifyouwouldliketocollectinformationaboutprocesseswhicharenotinthesedefaultgroups,youhaveacoupleofdifferentoptionsfordoingso:

Addyourownwell-knowngroupsandspecifywhichprocessesbelongtothem.ConfigureanUncategorizedProcessFilter,whichallowsforthecollectionofuncategorizedprocesses

Youmayalsochoosetodobothintandem.Forinstance,youmaywishtodefineseveralnewwell-knownprocessgroupswhicharepertinenttothemonitoredcomputer'sworkload,sothatinformationaboutthoseprocesseswillalwaysbecollected.YoumayalsowishtodefineanUncategorizedProcessFilter,sothatinformationaboutprocesseswhichareconsumingalargeamountofresourcesonthecomputerisalsocollected.

Jumpto:

Addingnewgroupsofwell-knownprocesses

ConfigureanUncategorizedProcessFilter

PROCESSESTABDISPLAYTheProcessestabcontainsagridviewofalltheprocessesaboutwhichyouarecollectinginformation.Processesareintelligentlygroupedbyprogramandfunction,includinggroupsforSSRS,SSIS,andSQLServer(well-knownprocessgroups).Metricsaredisplayedforeachprocess,givingyouinsightintotheresourceusageforboththeindividualprocessesandtheirassociatedgroups.

OPTIONSShowingroups-Thisoptiongroupswell-knownprocessesbytheirassignedgrouporcategory.Showing/HidingGroups-Youcanhidecertaingroupsfromviewusingthegroupdrop-downlistbox.Uncheckanygroupthatyouwishtohide.Showwell-knownprocessesonly-Thisoptionwillhideanyprocesseswhicharenotpartofawell-knowngroup.AdditionalColumns-Additionalcolumnsareavailable,andcanbeaccessedbyright-clickingonany


http://answers.sqlsentry.com/questions/9/how-can-i-enable-hidden-wait-types-in-performance.html

columnheaderandselectingtheColumnChooseroption.SortingColumns-Youmaysortthegridviewbyspecificcolumnsbyselectinganycolumnheader.Additionalsortingoptionsareavailablefromthecontextmenuofanycolumnheader.

ADDINGNEWGROUPSOFWELL-KNOWNPROCESSESBydefault,thereareseveralwell-knownprocesseswhicharelogicallygroupedbyprogram/function,includingpredefinedgroupsforSQLServer,IIS,SSAS,SSIS,andSSRS.YoucanaddadditionalgroupsofyourownusingthefollowingSentryOneDatabasetables:

PerformanceAnalysisDeviceProcessGroup

PerformanceAnalysisDeviceProcessGroupMapping

PerformanceAnalysisDeviceProcessGroup

UsethistabletodefinegroupsyourWell-Knownprocesses.

ColumnName Description

ID Identitycolumn

ProcessGroupName ThisisthegroupnamewhichwillbedisplayedintheProcessestab.

ProcessGroupNameFull ThefullnameisnotdisplayedintheProcessestab.

ProcessGroupDescription ThedescriptionoftheProcessgroup.

PerformanceAnalysisDeviceProcessGroupMapping

UsethistabletomapspecificprocessestothegroupsyoudefinedinthePerformanceAnalysisDeviceProcessGrouptable.

ColumnName Description

ID Identitycolumn

PerformanceAnalysisDeviceProcessGroupID TheIDofthegroupyouwouldlikethisprocesstomapto.ShouldmaptotheIDcolumnofagroupfoundinthePerformanceAnalysisDeviceProcessGrouptable.

ProcessName Entertheexactnameunderwhichtheprocessisexecuted,includingtheexecutableextension.Forexample:'services.exe'

ServiceName EnterthenameoftheserviceexactlyasitisdisplayedontheGeneralpropertiestaboftheserviceasshownfromtheservicesapplet.

Tofindtheactualservicename,opentheservicesappletandright-clicktheservice.NextchooseProperties.Usetheexactvaluefoundinthe"Servicename"field.

ShowOnPADashboard SpecifyifthegroupwillbedisplayedonthePerformanceAnalysisDashboard.

CommandLineMatchRegexThiscolumnisusefulwhendifferentiatingprocesseswhichusethesameexecutable,butperformdifferentfunctionsbaseduponthepassedinparameters.Theregexshoulduseavalid.NETcompatibleregularexpressionasdefinedhere.Note,thatthematchoperationiscase-insensitive.

EXAMPLEAsanexample,iftheTargetyouaremonitoringisaMicrosoftExchangeServer,youmaywanttocreateanewgroupofwell-knownprocesseswhichincludesthoserelatedservices.Inthisexamplewewillcreateanewgroupofwell-knownprocessesforMicrosoftExchange,andthenwewilladdthefollowingMicrosoftExchangerelatedservicestothegroup:

MicrosoftExchangeInformationStoreMicrosoftExchangeMailboxAssistantsMicrosoftExchangeTransport

CreatetheGroup


http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hs600312.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hs600312.aspx

Insert INTO dbo.PerformanceAnalysisDeviceProcessGroup(ProcessGroupName,ProcessGroupNameFull)VALUES ('Microsoft Exchange','Microsoft Exchange Server 2010')

Insert INTO dbo.PerformanceAnalysisDeviceProcessGroupMapping(PerformanceAnalysisDeviceProcessGroupID,ProcessName,ServiceName,ShowOnPADashboard)VALUES (9,'Store.exe','MSExchangeIS',1),(9,'MSExchangeMailboxAssistants.exe','MSExchangeMailboxAssistants',1),(9,'MSExchangeTransport.exe','MSExchangeTransport',1)

Note:BesurethatthePerformanceAnalysisDeviceProcessGroupIDcorrespondstotheIDcolumnofyourdesiredgroupinthePerformanceAnalysisDeviceProcessGrouptable.

PROCESSCOLLECTIONSETTINGSProcesscollectioniscontrolledwiththeWindowsInstanceSettingsandcanbeaccessedasfollows:

1. SelectthedesiredWindowsInstanceintheNavigatorpane2. OpentheSettingspane(Viewmenu->Settings)3. IntheSettingspanechooseWindowsInstancefromthedrop-downmenu.

YoushouldnowseetheProcessCollectionsettingsintheSettingspane.BydefaultwhenaWindowsInstanceismonitored,processinformationwillbecollectedaboutallwell-knownprocesses.YoumaydisablethecollectionofprocessinformationbychangingtheCollectProcessesSettingtoFalse.Youmayenablethecollectionofadditionalprocesses(nonwell-knownprocesses)byconfiguringanUncategorizedProcessFilter.

CONFIGUREANUNCATEGORIZEDPROCESSFILTERBydefault,PerformanceAnalysisforWindowscollectsinformationabout"Well-Known"or"Categorized"processes.YoumayconfigureSentryOnetoalsocollectinformationaboutUncategorizedprocessesbyspecifyinganUncategorizedProcessFilter.Thisfiltermaybebuiltaroundvariousmetrics,including%CPUtimeorReadandWritebytespersecond.

FollowthedirectionsintheprevioussectiontoaccesstheProcessCollectionSettingsforyourWindowsInstance.Next,selecttheUncategorizedProcessFilterrowandusetheellipsis(...)buttontoopentheFilterEditor.Addrulestothefilterasdesired.TheFilterEditorwasdesignedwithflexibilityinmind,andallowsyoutospecifyanynumberofcriteriaaroundevents.Youcandefineacomplexrulewithmultiplegroupsandlogicaloperators.FormoreinformationaboutusingtheFilterEditorseetheFilterEditortopic.

AddtheProcessesandMapthemtotheGroup

9.3 DiskActivity

Appliesto:SQLSentry,WinSentry,BISentry,andVSentry

DiskbottlenecksrepresentoneofthemostcommonsourcesofperformanceproblemsforWindowsandSQLServer.TheDiskActivitytabprovidesapatentedgraphicaldiskanalysissystemwhichbreaksdowndiskactivityandlatencyatthecontroller,physicaldisk,andfilelevel,highlightingbottlenecksatanypointinadisksystem.

ThetoppaneofthedisplayshowsagraphicalrepresentationoftheentiredisksystemasWindowsseesit.Thebottompanedisplaysactivitymetricsineitherahierarchicaldisksystemformat,ordatabaselistformat.


DISKACTIVITYMODESTheDiskActivitytabhastwomodes,RealTimeandHistory.Theactivemodeiscontrolledwiththeauto-refreshtoolbarbutton.Whentheauto-refreshPlaybuttonisselected,thetabentersRealTimemode.Dataforthelastcollectedsampleisshown,andmovingsegmentedlinesindicatetheI/Odirection(readorwrite)andlatencyforeachdisk,file,andcontroller.

ThetoppiperepresentsreadactivityThebottompiperepresentswriteactivity

Thethicknessandcolorofthedisplayedsegmentedlineindicatestheamountoflatencybeingexperienced.Aslatencyincreases,thelinesgrowinwidthandchangethroughgreen,olive,orange,andredtogiveaquickvisualindicationofthedecreasedperformance.

Selectinganyfilewilldisplayatooltipwhichshowsthenumericalvaluesforthereadsandwriteshittingaparticularfile.Theamountofoveralllatencybeingexperiencedbythediskisdistinguishedfromtheamountoflatencyforindividualfiles.Theoveralldisklatencyisrepresentedwiththehorizontalpipeconnectingalloftheindividualfiles,whilethesmallverticalpipesrepresentlatencyatthefilelevel.

Thetablebelowliststhecolorofthesegmentedlineandthecorrespondingrangeoflatencyvalues.Alllatencyvaluesarelistedinmilliseconds(ms).

ColorRange ReadLatency WriteLatency

Green <10ms <10ms

Greenish-YellowtoOrangish-Yellow 10-20ms 10-20ms

OrangetoReddish-Orange 21-30ms 21-40ms

Red >30ms >40ms

ReadandWriteLatencycolorgradients

Whentheauto-refreshPausebuttonisselected,thetabgoesintoHistorymode.Aggregatediskmetricsare


displayedfortheselecteddaterange,andthesolidlinesareusedtoindicatelatency.Historymodeenablesyoutoseehowyourdisksystemwasperformingoveranytimeperiod.

TOOLBARDiskGridView/DatabaseGridView-Whenauto-refreshispaused,theseviewingoptionsareavailable.ShowEmptyDisks-ControlswhetherornotdiskswithoutanySQLServerdatabasefilesaredisplayed.OrderByActivity-Sortphysicaldisksbyactivityindescendingorder.Sum/Average-Whenauto-refreshispaused,theseviewingoptionsareavailable.

CONTEXTMENUSLeftclick-Setsthefocustoanyfile.Otherfilesforthesamedatabasearealsohighlighted,andthecorrespondinggridrow.Rightclick-RunaQuickTraceoraQuickReport.

EXPORTINGANDREPORTINGOPTIONSExportingData-TheDiskActivitygridviewcanbeexportedthroughthefilemenu(File→ExportData).

QuickReport-IfyouneedaccesstodatabaselevelI/Ometricsinareportformat,aquickreportcanberunfromtheright-clickcontextmenuofanyfile.YoumayrunaQuickReportwhileinRealTimemodeforthelast10minutesofdata.

DISKACTIVITYMETRICSThefollowingtablelistsdescriptionsofthemetricsdisplayedontheDiskActivityscreen.FormoreinformationoninterpretinglatencyvaluesbesuretoseeDiskI/O:Readlatencybyphysicaldisk.

Thesamplecollectionfrequencyfordiskcountersis20seconds;whileinRealTimemodetheDiskActivityscreenwillupdateaccordingtothissampleinterval.Acustomsampleintervalcanbespecified.Thismaybeusefulifyouaremonitoringaserverwithalargenumberofdatabasefilesperdatabase,asthiscanleadtoincreasedSentryOnerepositorygrowthandtransactionlogactivity.FormoreinformationaboutadjustingthediskcountercollectionfrequencyseethisKBarticle.

Name Description

VirtualMachine

TheVirtualMachinethatthefileisassociatedwith.

NOTE:ThiscolumnwillonlyappearfortargetsthatarealsoHyper-VHosts,andthecolumnwillonlybepopulatedforfilesdirectlyassociatedwithVirtualMachinesonthehost(e.g.,.vhdxfiles,mounted.isofiles).

ReadBytes

RealTime

Theaveragenumberofbytesreadpersecondoverthelastpollinginterval.

History

AverageMode-Theaveragenumberofbytesreadpersecondovertheselectedrange.

SumMode-Thetotalnumberofbytesreadfortheselectedrange

%ReadBytes

RealTime

ThepercentageofbytesreadfromthisfileinrelationtootherfilesbelongingtotheTarget,overthelastsamplepollinginterval.

History


http://forum.sqlsentry.com/topic1890-adjusting-disk-counter-collection-frequency-when-many-database-files.aspx

AverageMode-Theaveragepercentageofbytesreadfromthisfile,inrelationtootherfilesbelongingtotheTarget,overtheselectedhistoricalrange.

SumMode-n/a

Reads

RealTime

Thenumberofreadoperationspersecond,overthelastsamplepollinginterval.

History

AverageMode-Theaveragenumberofreadoperationspersecondovertheselectedrange.

SumMode-Thetotalnumberreadoperationsoccurringintheselectedrange.

ms/Read

RealTime

Millisecondsperread.Theaveragetimeinmillisecondseachphysicaldiskreadtookoverthelastsamplepollinginterval.

History

AverageMode-Theaveragetimeinmillisecondseachphysicaldiskreadtookovertheselectedtimerange.

SumMode-n/a

WriteBytes

RealTime

TheaveragenumberofBytesWrittenpersecondoverthelastpollingsampleinterval.

History

AverageMode-Theaveragenumberofbyteswrittenpersecondovertheselectedrange.

SumMode-Thetotalnumberofbyteswrittenfortheselectedrange

%WriteBytes

RealTime

ThepercentageofbyteswrittentothisfileinrelationtootherfilesbelongingtotheTarget,overthelastsamplepollinginterval.

History

AverageMode-Theaveragepercentageofbyteswrittentothisfile,inrelationtootherfilesbelongingtotheTarget,overtheselectedhistoricalrange.

SumMode-n/a

Writes

RealTime

Thenumberofwriteoperationspersecond,overthelastsamplepollinginterval.

History

AverageMode-Theaveragenumberofwriteoperationspersecondovertheselectedrange.

SumMode-Thetotalnumberwriteoperationsoccurringintheselectedrange.

RealTime

Millisecondsperwrite.Theaveragetimeinmillisecondseachphysicalwritetookoverthelastsamplepollinginterval.

Name Description


ms/Write History

AverageMode-Theaveragetimeinmillisecondseachphysicaldiskwritetookovertheselectedtimerange.

SumMode-n/a

OtherReadBytes

The"Other"designationisassignedtofileswhicharenotpartoftheSQLServerinstallation.

RealTime

Theaveragenumberofbytesreadpersecondovertheselectedrange,involvingfileswhicharenotpartoftheSQLServerinstallation.

History

AverageMode-Theaveragenumberofbytesreadpersecondovertheselectedrange.

SumMode-Thetotalnumberofbytesreadfortheselectedrange.

OtherWriteBytes

The"Other"designationisassignedtofileswhicharenotpartoftheSQLServerinstallation.

RealTime

Theaveragenumberofbyteswritepersecondovertheselectedrange,involvingfileswhicharenotpartoftheSQLServerinstallation.

History

AverageMode-Theaveragenumberofbyteswritepersecondovertheselectedrange.

SumMode-Thetotalnumberofbyteswritefortheselectedrange.

TotalVLFs SeeTotalVLFsintheDiskSpacetopic.

Name Description

9.4 DiskSpace

Appliesto:SQLSentry,WinSentry,BISentry,andVSentry

TheDiskSpacetabcontainsinformationaboutdiskspaceutilizationwithinyourenvironment,brokendownbydatabaseandfile.UsetheDiskSpacetabtoidentifydiskcapacityissues,understandwherevariousdatabasefilesresideonthedisksystem,andtohelpyouindeterminingwhetheravailablediskspaceisbeingusedoptimally.

TheDiskspacetabhastwodistinctareas.Thetoppaneisagraphicalrepresentationofthedatabaselayoutatthedisklevel.Datafilesarerepresentedwithauniquesolidcolor,andeachassociatedlogfileisrepresentedwiththesamecolorwithalineoverlay.Thiscolorisrepeatedforeachfileinthegridviewfoundinthebottompane.Selectingafileineitherpanewillhighlighttheassociatedrepresentationintheotherpane.

DISKSPACEMODESTheDiskSpacetabhastwomodes,RealTimeandHistory.Theactivemodeiscontrolledbytheauto-refreshtoolbarbutton.Whentheauto-refreshPlaybuttonisselected,thetabentersReal


Timemode.Dataforthelastcollectedsampleisshown.

Whentheauto-refreshPausebuttonisselected,thetabentersHistorymode.Historymodedisplaystheaveragediskspaceinformationoverthespecifiedtimerange.YoumaychangethetimerangeyouareviewingbyusingtheStartandEndtimesandselectingtheGobuttoninthetoolbar.

DISKSPACEUSAGEBANDWhenindexcollectionisenabled,indexinformationisviewablebydrillingintothedatabaselevelinthegridview.Whenadatabaseisselectedinthegrid,abanddisplayingthespaceusageofthatdatabase'sindexeswillappearbetweenthedisklayoutandthegrid.Eachboxrepresentsanindexwithintheselecteddatabase.Thesizeofeachboxillustratesthetotalamountofspaceusedinrelationtotheotherindexeswithinthatdatabase.

TOOLBAROncetheDiskSpacetabisinhistorymodetheDisk/DatabaseGridviewbuttonbecomesavailableinthetoolbar.SelectingDatabaseGridViewremovesthegroupings,andcanbehelpfulwhenyouareinterestedinviewingandsortingdataacrosstheentiredisksubsystem.

DiskGridView/DatabaseGridView-Whenauto-refreshispaused,theseviewingoptionsareavailable.ShowEmptyDisks-ControlswhetherornotdiskswithoutanySQLServerdatabasefilesaredisplayed.Sum/Average-Whenauto-refreshispaused,theseviewingoptionsareavailable.

ADDITIONALOPTIONSClickonanyrowtosetfocustotheassociateddatabaseandlogfile.Rightclick-Copycell/row/alloptionsavailable.Clickthe+commandofanydatafiletoshowtableandindexinformation.ForadditionalinformationaboutthosemetricsbesuretoseetheIndexestopic.

EXPORTINGANDREPORTINGOPTIONSExportingData-TheDiskSpacegridviewcanbeexportedthroughthefilemenu(File→ExportData).

QuickReport-Ifyouneedaccesstodatabaselevelsizemetricsinareportformat,aquickreportcanberunfromtheright-clickcontextmenuofanyfile.YoumayrunaQuickReportwhileinRealTimemodeforthelast7daysofdata.

Disk/FileSpaceReports-TheDisk/FileSpaceReportscanprovidediskanddatabasefilelevelmetrics.AccessthemthroughtheReportsmenu(Reports→PerformanceAnalysis→Disk/FileSpace).

DISKSPACEMETRICS


Name Description

VirtualMachine

TheVirtualMachinethatthefileisassociatedwith.

NOTE:ThiscolumnwillonlyappearfortargetsthatarealsoHyper-VHosts,andthecolumnwillonlybepopulatedforfilesdirectlyassociatedwithVirtualMachinesontheHost(e.g.,.vhdxfiles,mounted.isofiles).

SQLServer Thefile'sassociatedSQLServer.

Database Thefile'sassociateddatabase.

File Thenameofthefile.

Filegroup

Thefilegroupoftheassociatedfile.

ForgeneralinformationaboutfilesandfilegroupswithinSQLServerseethisMSDNarticle:

FilesandFilegroupsArchitecture

Type Specifiesthetypeofthefile,beingeitherdataortransactionlog.

Size(MB) Thesizein(MB)oftheselectedfile.

Used(MB)

Theamountofthediskspacewhichhasbeenallocatedforthefileandisinuse.

ForgeneralinformationaboutpagetypesanddatafilesseethisMSDNarticle:UnderstandingPagesandExtents

Used% Thepercentageofdiskspacewhichhasbeenallocatedforthefileandisinuse.

Autogrowth

IndicatestheAutogrowthpropertiesoftheselectedfile.Ifthesettinghasbeendefinedasapercentage,thatpercentagewillbedisplayed,alongwiththeestimatedsizeinmegabytesofthenextfilegrowth.Iffilegrowthhasbeendefinedasanabsolutevalue,thatsize(MB)willbedisplayed.

Warnings

Apinkhighlightindicatesthattheautogrowthamountisgreaterthantheremainingfreespace.Ayellowhighlightindicatesthatautogrowthissetasapercent.Atanhighlightindicatesthatautogrowthislessthan10MBorgreaterthan1GB.

MaxFileSize(MB) Themaximumfilesizeallowedforthisdataorlogfile.

Thetotalnumberofvirtuallogfiles(VLFs)whichcomposethetransactionlog.EachphysicaltransactionlogismadeupofanumberofsmallerVLFs.Whenthetransactionloggrows,byeitheramanualaction,orbecauseofanautogrowth,thenumberofvirtuallogfileswhichcomposethetransactionlogwillalsoincrease.

TheactualnumberofcorrespondingVLFswhichareaddedduringanyloggrowthisdependentuponthesizeofthegrowth.Referencethebelowtable:

Autogrowthsize VLFscreated

<64MB 4



http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms190969(v=sql.105)

TotalVLFs>=64MBand<1GB 8

>=1GB 16

Ifthetransactionloghasbeenallowedtogrowfrequentlyinsmallincrements,youmayseealargenumberofVLFs.AlogfilecontainingalargenumberofVLFsmaydecreasedatabaseperformance.

ForgeneralinformationabouttransactionlogarchitectureseethisMSDNarticle.

Warnings

AtanhighlightindicatesthatTotalVLFsaregreaterthan100.ApinkhighlightindicatesthatTotalVLFsaregreaterthan300.

ActiveVLFs

Thenumberofvirtuallogfiles(VLFs)containinglogrecordswhicharestillneeded.Thereareanumberofcriteriafordefiningwhenalogrecordisneeded;formoreinformationseethisTechnetarticle.Alogrecordwhichisstillneededisdefinedasanactivelogrecord,anditfollowsthatanyVLFcontainingatleastonactivelogrecordisanActiveVLF.

MinVLFSize(MB) Thesize(MB)ofthesmallestexistingVLF.

MaxVLFSize(MB) Thesize(MB)ofthelargestexistingVLF.

AvgVLFSize(MB) Theaveragesize(MB)ofthoseVLFswhichcomposethelog.

AutogrowthVLFcount

ThenumberofVLFswhichwillbecreatedduringthenextAutoGrowthevent.Whenthetransactionloggrows,byeitheramanualaction,orbecauseofanautogrowth,thenumberofvirtuallogfileswhichcomposethetransactionlogwillalsoincrease.Thisnumberisdependentuponthesizeofthegrowth,referencethetablebelow.

Autogrowthsize VLFscreated

<64MB 4

>=64MBand<1GB 8

>=1GB 16

AutogrowthVLFSize(MB)Thesize(MB)ofeachVLFwhichwillbecreatedduringthenextautogrowthevent,giventhecurrentAutogrowthsettings.

LastBackupTime

Thelastrecordedbackuptimefortheassociatedfile.

Warnings

Apinkhighlightindicatesthattherearenorecenttransactionlogbackups.

LastBackupType Thelastrecordedbackuptypefortheassociatedfile.

LogReuseWaitThisindicateswhatthetransactionlogiswaitingon,inregardstoreusingitsspace.

FilePath Thefullfilepathofthedataorlogfile.

Name Description


http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms179355(SQL.105).aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms179355(SQL.105).aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.02.logging.aspx

9.5 TopSQL

Appliesto:SQLSentry,BISentry,andDBSentry

TheTopSQLtablistsallTSQLbatches,storedprocedures(RPCs),andstatementseventscollectedforthecurrentdaterangethatexceededtheMinimumDurationspecifiedintheSettingspane.ThedefaultfilterisDuration,butfilteringusingCPUandIOisalsoavailable.Thedefaultminimumdurationis5seconds,butthiscanbeadjustedupordownasneededthroughtheTopSQLSourceSettings

InordertocollectTopSQLmetricsforAzureSQLDatabaseTargetsthe“AllowSentryOneMonitoringObjectsinTarget”settingundertheAzureSQLDatabaseConnectionsettingscategorymustalsobesettoTrue.ThisoptionwillcreateafewobjectswithinaSentryOneschemaonthetargetdatabase.

HOWCANICHANGEWHATISCOLLECTEDFORTOPSQL?YoucanchangetheTopSQLwhichiscollectedbySentryOnethroughtheTopSQLSourceSettings.YoucanchangetheTopSQLeventscollectedbySentryOnethroughtheTopSQLSourceSettingsattheselevels:AllTargets(Global),Site,TargetGroup,Target,andInstance.

Asareminder,allSettingshaveahierarchicalconfiguration,andworkthroughtheprincipleofinheritance.Anychangesyoumakeatonelevelwillbeautomaticallyinheritedbyallobjectsbelowit.FormoreinformationaboutinheritancewithinSentryOne,seetheAlertingandResponseSystemtopic.

MoreInformationandExamplesofChangingTopSQLSettings

Seebelowforexamples:

IfyouwantedtoconfiguretheTopSQLMinimumDurationCollectionSettingGlobally:

1. SelecttheSharedGroupsnodeintheNavigatorPane2. IntheSettingspane,usethetopdrop-downlistandselectSQLServerSettings.IfyoudonotseetheSettingspaneonceyouhaveselectedyourdesirednodeintheNavigatorpane,usetheViewMenu(View→Settings).

3. Usetheseconddrop-downlisttoselectTopSQLSource.YoushouldnowseetheTopSQLSourceSettingsthatarebeingappliedGlobally.

4. ChangetheMinimumDurationtothedesiredvalue,itwillbesavedautomatically.

IfyouwantedtoconfiguretheTopSQLMinimumDurationCollectionSettingforanindividualInstance:

1. SelectthedesiredInstancenodeintheNavigatorpane.2. IntheSettingspane,usethetopdrop-downlistandselectSQLServerSettings.IfyoudonotseetheSettingspaneonceyouhaveselectedyourdesirednodeintheNavigatorpane,usetheViewMenu(View→Settings).

3. Usetheseconddrop-downlisttoselectTopSQLSource.YoushouldnowseetheTopSQLSourceSettingsthatareconfiguredfortheInstance.

4. WithintheCollectionSettingsSectionchangetheInheritFromParentSettingtoFalse.5. ChangetheMinimumDurationtothedesiredvalue,itwillbesavedautomatically.

ThereareafewadditionalthingsyoushouldknowregardingtheTopSQLSourceSettings.

ThereisanANDrelationshipthatexistsbetweentheMinimum Duration,Minimum CPU,MinimumReads,andtheMinimum WritesCollectionSettings.Thismeans,thatinordertobecollectedasTop


SQL,theeventwillneedtosatisfyeachindividualCollectionSetting.Forexample,ifyousettheMinimumDurationat10secondsandtheMinimumReadsat25,aneventwouldneedtomeetbothaMinimumDurationof10secondsANDaMinimumReadsof25tobecapturedinTopSQL.

Minimum Durationcannotbesetbelow100msunlessMinimum CPU,Minimum Reads,orMinimumWritesisgreaterthan0.Thislowerlimitisenforcedbecausesettingthisthresholdsbelow100msforanextendedperiodoftimecoulddramaticallyincreasethevolumeofdatacollectedandstoredbySentryOne,andhaveanegativeimpactonthemonitoredserver.SentryOne'sQuickTracefunctionalityisbettersuitedtoanalyzeextremelyshortdurationevents.

HOWCANIADJUSTCAPTUREDTEXTDATALENGTH?BydefaulttextdataforcapturedTopSQLeventsistruncatedat10,000characters.YoucanchangethismaximumlengthintheMonitoringServiceSettings(Navigator→Configuration→GlobalSettings→Advanced→QueryCollectionMaxTextLength).

HOWCANIHIDEQUERIESWITHINTOPSQLANDSTOPALERTSABOUTTHEM?Youcanhideindividualqueriesorgroupsofquerieswiththeright-clickcontextmenuHidecommand.

Tohideasinglequerysimplyselecttherowyouwishtohide,right-clickandchoosetheHidecommand.Tohideagroupofqueries,firstdragacolumnheadertothetopofthegridviewtogrouplikeitems.Nextselectthegroupheaderinthegridviewandusetheright-clickcontextmenuHidecommand.

OnceaqueryhasbeenhiddeninTopSQLyouwillnolongerbealertedaboutitforanyoftheTopSQLrelatedConditions.YoucanunhideallhiddenqueriesbyselectingtheShowHiddenbuttonfromthetoolbar.TounhideanindividualquerypermanentlyusetheVisible(availableinthecolumnchooser)-checkboxthattogglestheeffectof"Hide/HideGroup".

DISPLAYPANES

Filter

TheFilterpaneprovidesthefollowingfiltersforcontrollingwhichrecordswillbedisplayed:SQLServers,Applications,Databases,andHosts.

Selectanycombinationofitemstosetthefilters.Toselectmorethanoneitem,useshift-clickorctrl-click.ToviewthefilteredresultsclicktheRefreshtoolbarbuttonorF5.

ShowTopControl-Dependingonthelengthofthedisplayedinterval,youmayhavealotofdatatoworkwith,usethissettingtocontrolhowmanyrowsareretrieved.

TheFilterpaneisnotdisplayedonanAzureSQLDatabasetarget.

RunningQueries

TheRunningQueriespaneshowsallrunningqueriesmatchingthecurrentfiltersandisindependentofthetimerangesetting.TheViewbuttoninthePlancolumnwillopenaPlanExplorersessionfortheassociatedquery.TheTextDatacolumnshowstheoriginaltexttheclientsenttotheserverandtheActiveStatementcolumnshowsthecurrentlyrunningstatement.

RunningQueriesisnotsupportedforSQLServer2000orAzureSQLDatabase.

Note:ThetextdatafortheactivestatementisdisplayedintheTextDatapanewhentheActiveStatementcellisselected.

TheCompletedQueriespanelistsallrecordsmatchingthecurrentfilters.TheView


CompletedQueries

buttoninthePlancolumnwillopenaPlanExplorersessionfortheassociatedquery.Thedefaultfilteristodisplayallrecords.Therearetwomodesforthispane:DefaultandTotals.

Defaultmodelistspresentsalleventsfortheactivedaterangeinastandardlistformat,sorteddescendingbyEndTimebydefault.DefaultmodeisactivatedwheneverAuto-refreshisenabledbyclickingthe"Play"buttononthetoolbar,inwhichcasetheeventsforthelast10minuteswillbeshown,withneweventscominginautomaticallyatthetopofthelist.

TotalsmodeisenabledbyselectingtheShowTotalsbutton.ThiswillgroupalllikeeventstogetherusinganormalizedversionoftheTSQLwithallvariableparametersreplaced,andwillshowaggregatesforeachgroup.ThisenablesyoutoquicklydeterminewhicheventsareresponsibleforthemostCPUorIOactivityfortheactivedaterange.

SentryOne8.2introducesenhancedSQLtextdatanormalization.Ifupgradingfromabuildpriorto8.2,enhancednormalizationmustbeactivatedintheMonitoringServiceSettings>PerformanceMonitortab.

ProcedureStats

TheProcedureStatspaneprovidesaggregateinformationforallproceduresmatchingthecurrentfilters.TheViewPlanbuttoninthePlancolumnwillopenaPlanExplorersessionfortheassociatedprocedure.AdditionalhistoricalinformationmaybeavailableintheRuntimeStats.YoucanreachRuntimeStatsbyrightclickingonaprocedureandselectingJumpto->RuntimeStats.

SentryOneinstallationsupgradedfromaversionolderthan8.2willneedtoenabletheCollect Query StatsoptionintheTopSQLSourcesetting.

ProcedureStatsisnotavailableforSQLServer2000orSQLServer2005.

QueryStats

TheQueryStatspaneprovidesaggregateinformationforqueriesmatchingthecurrentfilter.Thisareawillalsoprovideinsightintoqueriesthatrunveryquicklyandinhighvolume.

SentryOneinstallationsupgradedfromaversionolderthan8.2willneedtoenabletheCollect Query StatsoptionintheTopSQLSourcesetting.

QueryStatsisnotavailableforSQLServer2000orSQLServer2005.

TextData TheTextDatapaneshowstheTSQLtextdataforthecurrentlyhighlightedTopSQLrecordwithsyntaxhighlighting.

PROCEDURESTATSANDQUERYSTATSCOLLECTIONThereare3settingsthatcanbeadjustedtochangehowlongaquerymustruntobecollected.ThesesettingsarelocatedintheTopSQLSourceareaintheSettingspane.

QueryStatsSampleInterval–SpecifieshowoftentosamplequerystatsFilterTimeSpan–SpecifiesthebaselengthoftimeoverwhichthecollectionfilterswillbeappliedtoQueryStatsMinimumDuration–SpecifiestheminimumdurationforastatementtobeloggedFilterFactor–TheFilterFactoriscalculatedbydividingtheQueryStatsSampleIntervalbytheFilterTimeSpan.ThecollectionfilterssuchasMinimumDurationaremultipliedbythisvaluewhenappliedtoQueryStatscollection.

EachoftheseSettingsplayapartinwhatiseffectivelycapturedforQueryStatsinyourenvironment.Asanexample,usingthefollowingdefaultsettings:

QueryStatsSampleInterval=60secondsFilterTimeSpan=30seconds


MinimumDuration=5seconds

Thetotalcumulativedurationofallexecutionsofaqueryoverthe60secondsampleintervalmustbegreaterthan10seconds.

CONTROLS

TOPPANEFilter(minimizedbydefault)-Afterchanginganyofthefilters,itisnecessarytoclicktheRefreshbutton,orpressF5,toapplythefilter.Clickonacombinationofitemsinanyoftheliststosetthefilters.Thedefaultfilteristodisplayallrecords.Toselectmorethanoneiteminalist,useshift-clickorctrl-click.MinimumDuration-settofilterbytheminimumruntimeforTopSQLevents.ShowTop-Dependingonthelengthofthedisplayedinterval,youmayhavealotofdatatoworkwith.Thissettingcontrolshowmanyoftherowsareactuallyretrieved.

ADDITIONALOPTIONSGrouped(maintoolbar)-thisisanonoroffoption.Whenoff,everyTopSQLeventislisted.Whenon,theTextDatabehindtheeventisnormalizedandthenthelistisgroupedbythatnormalizeddata.ShowHidden(maintoolbar)-Youcanhideindividuallinesorgroupsofrows.Thiswilltogglethedisplayofthoselines.See"Visible"below.ContextItems

RightclickonaTopSQLeventHide/HideGroup-hidestheselectedTopSQLevents.

NOTE: This will also disable any alerts for the events, and prevent them from being displayed on theEvent Calendar

JumptoDashboard-whenShowTotalsmodeisenabledalleventsbelongingtotheselectedgroupwillbeoverlaidontheDashboard.WhentheDefaultmodeisenabledonlytheselectedeventwillbeoverlaidontheDashboard.JumptoCalendar-gotothateventontheEventCalendar(requiresservertobewatchedwithEM).JumptoRuntimeStats-opensatabshowingtheruntimestatsfortheevent.JumptoPlanExplorer-opensthePlanExplorertabintheclient.KillProcess(runningqueriespaneonly)-optiontokilltherunningprocess.

Visible(availableinthecolumnchooser)-checkboxthattogglestheeffectof"Hide/HideGroup."

TOPSQLMETRICSTOPSQLMetric


Name Description

Server TheSQLServerinstancewheretheassociatedeventtookplace

Plan UsetheViewbuttontoopenanewPlanExplorerSessionforthecapturedplan.

TextData Associatedtextdatacapturedfortheevent.

EventClass Theeventclassoftheassociatedevent,seealso:MSDNEventClassReference.

Host NameoftheTargetonwhichtheassociatedeventisrunning.

Login TheWindowsorSQLServeraccountassociatedwiththeevent.

Application Nameoftheclientapplicationwhichcreatedtheconnection.

Database Nameofthedatabasefortheassociatedevent.

Duration Theamountoftimetakenbytheassociatedevent.

CPU TheamountofCPUtime(inmilliseconds)usedbytheevent.

CPU% ThepercentageofCPUtimeusedbythisevent,inrelationtoanyotherTopSQLEventswhichareshowninthegrid.

Reads Thenumberoflogicaldiskreadsperformedbytheserveronbehalftheevent.

Reads% Thepercentageofbytesreadbythisevent,inrelationtoanyotherEventswhichareshownintheTopSQLgrid.

Writes Thenumberofphysicaldiskwritesperformedbytheserveronbehalfoftheevent.

Writes% Thepercentageofbyteswrittenbythisevent,inrelationtoanyotherEventswhichareshownintheTopSQLgrid.

StartTime Timetheeventstarted.

EndTime Timetheeventended.

Information Additionaldatacapturedabouttheevent.

Error Errornumberofagivenevent.

SPID TheserverprocessID(SPID)thatisassignedtotheprocess.

HostProcessID TheIDassignedbythehostcomputertotheprocesswheretheclientapplicationisrunning.

HasPlan Trueiftheassociatedeventhasacapturedplan

HasStatements Trueiftheassociatedeventhascapturedstatements

Visible TheVisiblecolumnspecifiesthedefaultvisibilityfortheselectrow.QueriesmaybehiddeninTopSQL

9.5.1 PlanExplorer(integrated)

PlanExplorerisdesignedtomakequeryplananalysisfastandintuitive.ThereareanumberofwaystostartanewPlanExplorersessionwithinSentryOne.OntheTopSQLtab,theViewbuttoninthePlancolumnwillopenaPlanExplorersessionfortheassociatedcompletedorrunningquery.YoumayalsostartanewPlanExplorersessionwiththeNew Plan Explorer SessiontoolbarbuttonorthroughtheFilemenu.

PlanExplorerSessions(.pesession)aredesignedtohelpyoumanageanhistoricalrecordasyoufinetunequeries.Bydefault,anhistoricalentrywillbegeneratedaspartofthePlanExplorerSessionduringestimatedandactualplanretrieval.Seealso:PlanExplorerSessions

SQLServerMVPAaronBertrandhaswrittenextensivelyabouttheavailablefeaturesandbenefitsofusingSentryOnePlanExplorer.YoucanfindallofhisPlanExplorerrelatedpostsatthislink.

GENERAL



http://sqlblog.com/blogs/aaron_bertrand/archive/tags/Plan Explorer/default.aspx

ThescreenandwindowlayoutofPlanExplorerispersistedbydefault,andcanbesavedtoandloadedfromdisk.Defaulthorizontalandverticallayoutstylesareincluded;thehorizontallayoutisbettersuitedforshorterquerieswithwideplans,whiletheverticallayoutisbettersuitedforlongerqueries.Thelayoutcanbechangedbyselectingthedesiredlayoutbuttononthetoolbarorthroughthecontextmenuofanysection'sheader.

Entireplanscanbesavedtoandloadedfromfile,completewithallstatementandplaninformation.YoucansaveaplanwiththeSavebuttonlocatedonthetoolbarorthroughtheFilemenu.ASaveAscommandisalsoavailablefromtheFilemenu,allowingyoutokeepdifferentversionsofsimilarplans.

CustomizableTabLayout

ThePlanExplorertablayoutcanbecompletelycustomized.Eachtabcanbefullyundockedfromitsparentwindow,allowingyoutosimultaneouslyviewtheplandiagramalongsideanyotherchosenquerydetailtabs.Toundockatabfromitsparentwindow,simplyclickanddragthetab'stitlebar.Youmaychoosetoeitherre-dockthetabwithanexistingtab,orfloatthetabinastandalonewindow.Usethepushpintounpinthetabfromtheimmediatedockedview,anditwillbeauto-hiddenwhennotinuse.

STATEMENTSSECTIONTheStatementsTreetabshowsatreelistrepresentationoftheentirequerycallstack,includingallstatements,conditionallogicstructures,loopingstructures,nestedprocedurecalls,anddynamicSQLcalls.Estimatedcosts(Total,CPU,andIO)andestimatedrowsaredisplayedforeachstatement,andactualcostsandrowsareshownside-by-sideforanystatementscapturedviaTopSQLcollection.Anysignificantdifferences between estimated and actual rows for capturedstatements are highlighted, making it easy to spot cases where statistics may be stale.

Each of the three sections will be automatically synchronized when you select a statement. Thisincludes all the tabs in the Plan Details section. Use the Statements Tree to quickly find thehighest cost statements. Selecting any statement will show the graphical diagram, top operationslist, columns list, and tree list view for the statement’s execution plan.

TheCommandTexttaballowseditingoftheSQLforestimatedandactualplanretrieval.

NOTE:Whenusingacolumnfilterthatusesapercentvalue,useadecimalvalueforthefilter.Forexample,ifyou'dliketothefiltertobe50%,use0.5.

QUERYINFORMATIONSECTIONTheTextDatatabdisplaysthecolor-codedTSQLbatchorproceduredefinitionoftheplan.YoumaysavethetextwiththeSave SQLcontextmenucommandorcopythethetextdatatotheCommandTexttabwiththeCopy To Command Textcontextmenucommand.ThePlanXMLtabdisplaystheexecutionplaninXMLformat.Youmaysavetheplanin.sqlplanformat,withtheSaveExecution Plancontextmenucommand.

PLANDETAILSSECTIONWhenyouselectastatementintheStatementsSectionallthetabsinthePlanDetailssectionwillbesynchronizedwiththeselectedstatement.Toinspectormakemodificationstoanindex,theindexpropertieswindowcanbeopenedbyright-clickinganyindexoperationnodeinthePlanDiagramtab,oranygridrowwithintheotherPlanDetailstabs.Likewiseyoucancreatenewindexesviaaseparatecontextitem.WhenyouselectanoperationinanyofthePlanDetailstabsitwillbeautomaticallysynchronized.YoumayusetheCopycommand,availablethroughtheright-


clickcontextmenu,tocopyanyofthegridviewdatainthePlanDetailssection.

ThePlanDiagramtabhasanOptimizedlayoutalgorithmwhichrendersplansinamuchmorecondensedviewthanSSMS,somoreoftheplanfitsonthescreenwithouthavingtozoomout.Ifneeded,youcaneasilyzoominandoutbyholdingthectrlkeyandusingyourmousescrollwheel.Optimizedplannodelabelspreventtruncationofobjectnamesinmostcases.TodisabletruncationcompletelysofullobjectnamesarealwaysvisibleusetheFull Object Namescontextmenucommand.

Theestimatedcostoftheoperationisdisplayedabovetheeachnodeformaximumreadability.ThesecostlabelsusecolorscalingbyCPU,IO,orCPU+IOsohighestcostoperationsareinstantlyobvious,evenonlargerplans.CPU+IOisusedbydefault,thiscanbechangedthroughthecontextmenuCosts Byoption.AllcostsinthePlandiagramareshowntothefirstdecimalplace.

ThroughthecontextmenuofthePlanDiagramyoumayalsochoosetoshowcumulativecostsinlieuofpernodecosts;whencombinedwithcolorscalingthisfeaturemakesiteasytoseewhichsubtreesarecontributingmosttotheplancost.

TheconnectorlinewidthcanbescaledbyeitherrowordatasizewiththeLine WidthsBycontextmenucommand.Themetricyouchoosetoscaleby,willbedisplayedaboveallconnectorlineswithinthePlanDiagram.

ThePlanTreetabisatreerepresentationoftheplanwhichshowsalloperationsandassociatedmetrics.UsethearrowstoexpandandcollapsesectionsofthePlanTree.RightclickanycolumnheaderandusetheColumnChoosercommandtoaccessadditionalplanmetrics.Anysignificantdifferencesbetweenestimatesandactualsarehighlightedasarepossibleproblematicoperationslikescansandbookmarklookups.

TheTopOperationstabcontainsasortablelistviewofallplanoperations.Thelistviewissortedbytotalcostdescendingbydefaultsoyoucanimmediatelyseewhichoperationsarethehighestcost.

TheQueryColumnstabshowsexactlyhowdataisaccessedforeachcolumnusedbythequery,includingtheassociatedoperationandestimatedrows.Thisviewmakesiteasytoidentifybookmarklookupsorindexscansoccurringbecauseindexesarenon-covering.

TheParametertabshowsallstatementparameterswithruntimeandcompiledvalues.

WhenanActualPlaniscaptured,orgeneratedtheTableI/Otabwillbeshown.Thistabbreaksdownallthereadsfromaquerybyobject,makingitveryeasytoseewherethemajorityofyourI/Oiscomingfrom.

TheWaitStatstabwasintroducedaspartofthefeaturesetofSentryOne7.2.WhenanActualPlanisretrievedwithrelatedwaitstats,theWaitStatstabwillbedisplayednexttotheResultstab.TheWaitTypeisshownalongwithanyassociatedWaitTimeorSignalTime.TheWaitStatstabcanhelpyouinidentifyingpotentialresourcebottlenecks,includingthoserelatedtomemorypressure,CPUpressure,diskI/O,andnetworking.

Note:WaitstatsareonlyavailableforqueriesexecutedagainstserversrunningSQLServer2008ornewer.

PLANHISTORYSentryOnetracksallplanversionsforaparticularqueryovertime,soyoucaneasilydeterminewhenaplanhaschangedandcausedqueryperformanceproblems.Theplansaretheestimated


planscollectedatthetimeofqueryexecution.FormoreinformationpleaseseetheQueryPlanstopic.

9.5.1.1 PlanExplorerSessions

PlanExplorerSessionsaredesignedtohelpyoumanageanhistoricalrecordasyoufinetunequeries.Bydefault,anhistoricalentrywillbegeneratedaspartofthePlanExplorerSessionduringestimatedandactualplanretrieval.

Note:YoucanchangethebehaviorofhowPlanExplorergeneratesnewhistoricalentriesthroughtheUserPreferences(Tools→UserPreferences→PerformanceAnalysistab).TheOnlysavehistorywhencommandtextorInstancesettingschangeoptioncontrolsthisbehavior.

VERSIONHISTORYEachhistoricalentryretainsallcapturedplandetailsandmetricswithinthevariousPlanExplorertabs.Eachversionisassociatedwithauniqueversionnumber.PlanExplorerincludesaPlanHistorypane(Viewmenu→PlanHistory)whichallowsyoutoquicklynavigatethroughthedifferentversionswithintheactivePlanExplorerSession.YoucanalsodeleteaversionwiththeDeletecommandaccessedthroughthePlanHistorypanecontextmenu.

ADDINGCOMMENTSPlanExploreralsoallowsyoutoaddcommentstoeachhistoricalversion(Viewmenu→Comments).Thisallowsyoutoeasilykeeptrackofthereasoningbehindanychangesyoumake,suchaschangestothecommandtextoranyindexingoptimization.

MULTIPLESESSIONSANDTABSAseachsessionismanagedwithinitsowntab,multiplePlanExplorerSessionscanbeopenatthesametime.SentryOnewasdesignedwithamultipledocumentinterfaceallowingyouanumberofoptionswhenmanagingtabbedsessions,includingtheabilitytoarrangetabsbothhorizontallyandvertically,andtheabilitytotearofftabs.TabwindowingoptionscanbefoundintheWindowmenu.

SHARINGSESSIONFILESPlanExplorerSessionfilescanbeeasilysharedwithothers,eveniftheydon'thaveaccesstothefullSentryOneClient.

SentryOnePlanExplorerisastand-alonequeryanalysistool.PlanExplorerusessessionfilesinmanaginghistory,justliketheintegratedPlanExplorer,andcontainscompletesupportforopeningPlanExplorerSessionfilesgeneratedintheSentryOneClient.

PlanExplorercanalsoopensessionfilesinalimitedfashion.WhenyouopenaPlanExplorerSessionfile(.pesession)inPlanExploreryouarepresentedwithalistofallthehistoricalentriesinthatsession.Thelistcontainsinformationabouteachhistoricalentry,includingversionnumbersandcommentspreviouslyadded.Onceauserselectsaversiontheywishtoopen,itwillbeopenedasa.queryanalysisfile.

ThisispossiblebecauseeachhistoricalentryinaPlanExplorerSessionisactuallya.queryanalysisfile.PlanExplorerSessionfilesarearchivefiles,containingboththeindividual.queryanalysisfiles


http://www.sqlsentry.com/plan-explorer/sql-server-query-view.asp

andmetadataaboutthesession.

YoucanalsosaveanysinglehistoricalentryofaPlanExplorerSessionasastand-alone.queryanalysisfile.Withtheentryyouwishtosaveactive,usetheSaveAscommand(Filemenu→Saveas)andchoosethedesiredfiletype.

STARTINGANEWSESSIONYoucanstartanewPlanExplorerSessionanumberofways,including:

Filemenu→NewFromtheToolbarusetheNewPlanExplorerSessionbuttonDragginganddroppingaplanfileontotheapplication

SAVINGASESSIONYoucansaveaPlanExplorerSessionasfollows:

Filemenu→Save/SaveAsFromtheToolbarusetheSavebutton

9.5.1.2 SQLPerformance.comPlanUpload

SentryOnePlanExplorerincludessupportforuploadingseveraldifferentplanfiletypesdirectlytoSQLPerformance.comfromtheclient.Thisfeatureallowsyoutopostaquestion,withanincludedplan,totheSQLPerformance.comQ&Asiteanswers.sqlperformance.com.

Note:ForfurtherinformationaboutSQLPerformance.comandthePlanExplorerPlanUploadfeaturepleaseseethisannouncementbySQLServerMVPAaronBertrand.

YoumaypostthefollowingfiletypesdirectlytoSQLPerformance.comfromthePlanExplorerClient:

.pesession

.queryanalysis

.sqlplan*

.xml*

Note:Whenyouposteithera.sqlplanfileora.xmlfilethroughtheSentryOneClienttoSQLPerformance.comitwillautomaticallybeconvertedtoa.queryanalysisfile.

POSTINGAPLANTOSQLPERFORMANCE.COMTherearetwodifferentoptionsforpostingplanstoSQLPerformance.comfromtheSentryOneClient.ThefirsttimeyoupostaplantoSQLPerformance.comyouwillbepromptedtoregister.YourlogincredentialsforSQLPerformance.comwillbesavedlocallyinasecuremanner.OnceyouhaveuploadedaplantoSQLPerformance.comaweblinkisembeddedinthefile.Thislinkwillallowyoutojumpdirectlytoyourpost.Thislinkwillalsobeavailableforanyonewhodownloadstheplan.


http://www.sqlperformance.com/

http://answers.sqlperformance.com/index.html

http://www.sqlperformance.com/2013/02/t-sql-queries/plan-explorer-upload-feature

PostToSQLPerformance.comtoolbarbutton

FromthecontextofanyopenplanwithinPlanExplorer,youmayusethePostToSQLPerformance.combuttonfoundonthetoolbar.Thiswillopenaquestionform,automaticallyattachingthecurrentplan,allowingyoutoaddyourdesiredcommentorquestion.

YoualsohavetheoptiontoAnonymizeaqueryplanbeforeuploadingitbyusingtheassociatedcheckbox.Seealso:AnonymizePlans.

HelpMenu→SQLPerformance.comPost

AlternativelyyoumayuploadaplanfromtheHelpMenu(Help→SQLPerformance.comPost).Usingthismethodyouarenotrestrictedtothecurrentlyopenplan.Youmayuploadanyplanofyourchoice.

Note:WhenyouuploadaplanfromtheHelpMenualinkbacktothepostwillnotbeembeddedinthelocalfile.TheembeddedlinkwillbeavailableforthosewhodownloadtheplanfromSQLPerformance.com.

POSTING.SQLPLANAND.XMLFILESInadditiontoSentryOnePlanExplorer'sfiletypes(.queryanalysis,.pesession)youmayalsopost.sqlplanand.xmlfiletypesdirectlytoSQLPerformance.comthroughthePlanExplorerClient.Duringtheuploadprocessthesefileswillbeautomaticallyconvertedtothe.queryanalysisfiletype.

SECURITYOBFUSCATIONRegardlessofhowyouuploadaplan,connectionparametersstoredbySentryOnePlanExplorerareremovedfromtheplanduringtheuploadprocess.Thefollowingidentifyingconnectionparametersareautomaticallyremovedfromplansduringtheuploadprocess:

InstanceDatabaseLogin

ANONYMIZEPLANSSentryOnePlanExplorerhastheabilitytoobfuscatethesensitivedatainyourplans.PlanAnonymizationwillchangeallDatabase,Table,andColumnnamesinyourplanstogenericrepresentations.

Therearetwowaystousethisfeature:

Duringplanuploadyouwillbepresentedwiththeoptiontoanonymizetheplan.OnthePosttoSQLPerformance.comdialogform,selecttheAnonymizethequeryplanbeforeuploadcheckboxoption.Alternatively,youmayanonymizethecurrentlyopenplanusingtheAnonymizeButton


foundonthetoolbar.Youroriginalplanwillbepreservedinthecurrenttabandtheanonymizedplanwillbeopenedinanewtab.

9.5.1.3 PlanDiagramOptions

PlanExploreroffersseveraloptionsandstyleswhichcanbeappliedtothePlanDiagram.WhenaplanissavedthesevisualplanpropertiesaremaintainedaspartthePlanExplorerSession.ThisallowsyoutocreateaveryspecificviewofthePlandiagramforbothsharingandtroubleshootingpurposes.ForacompleterundownofthisfeaturepleaseseethisblogpostfromGregGonzalez.

PlanDiagramToolbar

Option Description

ZoomScalethePlanDiagrambetween6%-400%ofitsoriginalsize.YoumayalsouseCTRL+mousescrollwheeltoperformthisoperation.

Filter FilternodesfromthePlanDiagrambasedonCost.

Stretch StretchthelinksbetweenPlanDiagramnodes.

Flatten FlattensthespacebetweennodelevelsinthePlanDiagram.

Mode ThereareseveralModesavailablewhichwillchangethelayoutoftheentirePlanDiagramtree.

LinkStyle TheLinkStyleusedbetweennodesinthePlanDiagram.

Rotation RotatestheentirePlanDiagram90°.

Defaults Allplandiagramoptionsarereset.

9.5.1.4 IndexAnalysis

ThePlanExplorerIndexAnalysistabprovidesasandboxenvironmentforplanningindexingstrategyrelativetoaspecificoperationinaquery.ForIndexAnalysistobepopulated,thequerymustbeexecutedfromwithinthePlanexplorersessionusingthe“GetActualPlan”menuoption.

Indexanalysisinvolves5majorareas.

THESTATEMENTTREEANDPLANDIAGRAMSeethePlanExplorer(integrated)sectionformoreinformation.

THETEXTDATAAREASeethePlanExplorer(integrated)sectionformoreinformation.


http://blogs.sentryone.com/greggonzalez/plan-explorer-pro-2-5-query-plans-your-way/

THEINDEXESDATAGRIDThetoprowistheindexscore.Thisisbasedonseveralfactorsincludingcovering,valuedensity,sortingeffectiveness,andseekability.100%isthebestpossiblescore,howevertherearesomesituationsthatwillpreventthepossibilityofa100%score.Oneknowncauseiswhencolumnsaremissingstatistics.Thiswillbeindicatedbythepresenceofa“?”inseveralofthecolumnstatisticsvaluesforatablecolumn.

Columnstatisticsareprovidedforeachtablecolumnusedbythequery,withtablecolumnsusedbytheselectedoperationdisplayedinbold.

DATAGRIDCOLUMNS:TableColumn Nameofthecolumnintherelevantdatabasetable

Density Howselectivetherowvaluesareforthecolumn(lowervaluesaremoreselective)

LastUpdate Thedatethecolumnstatisticswerelastupdated

Avg.Length Averagelengthofdatavalues

EstimatedSize(MB) Theestimatedsizeofthecolumnvalues(inMB)

Output Checkedifthecolumnisanoutputfortheselectedoperation

SortType Sortorder(ASC,DESC)

SortOrder Ordinalpositionofthecolumninthesort

Predicate Thesearchorjoinpredicate(s)appliedtothetablecolumnbytheoperation

Columnsafterthe“Predicate”columnareallindexcolumns.Theseincludebothsomespecialcaseindexes,aswellastheindexesdefinedonthetable.Theyarelistedfromlefttorightinthefollowingorder:

1. Clusteredindex(ifexisting)2. Indexusedbytheoperation(ifnottheclusteredindex)3. MissingindexesaslistedintheSQLServermissingindexesDMO4. RecommendedindexesgeneratedbyPlanexplorer.Onoccasion,PlanExplorercanrecommendabetterindex

5. Theothernon-clusteredand/orcolumnstoreindexesthatexistforthetable,ordereddescendingbyscorefromlefttoright

Indexescanbemodified,aswellasscriptedforcreate,drop,ordropandcreate.Youmayalsomanuallyupdatestatisticsusingthebuttonatthebottomoftheindexcolumn.

INDEXCOLORING: Shadesofgreenindicatethattheordinalpositionofthecolumnissuchthatafavorableoperationmayoccur,suchasaseekoverascan.

Darkershadesofgreenindicatethatthecolumnisfiltered.

Yellowindicatesthatthecolumnisusedinthequery,andcovered,butisnotpartoftheleftsubsetoftheindexkey.Includedcolumnsarealsolistedinyellow.

Redindicatesthatthecolumninvolvedisnotcoveredbytheindex.

THEPARAMETERSDATAGRIDTheparametersgridlistsparametersusedbythequery.ThisdiffersfromthePlanexplorerParameterstabinthatitusestippingpointlogictohelpdeterminethetypeofoperation(SEEKorSCAN)thattheoptimizermightchooseforthatparametervalue.Thisisnotanexactscience,and


shouldbeusedasaroughguideline.

Theparametersgridprovidesa“TestValue”columnwhichallowsyoutoenteranewparametervalue,andaskforanewestimatedplan.Thisallowsyoutotestdifferentparametervaluesagainsttheplantoseeiftheplanshapewillchangegiventhatparametervalue.

ThesmallarrowstotherightofparametervaluesallowyoutoquicklyplacethevalueofthatparameterintotheTestValuescolumn.

THESTATISTICSHISTOGRAMCHARTThehistogramchartdisplaysthehistogramstepsfortheindexstatisticsvisually.Thisallowsyoutoquicklyspotpotentialparametersniffingissues.

Thischartalsoworksinconjunctionwiththeparametersgrid,andselectedparametersthatarepresentinthehistogramwillhavetheirhistogrambucketshighlightedonthechart.Thisalsoworksforparameterranges.

9.5.2 TopSQLRuntimeStats

TheTopSQLRuntimeStatsprovidesinsightintothefrequencyanddurationofthequeriesandproceduresthatarecapturedbyTopSQL.

RUNTIMEGRAPHSTherearetwoviewsavailableforthegraph,RuntimeHistoryandRuntimeAggregates.Thisselectioncanbemadefromthemaintoolbar.Thesegraphsmakeiteasytoidentifyruntimetrends,whichcanbeanindicatoroforeventuallyleadtoperformanceissueswiththeeventortheserver.

RuntimeHistoryGraphThisgraphshowsanentry'sactualruntimeandstatusoverthespecifiedinterval.Aredbarindicatesthatthatinstancefailed.

RuntimeAggregatesGraphThisgraphsshowthedistributionoftheentry’sactualruntimeoverthespecifiedinterval.

GRAPHCONTROLSUsetheNavigationtoolbartochangethestartdate/timeandintervalforthegraph.TheDayscontrolcangooutupto60daysatatime.Whenevertheselectedintervalislessthan1day(1minutethrough4hours),theDayscontrolwillbechangedto1day.

Min/MaxYVal

Whenaruntimegraphisfirstdisplayed,SentryOnewilltrytodeterminethemostappropriateintervalandmaximumY-axisvalue.Youcanchangeeitherofthesesettingsatany


time.

Auto-scaletoMaxValue

CheckingthisboxwillautomaticallyselecttheappropriateMaxYValueofthedatabeingshowninthecurrentview.

IntervalType ChangestheintervalusedfortheY-axis.

ShowValueLabels

Deselectthischeckboxtohidethebarvaluelabels.Thiscanbecomenecessaryforbroaderrangeswithhundredsorthousandsofbarstoreducethenoiseonthegraph.

RUNTIMEGRIDTheRuntimeGridprovidesadditionalinformationaboutcapturedTopSQLevents.ThisincludesbotheventsthatarecapturedaspartofthestandardTopSQLcollection,andfastrunningeventswhicharecapturedaspartofQueryStatscollection.TheeventslistedintheRuntimeGridarenotdependentonanyspecifictimerangeyouareviewing,anddonotupdatebasedontheselectedchartview.Instead,thecountrepresentsthetotalnumberofobservedoccurrencesoftheeventforwhichyouhavehistoryinSentryOne.TherespectiveMin,Max,andAveragedurationsareupdatedasnewoccurrencesoftheeventsareobservedinyourenvironment.

EventsarepurgedfromthelistaccordingtothePerformanceMonitor–PurgeHistoryOlderThansetting.YoucanseethelasttimeaneventoccurredbyusingtheLastExecutioncolumn.Ifaneventhasnotbeenobservedsincetheeffectivepurgehistoryolderthandate,therecordofitwillberemoved.

CONFIGURINGSETTINGSANDALERTSFORINDIVIDUALEVENTSInadditiontothecountanddurationmetrics,thereisalsoanoptiontooverrideexistinginheritedTopSQLRuntimethresholdsforspecificTopSQLevents.Todothis,clicktheOverridecheckboxtotherightofthevaluethatyouwouldliketooverrideandchangethevalue.ThesethresholdscorrespondtotheTopSQL:RuntimeThresholdMaxandTopSQL:RuntimeThresholdMinconditions,whichcanbeconfiguredattheInstancelevelandabove.Theabilitytoconfigurethresholdsforspecificevents,withoutalteringInstanceandgloballevelthresholds,allowsyoutofinetunethealertsyoureceive.

NAVIGATIONTOTHETOPSQLRUNTIMESTATSToaccesstheTopSQLRuntimeStats,youcanrightclickonaSQLServerInstanceandselectJumptoTopSQLRuntimeStats.Alternatively,youcanrightclickonanentryintheTopSQLtabandselectJumptoRuntimeStats,whichwillautomaticallyhighlighttheentrythatwasselected.

ForinformationregardingtheEventManagerRuntimeStats,seeRuntimeStats.

9.6 AlwaysOn

Appliesto:SQLSentry


TheSQLSentryAlwaysOnManagementpagecanbeaccessedbyright-clickingtheAllTargetsnodeintheNavigatorpaneandchoosingOpen→AlwaysOnManagement.YoumayalsoopenAlwaysOnManagementfromthecontextmenuofanySiteorGrouplevelnodeasapplicable.TheAlwaysOntabisalsoavailablewithinSentryOneforanymonitoredSQLServerinstancehostinganavailabilitygroupreplica.

TheAlwaysOnManagementpageisdividedintothreemainareas:

TheOverviewAreaoffersseveraluniqueactionableviewsofyourAlwaysOnenvironment,includingeasilydigestibleat-a-glanceStatusInformation.

TheHistoryAreadisplaysbothhistoricalchartsandAlwaysOnhealtheventsfromyourenvironment.

TheDetailsGridviewAreadisplaysbothhighlevelanddetailedlevelmetricsconcerningyourenvironment.

YoumaycustomizevisualaspectsoftheAlwaysOnviewsaroundyouruniqueenvironment,includingthedefaultthresholdsforLogandRecoveryQueues.SeetheCustomizationsectionformoreinformation.

AlwaysOnManagementincludesfullalertingcapabilitysurroundingyourAlwaysOnenvironment.FullycustomizableConditionsareavailabletoalertyouonbothHealthandFailoverstatus.Formoreinformation,seetheAlwaysOnAlertingsection.

SERVERVISIBILITYWhenyoumonitortheSQLServerinstancehostingthePrimaryReplicaofanavailabilitygroupwithSQLSentry,theentiretopologyofthatavailabilitygroupwillbedisplayedaspartoftheOverviewArea.Unwatchedinstanceshostingreplicasaredisplayedwithagraybackground.

InordertoenablecompleteAlwaysOnmonitoringandalerting,eachreplicaintheavailabilitygroupshouldbewatchedwithSQLSentry.Statusinformationisnotavailableforunwatchedreplicas.Thisincludeshistoricalmetrics,charts,anddatapertainingtoanyassociatedSendorRecoveryQueues.

Tomonitoraserverright-clickthenodeandchooseWatchfromthecontextmenu.

OVERVIEWAREATheOverviewAreacontainsseverallayoutsformanagingyourAlwaysOnenvironmentfromseveralperspectives,including:theWindowsServerFailoverClusterlevel,theAvailabilityGrouplevel,theSQLServerInstancelevel,andtheReplicalevel.TheLayoutStylecanbechangedfromthedropdownlistlocatedinthetopcorneroftheOverviewArea.

StatusinformationwhichiscommontoseveralviewscanbefoundintheStatusInformationsection.

STATUSINFORMATIONEachoftheOverviewDiagramscontainsauniquerepresentationofthoseindividualavailabilityreplicas/WSFCswhicharepartofyourmanagedAlwaysOnenvironment.Regardlessoftheselectedview,thesenodesandthepipesconnectingthemallshareacommonsetofvisualstatusinformationwhichisdescribedbelow.

ContextMenuOptions


Watch–WatchtheSQLServerinstancehostingthereplicawithSentryOnePerformanceAnalysisAddReplica–OpensthenativeSSMS"AddReplicatoAvailabilityGroup"dialogRemoveReplica–OpensthenativeSSMS"RemoveSecondaryReplicafromAvailabilityGroup"dialogFailover–OpensthenativeSSMS"FailOverAvailabilityGroup"dialog

NodeSpecificThenodesconveystatusandconfigurationinformationaboutthereplica,includingQueueHealth,Connectionmode,andoverallHealthStatus.

Labels

InstanceName-OnapplicableviewsthenodecontainsalabelwiththeSQLServerinstancename.

AvailabilityReplicaRole-Eachnodeislabeledindicatingtheroleoftheavailabilityreplica,asAGPrimary,AGSecondary,orFCISecondar

IndicatorBars

HealthStatus-Thehealthstatusoravailabilitygroupstateisrepresentedbytheleftbarofthenode.Greenrepresentsahealthyavailabilitygroupstate.Pinkrepresentsanunhealthyavailabilitygroupstate.TheHealthStatusbarwillalsobepinkifconnectivityhasbeenlostbetweentheSentryOneMonitoringServiceandtheSQLServerinstance.

QueueIndicator-TheLogSendQueue/RecoveryQueuestatusisvisuallyrepresentedbythebarontheright.Astherespectivequeuegrowsthecolorwillchangefromadarkgreen,tolightgreen,toorange.OncetheQueueKBThresholdhasbeenpassedthecolorwillchangetored.

StatusBoxes

FailoverMode-Thefailovermodeoftheavailabilityreplicaisindicatedintheleftstatusbox.

AutomaticFailovermode-representedwithaplayicon

Manualmode-doesnotcontainanicon.

ClientConnectionMode-Theclientconnectionmodeoftheavailabilityreplicaisrepresentedinthecenterstatusbox.Iftheavailabilityreplicaisareadablesecondaryitwillberepresentedwithasmallglyph.

FailoverClusterInstances-IfthenodeisaFailoverClusterInstance(FCI)itwillberepresentedintherightstatusbox.

AvailabilityMode

Theavailabilitymodeoftheavailabilityreplicaisrepresentedasfollows:

Asynchronous-commitmode-isrepresentedbytwoblacklinesdrawnonthepipebetweenavailabilityreplicas.

Synchronous-commitmode-isrepresentedbytheabsenceofthesetwoblacklinesdrawn


onthepipe.

PipeandColorSpecificThevisualcharacteristicsofthepipesconnectingthenodesconveystatusinformationaboutthehealthoftherelationshipbetweennodes.Pipesaturationisanindicatoroftheamountofinformationmovingbetweenreplicas.Pipecolorisdependentontherecoveryqueueofthesecondary.

PipeSaturation

Thepipebecomessaturatedastheamountofdatabeingtransferredincreases.MoreexplicitlythepipebecomessaturatedastheKBToReplica/secvalueapproachestheKBToReplica/secthreshold.

Bydefault,theKBToReplica/secthresholdvalueisdynamicandwillbethehighestglobalvalueseenbetweenreplicassincefirstopeningtheAlwaysOntab.

TheKBToReplica/secthresholdcancustomizedwiththeAlwaysOn.AvailabilityReplicaTransferThresholdtableintheSentryOneDatabase.SeeAlso:Customization

PipeColor

Thepipecolorchangesastherecoveryqueuegrows;thecolorwillchangefromadarkgreen,tolightgreen,toorange,andfinallyoncetheRecoveryQueueKBThresholdhasbeenpassedthecolorwillchangetored.

BydefaulttheRecoveryQueueKBThresholdvalueis1MBor1024KB.TheRecoveryQueueKBThresholdcanbecustomizedwiththeAlwaysOn.AvailabilityReplicatableintheSentryOneDatabase.SeeAlso:Customization

HISTORYAREATheHistoryAreacontainstabsforCharting,ErrorLog,andReplicaStateChanges.Informationineachtabisshownbasedontheselectedtimerange.Inlivemode,eachtabincludesthelasttenminutesofcollecteddata.Updatingthetimerangeonthetoolbarwillchangethisdisplayedrange.EachoftheHistorytabsiscontextawareandwilldisplayinformationbasedonthenodeorrowselectedineithertheOvervieworGridviewArea.Clickingonthediagrambackgroundwilldisplayloginformationforallnodesandreplicas.

ALWAYSONHEALTHCOLLECTIONTheErrorLogandReplicaStateChangestabsareinitiallydisabled.ThisisbecauseAlwaysOnhealthcollectionisdisabledbydefaulttopreventinnocuousentriesassociatedwithExtended


EventsfrombeingrepeatedlyloggedtotheSQLServerErrorLogwithoutyourknowledgeorapproval.PleaseseetheupdatebelowforalinktoCU6forSQLServer2012SP1,whichcontainsafixforthisissue.

Ifyou’dliketoenablehealthcollection,clicktheEnablebuttononeithertheErrorLogorReplicaStateChangestab.

IMPORTANT:EnablingautomatedAlwaysOnhealth(errorandstatechangeinfo)collectionwillcauseinnocuousentriesassociatedwithExtendedEventstoberepeatedlyloggedtotheSQLServerErrorLog,asdescribedinMicrosoftConnectitem783036.WeareworkingcloselywithMicrosofttocorrectthisunfortunatebehavior.Untilitiscorrected,pleasenotethattheentry,“Using'dbghelp.dll'version'4.0.5'”,willbesenttotheErrorLogonallSQLServerswithAvailabilityGroupsmonitoredbySentryOne,attheratespecifiedbythecollectioninterval.

UPDATE:CumulativeUpdatepackage6forSQLServer2012SP1addressesthisissue.Oncetheupdatehasbeenapplied,innocuousentriesassociatedwithExtendedEventswillnolongerbeloggedtotheSQLServerErrorLog.

TheenabledstatusandintervalcanbeadjustedatanytimefromtheSentryOneMonitoringService->Settings->EventMonitortab.

ChartingAreaVariouschartsrelatedtoyourmanagedAlwaysOnenvironmentareavailableintheexpandableHistoryAreaoftheAlwaysOnManagementtab.TheChartingareaiscontextawareandwilldisplaychartsbasedontheselectednodeorrow.

Forinstance,fromtheWSFCNodeGroup/Matrixlayout,ifyouselectaPrimaryAvailabilityReplica,chartsfortheKBtoReplicas/secandLogSendQueueKBmetricswillbedisplayed.SelectingaSecondaryAvailabilityReplicawilldisplaychartswiththeKBtoReplicas/secandRecoveryQueueKBmetrics.

IfyouselectaWSFCintheWSFCMemberslayout,pertinentmetricsforeachrespectiveAvailabilityGrouphostedontheWSFCwillbedisplayed,includingKBToReplicas/secandKBfromReplicas/secmetrics.

ErrorLogTheErrorLogallowsyoutoviewanyAlwaysOnHealtheventsthatareclassifiedaserrorsinyourmanagedenvironment.ThislogisequivalenttoviewingAlwaysOnerrorHealthEventsaccessedfromthenativeAlwaysOndashboard,butoffersanumberofadvantages.

TheErrorLogiscontextawareandwilldisplayonlyerrorsrelatedtotheselectednodeorrow.Inlivemode,thisincludesthelasttenminutesofcollecteddata.Updatingthetimerangeonthetoolbarwillchangethisdisplayedrange,allowingyoutoeasilyviewanhistoricalsubsetoferrorsforanyparticularserver.

ReplicaStateChangesTheReplicaStateChangestabdisplaysAlwaysOnHealtheventsthatareclassifiedasReplicaStateChanges.ThislogisequivalenttoviewingAlwaysOnavailability_replica_state_changehealtheventsaccessedfromthenativeAlwaysOndashboard,butoffersanumberofadvantages.

TheReplicaStateChangestabiscontextawareandwilldisplayonlystatechangesrelatedtotheselectednodeorrow.Inlivemode,thisincludesthelasttenminutesofcollecteddata.Updatingthetimerangeonthetoolbarwillchangethisdisplayedrange,allowingyoutoeasilyviewanhistoricalsubsetofstatechangesforanyparticularserver.

ALWAYSONALERTING


http://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/details/783036/extended-events-and-dbghelp-dll

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2874879

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2878139

AlwaysOnAlerting

SentryOneAlwaysOnManagementincludestheabilitytoconfigurecustomizablealertsspecifictothestatusandhealthofyourmonitoredAvailabilityGroups.

ThreeFailsafeConditionsareavailable:

SQLAvailabilityGroupFailoverSQLAvailabilityReplicaHealthySQLAvailabilityReplicaUnhealthy

EachoftheseConditionsexposesseveralConditionFilterswhichcanhelpyoutocompletelycustomizeyourdesiredalerts.ConfiguringAlertsSelect the node appropriate to the level you would like to configure the action for in the NavigatorPane and then the Failsafe Actions tab in the Conditions pane. If you do not see the Conditionspane, use the View menu → Failsafe Actions.

Next,youwillwanttoclicktheAddbuttonfoundintheConditionspane.ThiswillopentheSelectActionwindow.ExpandtheapplicableObjectandCondition.Usethecheckbox(s)toselectwhichActionsshouldbetakeninresponsetothisConditionbeingmet.ClicktheOKbutton.

FormoreinformationaboutActionsthatcanbetakenwhenaConditionismet,seetheActionstopic.

CUSTOMIZATIONCustomizingPipeSaturation

Bydefault,theKBToReplica/secthresholdvalueisdynamicandwillbethehighestglobalvalueseenbetweenreplicassincefirstopeningtheAlwaysOntab.TheKBToReplica/secthresholdcanbecustomizedwiththeAlwaysOn.AvailabilityReplicaTransferThresholdtableintheSentryOneDatabase.Itactsasamappingtableallowingyoudefineaspecificvalue/thresholdforthemaximumallowedbytes(KBtoReplica/secThreshold).Bydefault,thetablewillnothaveanyrecords,andinthisstatethethresholdwillbedynamicasmentionedabove.

IfyouwouldliketosetanewKBToReplica/secthresholdvaluespecificforallreplicasinvolvedinaWSFCnode–WSFCnoderelationship,youwouldaddarecordwiththePrimaryNodeName,SecondaryNodeName,andMaxBytesSentToSecondaryPerSecvaluesdefined.TheWSFCnodenamescanbefoundintheAlwaysOn.ClusterNodeandAlwaysOn.AvailabilityReplicatables.

ID PrimaryNodeName SecondaryNodeName MaxBytesSentToSecondaryPerSec

IfyouwouldliketosetanewGlobalKBToReplica/secthresholdvalue,youcanaddarecordwithjustaMaxBytesSentToSecondaryPerSecvalue.Forinstance,ifyouwantedtosetaGlobalvalueof5KB:--Set a Global Value of 5KB

INSERTINTO [SentryOne].[AlwaysOn].[AvailabilityReplicaTransferThreshold](MaxBytesSentToSecondaryPerSec)


VALUES(5120);


1 Null Null 5120

ThenewGlobalKBToReplica/secthresholdvalueisnow5KB.

IfyouwouldliketosetanewKBToReplica/secthresholdvaluespecifictoaPrimaryReplica-SecondaryReplicarelationship,youwouldaddarecordwiththePrimaryNodeName,SecondaryNodeName,andMaxBytesSentToSecondaryPerSecvaluesdefined.--Set a Value specific to a Relationship

INSERT INTO [SentryOne].[AlwaysOn].[AvailabilityReplicaTransferThreshold](PrimaryNodeName, SecondaryNodeName, MaxBytesSentToSecondaryPerSec)VALUES('MyPrimary','MySecondary',5120);


1 MyPrimary MySecondary 5120

TheKBToReplica/secthresholdvalueforthespecific‘MyPrimary’–‘MySecondary’isnow5KB.Thedefaultglobalvaluewillbeusedforallotherreplicas.

IfyouwouldliketosetanewKBToReplica/secthresholdvalueforaspecificPrimaryReplica,tobeusedwithallofitsSecondaryReplicas,youwouldaddarecordwithjustthePrimaryNodeNameandMaxBytesSentToSecondaryPerSecvaluesdefined.--Set a Value Specific to a Primary Replica to be used with all of its Secondaries

INSERT INTO [SentryOne].[AlwaysOn].[AvailabilityReplicaTransferThreshold](PrimaryNodeName, SecondaryNodeName, MaxBytesSentToSecondaryPerSec)VALUES('MyPrimary',Null,5120);


1 MyPrimary Null 5120

TheKBToReplica/secthresholdvalueforallSecondaryreplicasinarelationshipwiththe‘MyPrimary’replicaisnow5KB.

YoumayaddmultiplerecordstotheAlwaysOn.AvailabilityReplicaTransferThresholdtable,allowingyoutoeasilydefineKBToReplica/secthresholdsspecifictoyourenvironment.

CustomizingPipeandQueueIndicatorcolors

Bydefault,thereisaGlobalRecoveryQueueandLogSendQueueKBThresholdvalueof1MBor1024KB.ThesevaluescanbecustomizedwiththeAlwaysOn.AvailabilityReplicatableintheSentryOneDatabaseusingtheLogSendQueueKBMaxandRecoveryQueueKBMaxcolumns.


EachReplicainyourmonitoredenvironmenthasanentryintheAlwaysOn.AvailabilityReplicatable.Bydefault,theLogSendQueueKBMaxandRecoveryQueueKBMaxcolumnswillbenull.Whenthisisthecase,thedefaultGlobalvalue(1MB)willbeusedforeachrespectiveQueue.Youcansetthesecolumnstoyourdesiredvalueforeachofyourreplicas.

Forexample,ifIwantedtoupdatetheLogSendQueueKBThresholdvalueformyreplicanamed‘MyPrimary’tobe10MBs,Icouldupdatethetableasfollows:--Set a new Log Send Queue KB Threshold value for my replica ‘MyPrimary’

Update

[SentryOne].[AlwaysOn].[AvailabilityReplica]

set

LogSendQueueKBMax=10240Where

ReplicaServerName='MyPrimary'

Thereplica‘MyPrimary’willnowhaveaLogSendQueueKBThresholdvalueof10240KBor10MB.

ID ReplicaServerName LogSendQueueKBMax RecoveryQueueKBMax

1 MyPrimary 10240 Null

9.7 QueryPlans

Appliesto:SQLSentryandDBSentry

The Query Plans tab lists all plans collected for Top SQL events for the specified date range. Thisprovides a detailed chronology of all query plan changes, so you can go back to any point in timeto see when a plan change may have led to a query performance problem.

The "Show Totals" toolbar button controls whether or not the grid lists plans grouped bystored procedure.

You can jump to this tab by highlighting a range on the dashboard as usual. For example,if you see a spike in parallelism waits on the SQL Server Waits chart, highlight the spikeand select Jump To -> Query Plans, then sort by the "Parallel Operations" column todetermine which queries likely caused the spike. The same approach can be used to findqueries with key or RID lookups since "Lookups" are now shown on the dashboard, aswell as other metrics that correlate such as I/O and table/index scans.

DISPLAY PANESThe filter pane allows you to filter the Query Plans by SQL Server.

Thebottompaneliststherecordsmatchingthecurrentfilters.Therearetwomodesforthispane:DefaultandTotals.The Default mode lists presents all events for the active date range in a standard list format,


sorted in order by DatabaseName, ObjectName, and StatementCreationTime (descending).

The Totals mode lists presents all events for the active date range in a standard list format, sortedin order by DatabaseName, ObjectName, and PlanCreationTime (descending).

CONTROLSTOP PANE

Filter (minimized by default) - After changing the filter, it is necessary to click the Refreshbutton, or press F5, to apply the filter.

BOTTOM PANETo open the plan in the Query Plan Analysis window, select the View button underthe Plan column (depending on whether the "Show Totals" button is selected, you willneed to expand the Database Name to see the Plan column).

NOTE:Thecontextmenuprovidesanoptionto"Highlightrecompilesinthecurrentdaterange"forastatementbyenablingthecheckbox.

9.8 Indexestab

Appliesto:SQLSentry

INDEXES TAB TheIndexestabdisplaysinformationthathasbeencollectedaboutyourtablesandindexesbySentryOneFragmentationManager.TheIndexestabcanbeusedtohelpyoumakeintelligentdecisionsaboutindexmanagementinyourenvironment:suchaswhenandhowtoperformdefragmentationoperations,whentoadjustfillfactors,orevenwhenanindexdefinitionshouldbechanged.

IndexesTabSections

Section Description

OverviewCharts TheOverviewchartsection,locatedatthetopofthetab,displaysasetofchartswhichcontainaggregatestatisticsaboutalltheindexesanalyzedbyFragmentationManager.

IndexGridView TheIndexGridViewsection,locatedinthemiddleportionofthetab,allowsyoutoviewindexrelatedstatisticsinatabularformat.

DetailsCharts TheDetailchartsection,locatedatthebottomofthetab,displaysasetofchartswhichdisplaystatisticsuniquetotheindividualindex.Selectinganindexinthegridviewareawillupdatethedetaillevelcharts.

Filter

TheFiltersection,locatedatthetopofIndexestab,iscollapsedbydefault.Itcanbeusedtofilterwhatisshowninthegridviewsection.YoucanfilterbySQL ServerorDatabase,andyoucanalsocontrolthenumberofrowsshowninthegridviewwiththeShow Topoption.

YoucaneasilycustomizethelayoutoftheIndexestab.Todoso,rightclickanysectionheadingandchoosetheCustomizeLayoutoption.

OVERVIEWCHARTSTheOverviewChartscontainaggregatestatisticsaboutalloftheindexesanalyzedontheTargetbyFragmentationManager.Forinformationabouteachspecificchartandrelatedmetricsseethesectionsbelow.

TOTALFRAGMENTATIONTheTotalFragmentationchartdisplaysaonceadayaggregationofthefragmentationlevelsforallindexesthathavebeenanalyzedbyFragmentationManager.Eachindex'sfragmentationlevelforthedayissummarized,andtheindexesarenextgroupedbyrange;<10%,10-20%,20-30%,and>30%.

TheY-axisnumbersrepresentthetotalnumberofindexesbelongingtotheTargetthathavebeenanalyzedbyFragmentationManager.Whenyouselectarangeonthechart,theindexeswhichfallintothecorrespondingrangewillalsobehighlightedintheindexgridview.

TOTALSPACEUSAGE(MB)TheTotalSpaceUsagechartsummarizesdiskusageforeachindexwhichhashaddatacollectedoverthespecifiedtimeframe.Asa


reminder,youcanadjusttheminimumandmaximumindexsizecollectionthresholdsintheDatabaseSourceSettings.

ThecharthasindividualrepresentationsforUnusedspace,Usedspace,andEmptyspace.Unusedspaceisrepresentedatthebottomofthechart,Usedspaceinthemiddle,andEmptyspaceatthetop.Seethetablebelowfortheexplanationsofeachmetric.

Metric Description

Unused Unusedspaceistheamountofdiskspacewhichhasbeenallocatedforindexpages,butdoesnotcontainanyindexpages.

Used Usedspaceistheamountofdiskspacewhichhasbeenallocatedforindexpages,anddoescontainindexpages.

EmptyThisistheamountofemptyorunfilledspace,withinanyindexpages.Lackofpagefullnesscouldindicatethatindexfillfactorsneedtobeadjusted.

TOTALBUFFERUSAGE(MB)TheTotalBufferUsagechartsummarizesSQLServerbufferusage,duringthespecifiedtimerange,foreachindexthathashaddatacollected.ThereareindividualrepresentationsofUsedspaceandEmptyspace.

Metric Description

Used RepresentsthesizeoftheUsedIndexpagescontainedwithintheSQLServerBufferpool.

Empty

Representstheamountofemptyorunfilledspace,withinthoseindexpagesthatresideintheSQLServerBufferPool.

TheEmptyBuffermetriccanbedirectlymappedtotheEmptydiskmetric.Thisisbecauseapagethatisonly50%fullondiskwillalsobeonly50%fullwhenitiscontainedintheBuffer.

DETAILCHARTSTheDetailChartscontainstatisticsaboutindividualindexesanalyzedontheTarget.

INDEXFRAGMENTATIONTheIndexFragmentationchartshowsthefragmentationpercentageoftheselectedindex,measuredduringeachscheduledFragmentationScan.Ifareorganizationorrebuildoperationwasperformedontheindex,andyouhavetheRun Post-defrag Analysissettingenabled,youwillalsoseedatapointswhichrepresentthefragmentationpercentaftertherebuildorreorganizationoperationiscomplete.Thischartcanbeusedtohelpyoudeterminewhatkindoffragmentationmanagementscheduleshouldbeappliedtotheindex.

Asmentioned,eachdatapointonthechartrepresentsaFragmentationManageroperation.Youmaydouble-clickonanydatapointtoopentheEventCalendarfortheselectedoperation.ThebackgroundcolorsofthechartcorrespondtothesamerangesandcolorsasfoundintheTotalFragmentationchart.

INDEXSPACEUSAGETheIndexSpaceUsagechartshowshowmuchoftheselectedindexwaslocatedondiskandinbuffer,overtheselectedtimeframe.Itcanalsogiveyouanideaabouthowmuchdiskandbufferspaceisbeingwastedbytheindex,duetonon-fullpages.

Metric Description

UnusedDisk Theamountofdiskspacewhichhasbeenallocatedforindexpages,butdoesnotcontainindexpages.

UsedDisk Usedspaceistheamountofdiskspacewhichhasbeenallocatedforindexpages,anddoesactuallycontainindexpages.

EmptyDisk Thisistheamountofemptyorunfilledspace,withinanyoftheIndexpages.

EmptyBufferRepresentstheamountofdiskspacetakenupbyemptyorunfilledspace,withinthoseindexpages,thatresideintheSQLServerBufferPool.

UsedBufferUsedBufferrepresentsthesizeoftheUsedIndexpagescontainedwithintheSQLServerBufferpoolforthespecifiedindex.

INDEXACTIVITYTheIndexActivitychartgivesyouaviewofhowtheselectedindexisbeingusedoverthespecifiedtimeframe.Youcanusethischarttohelpidentifybothunusedindexesandthecostofyourheavilyusedindexes.

Metric Description

UserScans Thenumberofscanoperationsontheindexcausedbyuseractivity.

UserSeeks Thenumberofseekoperationsontheindexcausedbyuseractivity.


UserLookups

Thenumberoflookupscausedbyuseractivity.

Foraclusteredindex,thisnumberrepresentsthenumberofkeylookupsdoneagainsttheindex.N/Afornon-clusteredindexForaheap,thisnumberindicatesthenumberofRIDlookups.

UserUpdates

Thenumberofupdatescausedbyuseractivity.Indicatesthelevelofmaintenanceontheindexcausedbyinsert,update,ordeleteoperationsdonetotheunderlyingtable.

SystemScans Thenumberofscanoperationsontheindexduetosystemqueries.

ForgeneralinformationabouttheIndexusagestatisticsseethesys.dm_db_index_usage_statsMSDNtopic.

INDEXGRIDVIEWTheIndexGridView,locatedinthecenteroftheIndexestab,containsvariousstatisticsaboutyourindividualindexes.WhenyouselectanindexinthegridviewtheDetailindexchartswillbeupdatedwithinformationspecifictothatindex.

Youcanapplyfiltersandorderthedatabyvariouscolumns.Toapplyafiltertothegridview,mouseoveracolumnandselectthefiltersymbollocatedintheupperrighthandcornerofthecolumnheader.Afteryouapplyafilter,thefiltersymbolwillpersistinthecolumn'sheader,allowingyoutoeasilyseewhichcolumnshavefiltersapplied.Additionally,thecolumnnameandanyassociatedfilteredtextwillbedisplayedatthebottomofthegridview.UsetheXbuttonlocatedbesidethefilteredtexttoremovethefilter,orusethedropdownboxtocyclethroughfilteredcolumns.YoucanalsoedittheappliedfilterswiththeEdit Filter buttonfoundinthebottomofthegridview.Filterscanalsobeappliedthroughtherightclickcontextmenuofanycolumn.

TheinformationdisplayedintheOverviewChartsisnoteffectedbyfiltersappliedintheGridview.

Toorderthegridviewbyacolumn'svalue,simplyselectthecolumnheader.Anarrowwillbeshowninthecolumn'sheaderindicatingthatthegridviewisbeingorderedbythatcolumn.Cyclethroughascendinganddescendingorderbyselectingthecolumn'sheader.

IndexGridViewColumns

Column Description Notes

SQLServer ThenameoftheSQLServerwheretheindexresides.

Database ThenameoftheDatabasewheretheindexresides

Table ThenameofTablewheretheindexresides

Index ThenameoftheIndex.

Type

TheTypeofIndex.Heap,ClusteredIndex,Non-clusteredIndex,PrimaryIndex,SpatialIndex,orXMLIndex.ForgeneralinformationaboutthedifferenttypesofindexesseetheTypesofIndexesMSDNarticle.

PrimaryKey Specifiesiftheindexispartofaprimarykeyconstraint.

Unique Specifiesiftheindexispartofauniqueconstraint.

DataSpaceType

SpecifiestheDataSpaceType.

FG-FileGroup

PS-PartitionScheme

FD-Filestreamdatafilegroup

Size(MB) Theamountofdiskspacerepresentedinmegabytestakenupbytheindex.

Used(MB) Usedspaceistheamountofdiskspacewhichhasbeenallocatedforindexpages,anddoescontainindexpages.

Used(MB)inBufferRepresentsthesizeoftheUsedIndexpagescontainedwithintheSQLServerBufferpool.

Empty(MB)inBuffer Representstheamountofemptyorunfilledspace,withinthoseindexpagesthatresideintheSQLServerBufferPool.

RowCount Thenumberofrowsofdatabelongingtotheindex. NotavailableforLimitedScanmode.

Avg%Fragmented Theaveragefragmentationpercentageoftheindexasrecordedduringthelastfragmentationscan. NotavailablewithaSampledScanforheaps.

Avg%PageSpaceUsedTheaveragepercentageofavailabledatastoragespaceusedinallthepagesoftheselectedindex.Thisindicatespagefullness.

NotavailableforLimitedScanmode.

FillFactor TheFillFactorsetfortheselectedindex.FormoreInformationseetheSpecifyFillFactorforanIndexMSDNtopic.

Metric Description





UserScansDeltaThenumberofscanoperationsontheindexcausedbyuseractivitysincethelastsampletime(every15minutes).

Status Thecurrentstatusofanydefragmentationoperationsbeingperformedontheselectedindex.

StartTime Thestarttimeofthelastdefragmentationoperationthatwasperformedontheselectedindex.

EndTime Theendtimeofthelastdefragmentationoperationthatwasperformedontheselectedindex.

Duration Thedurationofthelastdefragmentationoperationthatwasperformedontheselectedindex.

LastMessageIndicatesthelastdefragmentationoperationrelatedtothisindex,includingthelastdefragmentationmethodusedontheselectedindex.

AvgRecordSize(bytes) Indicatestheaveragerecordsizeinbytesfortheselectedindex. NotavailableforLimitedScanmode.

CompressedPages Thenumberofcompressedpagesfortheselectedindex.

EnabledIndicatesiftheIndexhasbeenmadeavailable.SetintheindexpropertiesofthenativeSQLServertools.

ForwardedRecords Representsthenumberofrecordsinaheapthathaveforwardpointerstoanotherdatalocation.Forwardpointerscanbeaddedduringupdates,whenthereisnotenoughroomtostorethenewrowintheoriginallocation.

OnlyavailableforIndexType:Heap.

NotavailablewithaLimitedScan.

GhostRecords

Numberofghostrecordsreadyforremovalbytheghostcleanuptaskintheallocationunit.Ghostrecordsarerecordsthathavebeenlogicallydeletedfromapagebutnotphysicallydeleted.

FormoreinformationaboutGhostRecordsseethesetwoSQLSkillsarticlesbyPaulRandal:

InsidetheStorageEngine:Ghostcleanupindepth

Ghostcleanupredux

NotavailablewithaLimitedScan.

Pages Thetotalnumberofindexpagesfortheselectedindex.

UnusedDisk(MB) Theamountofdiskspacewhichhasbeenallocatedforindexpages,butdoesnotcontainindexpages.

Used% Thepercentofdiskspacewhichhasbeenallocatedforindexpagesandcontainsindexpages.

VersionGhostRecords Numberofghostrecordsretainedbyanoutstandingsnapshotisolationtransactioninanallocationunit. NotavailablewithaLimitedScan.

LOBData SpecifiesiftheindexcontainsoneormoreLOBdatatype.

INDEXGRIDVIEWCONTEXTMENUCOMMANDSAsapplicablethefollowingcommandsareavailablethroughtheright-clickcontextmenuoftheIndexGridandTreeView.

Command Description

IndexProperties UsetheIndexPropertiescommandtoviewtheIndexPropertiesoftheselectedindexinthenativeSQLServertools.

AnalyzeFragmentationNow

SelectedyourdesiredmodetoperformanFragmentationanalysisontheselecteditem.

Limitedmodeisthefastestmodeandscansthesmallestnumberofpages.Foranindex,onlytheparent-levelpagesoftheB-treeareScanned.Foraheap,onlytheassociatedPFSandIAMpagesareexamined;thedatapagesoftheheaparenotscanned.

Samplemodereturnsstatisticsbasedona1percentsampleofallthepagesintheindexorheap.Iftheindexorheaphasfewerthan10,000pages,DetailedmodeisusedinsteadofSampled.

Detailmodescansallpagesandreturnsallstatistics.

ForgeneralinformationaboutScanModesseethisMSDNarticle.

DefragmentNow

UsetheRebuild(offline),Rebuild(online),orReorganizecommandtoimmediatelyperformtheselectedoperation.

ForgeneralinformationaboutreorganizingandrebuildingindexesseethisMSDNarticle.

IndexeswhichcontainLOBcolumnscannotbeRebuiltonline.WhentheDefragmentNow->Rebuild(online)commandisusedonindexeswhichcontainLOBcolumnsanofflinerebuildwillbeperformed.

ExcludeIndexfromAutomatedDefragorAnalysis

TheExcludeIndexfromAutomatedDefragorAnalysiswillexcludetheselectedindexfromfutureFragmentationManageroperations.Afteranindexhasbeenexcludeditwillbedisplayedwithagraybackgroundinthedatagrid.

ResetFragmentationStats TheResetFragmentationStatscommandwillresetstatisticsfortheselecteditem,includingtheAvg%Fragmentedstatistic.

TheJumpToNavigatorcommandwillopentheselecteditemintheNavigatorpane.

Column Description Notes


http://www.sqlskills.com/BLOGS/PAUL/post/Inside-the-Storage-Engine-Ghost-cleanup-in-depth.aspx

http://www.sqlskills.com/BLOGS/PAUL/post/Ghost-cleanup-redux.aspx



JumpTo UsetheJumpToCalendarcommandtoopentheCalendarforthelastAnalysisorDefragmentationEventstarttime.

Copy UsetheCopycommandtocopytheselectedroworcell.

Command Description

9.8.1 FragmentationManager

Heavilyfragmentedindexescandegradetheperformanceofyourdatabaseandtheapplicationsrunningonit.Indexfragmentationcanberesolvedbyreorganizingorrebuildinganindex.FragmentationManagercanautomaticallycollecttableandindexinformation,analyzethedata,taketheappropriatereorganizationorrebuildactions,andthenperformpostdefragmentationanalysis.

FragmentationManagerhasadedicatedtabinSQLSentry,Indexes.TheIndexestabdisplaysindexrelatedstatisticsandcharts,fromtheTargetleveldowntotheindividualindexlevel,givingyouacompleteviewofthefragmentationlevelsonyourserver.Havingthisinformationallowsyoutomakeintelligentdecisionsaboutindexmanagementinyourenvironment;suchaswhenandhowtoperformdefragmentationoperations,whentoadjustfillfactors,orevenwhenanindexdefinitionshouldbechanged.

DifferentschedulescanbesetfordifferentInstancesanddatabases,evendowntotheindividualtableorindexlevel,allowingyoucompletegranularcontroloveranydefragmentationactions.Additionally,youhavetheabilitytosetspecificschedulesforrebuildsorreorganizationsexplicitly.SeveraladditionalsettingsareavailabletohelpyoufinetunetheactionsSentryOnetakes,including:

Theabilitytosetthescanlevelormodethatisusedtoobtainfragmentationstatistics.Theabilitytosetbothminimumandmaximumindexsizethresholdsforthecollectionoffragmentationdata.Theabilitytosetreorganizationandrebuildfragmentationthresholdpercentages.AllindexdefragmentationsettingsworkwithinthenormalSentryOnehierarchy,sosettingscanbeconfiguredatonelevelandbeautomaticallyinheritedbyobjectsbelowit,allowingforeasyautomationwithinyourenvironment.

Foracompleteexplanationofalltheavailablesettings,seetheFragmentationManagerSettingssectionbelow.

ENABLINGFRAGMENTATIONMANAGERYoucanenableFragmentationManagerthroughtheright-clickcontextmenuofanyInstanceorbyopeningtheIndexestabofSQLSentryandselectingtheEnableNowbutton.ThefirsttimeyouenableFragmentationManageraWizardwillbedisplayed.

Note:AllFragmentationSettingswillbecomeavailablethroughtheSettingspaneafterrunningtheWizard.

FragmentationManagerWizardOptions

Option Description

Collecttableandindexsizeinformation ThebaselevelofFragmentationManagement.Every15minutesSentryOnewillcollecttableandindexsizeinformationforthetop500indexesineachdatabase.

Collectbufferdatawhenbuffersize>8GB

DeterminesifSentryOnewillcollectBufferdatawhenbuffersizeis>8GB.

SeetheDatabase Source SettingCollectBufferDatawhenBuffer>8GBdescriptionforacompleteexplanation.

Retainhistoricaldata[FM] TableandIndexhistoricaldatawillberetained.

Analyzefragmentation

SentryOnewillanalyzeindexfragmentationstatisticsbasedonthescheduleyouspecifyonthenextscreenanddisplaythosestatisticsontheIndexestabofSQLSentry.

TheLimitedModewillbeusedforobtainingfragmentationstatistics.TheFragmentationScanModemaybechangedafterthewizardcompletesfromtheIndexDefragmentationSettings.

Defragmentindexesoverspecifiedthresholds[FM]

SentryOnewillperformdefragmentationoperationsbasedonthescheduleyouspecifyinthenextscreen.

Selectyourdesiredreorganizationandrebuildthresholdsfordefragmentationoperations.

Reanalyzeindexesafterdefragmentation SentryOnewillreanalyzefragmentationstatisticsafteranydefragmentationoperationsareperformed.

SelectSchedule

Toselectascheduletobeusedforanalysisand/ordefragmentation,youmayeitherchooseapre-existingschedule,orusethe


Newcommandtocreateanewschedule.SelectNexttoconfirmyoursettingsandthenFinishtocompletetheWizard.

FRAGMENTATIONMANAGERRELATEDSETTINGSTherearetwogroupsofsettingsrelevanttoFragmentationManager.DatabaseSourceSettingsareusedtoconfigurethegeneralcollectionoftableandindexinformation,includingsizecollectionthresholds,buffercollectionthresholds,andindexpartitionoptions.IndexDefragmentationSettingsareusedtoconfigurethedefragmentationandanalysisoperations,includingscheduling,andsettingindexreorganizationandrebuildthresholds.

DATABASESOURCESETTINGSSynchronization Description DefaultValue

InheritFromParentSpecifieswhethersettingsinthisgrouparebeinginherited.Formoreinformationaboutinheritance,seethehierarchychartintheAlertingandResponseSystemtopic. True

MaximumRowstoSynchronize Maximumrowsofhistoricaleventdatatocollectfromthissource. 5000

GeneralSettings Description DefaultValue

InheritFromParent Specifieswhethersettingsinthisgrouparebeinginherited.Formoreinformationaboutinheritance,seethehierarchychartintheAlertingandResponseSystemtopic. True

EnableTable/IndexDataCollection

Specifieswhethertableandindexcollectionisenabled.Whenenabledevery15minutesSentryOnewillcollecttableandindexsizeinformation.

Note:ThisSettingmustbeTrueinordertoperformAnalysisoperationsandAutomatedDefragmentationoperations.

True

MaxPartitionstocollectperDatabase Themaximumnumberofpartitionsforwhichinformationwillbecollectedperdatabase. 500

MinIndexSize(MB)toCollectFragmentationData

SpecifieshowlargeanIndexmustbebeforestatisticsarecapturedaboutit.Ifyoukeepthedefaultvalueof10MBanyindexeswhicharesmallerthan10MBwillnotbeanalyzedorconsideredfordefragmentationoperations.

10MB

MaxIndexSize(MB)toCollectFragmentationData Setsthemaximumsizeanindexcanbe,andstillbeconsideredfordefragmentationoperations. 50000MB

CollectBufferDatawhenBuffer>8GB

Specifieswhethertocollectbufferdatawhenbuffersizeis>8GB.

Collectingdetailedbufferinformationisinherentlyalowoverheadprocess.However,sinceittakesapproximately1secondperGBofbuffer,onlargerbufferstheassociatedquerycantakesometimetocomplete,whichmaycauseittoappearinTopSQLand/orgenerateassociatedalerts.

Itisgenerallysafetoenablethissetting,sinceSentryOneensuresthatthetotaltimespentperdaycollectingbufferdatawillberoughlythesameregardlessofbuffersize,andcollectiononlyoccurswhenbufferhaschanged.

Whencollectingbufferdata,SentryOneusesavariablecollectionfrequency,whichisbasedonthesizeofthebuffer.Thechartbelowshowsthevariablecollectionfrequencyalongwiththeapproximatetimeittakestocollectbufferdatafordifferentbuffersizes.

MaximumBufferDataCollectionFrequency

BufferSize

(GB)

Collection

Frequency(Min)

Timeto

Collect(Sec)

Timeto

Collect(Min)

4 15 4 0.1

8 15 8 0.1

16 30 16 0.3

32 60 32 0.5

64 120 64 1.1

96 240 96 1.6

128 240 128 2.1

256 480 256 4.3

<notspecified>

SetwithWizard


384 720 384 6.4

512 1440 512 8.5

768 1440 768 12.8

1024 2880 1024 17.1

INDEXDEFRAGMENTATIONSETTINGSAfteryouenableFragmentationManagertheIndex Defragmentation SettingscanbeaccessedthroughtheSettingspane.IndexDefragmentation Settingscanbeconfiguredatthefollowinglevels:Global(AllTargets),Sites,TargetGroup,Target,Instance,Database,Table,orattheindividualindex.

Forinstance,ifyouwantedtoconfiguretheIndex Defragmentation SettingsforaspecificInstance,firstselecttheInstanceintheNavigator,andthenopentheSettingspane.IfyoudonotseetheSettingspane,usetheViewMenu(View->Settings).Fromhereusethedrop-downmenuandchooseIndexDefragmentation.

BelowyouwillfindatablewithadescriptionofthevariousIndex Defragmentation Settingsandthedefaultvalues.

GeneralDefragSettings Description DefaultValue

InheritFromParent Specifieswhethersettingsinthisgrouparebeinginherited.Formoreinformationaboutinheritance,seethehierarchychartintheAlertingandResponseSystemtopic. False

PrimarySchedule

Thescheduleonwhichindexanalysisand/ordefragwillbeperformed,accordingtotheconfiguredreorgandrebuildthresholds.FormoreinformationaboutSchedules,seetheSchedulestopic.

<notspecified>

SetwithWizard

OperationType SpecifieswhetheranalysisonlyoranalysisanddefragoperationsoccurunderthePrimaryschedule. AnalyzeOnly

ReanalyzeIndexesafterDefrag Specifieswhethertorunthefragmentationanalysisagainafteranyscheduleddefrag. False

FragmentationScanMode

TheScanmodeusedforobtainingfragmentationstatistics.

Limitedmodeisthefastestmodeandscansthesmallestnumberofpages.Foranindex,onlytheparent-levelpagesoftheB-treeareScanned.Foraheap,onlytheassociatedPFSandIAMpagesareexamined;thedatapagesoftheheaparenotscanned.

Samplemodereturnsstatisticsbasedona1percentsampleofallthepagesintheindexorheap.Iftheindexorheaphasfewerthan10,000pages,DetailedmodeisusedinsteadofSampled.

Detailmodescansallpagesandreturnsallstatistics.

ForgeneralinformationaboutScanModesseethisMSDNarticle.

Limited

MaximumConcurrentOperationsSpecifiesthemaximumnumberofconcurrentoperations.Operationsaredefinedasananalysis,rebuild,orreorganization.Thissettingiscappedat5. 1

DelayBetweenDefragOperations WhenMaximumConcurrentOperationsissetto1,youcanspecifyadelaybetweendefragoperationstopreventsend/redoqueueoverloadwhenavailabilitygroupsormirroringareinuse. 30seconds

MaximumDuration

Thissetsthemaximumallowedruntimeforthedefragmentationprocess.

Ifthemaximumdurationismetduringarebuildoperationtherebuildwillstillbecompleted.Ifthemaximumdurationismetduringareorganizationoperationthereorganizationwillbestoppedandstartedagainduringthenextscheduledcycle.

2hours

Partitions

Partitionstoincludeintherebuild.Thisoptionisapplicableforindexesthathaveaslidingwindowspartitionscheme.FormoreinformationaboutpartitionschemesseethisMSDNarticle.

All-Allpartitionsbelongingtotheindexwhichmeetthedefragmentationcriteriawillbeeitherrebuiltorreorganized.

MaxOnly-Ifthemaximumnumberedpartitionoftheindexmeetsthedefragmentationcriteriaitwillberebuiltorreorganized.

ExcludeMax-Allpartitionswhichmeetthedefragmentationcriteria,excludingthemaximumnumberedpartition,willbeeitherrebuiltorreorganized.

Note:OnlinerebuildsforpartitionedindexescanonlybeperformedifthePartitionssettingis‘All’andallpartitionsintheindexmeetthedefragmentationcriteria.IftheabovecriteriaisnotmetanOfflineRebuildwillbe

AllPartitions

Synchronization Description DefaultValue




performedinstead.

IndexReorgSettings Description DefaultValue


ReorgThreshold%

Setsthefragmentationthresholdpercentatwhichindexeswillbereorganized.Ifthedefaultthresholdof10%iskept,indexeswhichhaveanindexfragmentationpercentagebelow10%,asdeterminedduringtheFragmentationScan,willnotbereorganized.Indexeswithafragmentationpercentexceding10%willbereorganized.ForgeneralinformationaboutreorganizingindexesseethisMSDNarticle.

10%

ReorgSchedule Dedicatedscheduleonwhichreorgsonlywillbeperformed,accordingtothereorgthreshold.Rebuildswillnotbeperformedeveniftherebuildthresholdhadbeenexceeded,butinsteadbereorganized.

<notspecified>

IndexRebuildSettings Description DefaultValue


RebuildThreshold%Setsthefragmentationthreshold%atwhichindexeswillberebuilt.Ifthedefaultvalueof30%iskept,onlyindexeswhichhaveanindexfragmentationpercentof30%orgreater,asdeterminedduringtheFragmentationScanwillberebuilt.ForgeneralinformationaboutrebuildingindexesseethisMSDNarticle.

30%

RebuildSchedule Dedicatedscheduleonwhichrebuildsonly(onlineoroffline)willbeperformed,accordingtotherebuildthreshold. <notspecified>

OfflineRebuildWindow Ifanofflinerebuildwillbeperformed,onlystarttheofflinerebuildduringthespecifiedwindow. <notspecified>

SortintempdbSpecifiesiftempdbistobeusedforsortingduringrebuildoperations.ForgeneralinformationabouttempdbandIndexcreationseethisMSDNarticle. False

UseOnlineRebuild(EnterpriseOnly) Determinesiftheindexrebuildoperationswillbeperformedonline.ForgeneralinformationaboutperformingindexoperationsonlineseethisMSDNarticle. True

MAXDOP(EnterpriseOnly)

Determinesthemaxdegreeofparallelism(MAXDOP)thatwillbeusedwhenrebuildingtheindex.Thedefaultvalueis0,whichallowstheservertodeterminethenumberofCPUsthatwillbeused.ForgeneralinformationaboutconfiguringParallelIndexOperationsseethisMSDNarticle.

0

NOTE:Indexesthatcannotberebuiltonline,suchasthosewithLOBcolumns,willneverbedefragmentedbyaRebuildscheduleifUseOnlineRebuildissettoTrueexceptwithinaspecifiedOfflineRebuildWindow.Otherwise,theywillonlybeanalyzed.

MANUALFRAGMENTATIONOPERATIONSFragmentationoperationscanalsobeinitiatedmanually.WithintheNavigatoryoucanusetheright-clickcontextmenuofanydatabase,table,orindextoinitiatefragmentationoperations,includinganalysis,reorganizations,orrebuilds.

ManualfragmentationoperationscanalsobeinitiatedwithintheIndexestab.FromtheGrid/Treeviewfoundinthecenterofthescreen,usethecontextmenuofanydatabase,table,orindextoaccessfragmentationoperations.

FRAGMENTATIONALERTCONDITIONSThefollowingfragmentationrelatedConditionsareavailabletoconfigureActionsfor.

DefragmentationCompletedDefragmentationStartedDefragmentationFailure

ToconfigureaFragmentationrelatedConditionfirstselectthenodeappropriatetothelevelyouwouldliketoconfiguretheActionforintheNavigatorPaneandthenopentheGeneralActionssectionintheConditionspane.IfyoudonotseetheConditionspaneusetheViewmenu→Conditions.

NextyouwillwanttoclicktheAddbuttonfoundintheConditionspane.ThiswillopentheActionsSelectorwindow.ExpandtheIndexActionsandthentheappropriateCondition.Usethecheckbox(s)toselectwhichActionsshouldbetakeninresponsetothisConditionbeingmet.ClicktheOKbutton.

FormoreinformationaboutActionsthatcanbetakenwhenaConditionismetseetheActionstopic.

INDEXESTABForinformationaboutthechartsandstatisticsdisplayedintheIndexestabseetheIndexestopic.

DISKSPACEUSAGEBANDByenablingFragmentationManager,thefunctionalityoftheDiskSpacetabisalsoenhancedbyprovidingadditionalinformationregardingthespaceusageofindexes.Formoreinformation,pleaserefertotheDiskSpacetopic.

GeneralDefragSettings Description DefaultValue








9.9 SSASUsageTotals

Appliesto:BISentry

TheSSASUsageTotalstabprovidesinformationthatcanbeusedtodeterminewhatactionstotakebasedonactivitylevels.Theinformationisdividedintothreedifferentgroups:

Attributes:

Thistabisusedtoseewhichattributecombinationsarehitthemosttodetermineifcreatinganaggregationwouldimproveperformance.

Aggregations:

Thistabshowstheaggregationsthatarebeingused.

Partitions:

ThePartitiontabshowswhichpartitionsarebeingreadthemost.Display Panes

TheFilterpaneprovidesaseriesoffiltersandcontrolsforspecifyingwhichrecordstodisplay.Theavailablefiltersare:

SQLServersDatabasesCubesMeasureGroups

CONTROLSFilter(minimizedbydefault)-Afterchanginganyofthefilters,itisnecessarytoclicktheRefreshbutton,orpressF5,toapplythefilter.Clickonacombinationofitemsinanyoftheliststosetthefilters.Thedefaultfilteristodisplayallrecords.Toselectmorethanoneiteminalist,useshift-clickorctrl-click.ShowTop-Dependingonthelengthofthedisplayedinterval,youmayhavealotofdatatoworkwith.Thissettingcontrolshowmanyoftherowsareactuallyretrieved.

9.10 BlockingSQL

Appliesto:SQLSentry

TheBlockingSQLtabdisplaysallSQLServerblocksthatoccurredduringtheactivedaterange,whichmeettheMinimumBlockDuration.Eachblockisdisplayedinahierarchicalformat,showingtherelationshipsbetweenallblockingandblockedSPIDsinablockingchain.

BLOCKINGSQLCOLLECTIONBlockingSQLcollectioniscontrolledwiththeBlockingSQLSourceSettings.TheMinimumBlockDurationsettingdetermineshowlongablockmustexistbeforeinformationiscollectedonit.Bydefaultthisis15seconds.YoumayadjustBlockingCollectionasdesiredthroughtheSettingspane(Viewmenu→Settings).


ExpandforBlockingSettingsExamples

Ifyouwantedtochangeblockingcollectionto20secondsGlobally.

1. SelecttheSharedGroupsnodeintheNavigatorPane(Globalcontext).2. IntheSettingspane,usethetopdrop-downlistandselectSQLServerSettings.3. Usetheseconddrop-downlisttoselectBlockingSQLSource.YoushouldnowseetheBlockingSourceSettingsthatarebeingappliedGlobally.

4. ChangetheMinimumBlockDurationSettingto20seconds,itwillbesavedautomatically.

IfyouwantedtochangeblockingcollectionforanindividualInstance:

1. SelectthedesiredInstancenodeintheNavigatorPane.2. IntheSettingspane,usethedrop-downlistandselectBlockingSQLSource.3. YoushouldnowseetheBlockingSQLSourceSettingswhichareconfiguredfortheInstance.ChangetheInheritFromParentSettingtoFalse.

4. ChangetheMinimumBlockDurationSettingtoyourdesiredvalue,itwillbesavedautomatically.

BLOCKINGSQLRETENTIONBydefault,PerformanceAnalysisBlockingSQL,TopSQL,andDeadlockdataisretainedfor15days.ThisiscontrolledwiththeKeepPerformanceHistoryForSettingfoundontheStoragetaboftheGlobalSettings(Navigatorpane→Configuration→GlobalSettings→Storagetab).FormoreinformationaboutretentionseetheDataCapacityPlanningKBarticle.

BLOCKINGSQLALERTINGYoumayconfigureActionsinresponsetoanumberofBlockingSQLConditions.TheSQLServer:BlockingSQLConditionoccurseachtimeablockiscollected,andthereforehasadirectcorrelationtotheBlockingSQLSourcecollectionSettings.YoumayalsoconfigureanActioninresponsetotheSQLServer:BlockingSQL:OutputContentMatch(OCM)Condition.TheOCMConditioncanbeusefulinnarrowingthenotificationsyouseeconcerningblocking.

YoumaywanttoconsiderapplyingaResponseRulesettoanyActionyouconfigurewiththeSQLServer:BlockingSQLCondition.ResponseRulesetsallowyoutocontrolhowoftenActionsaretakeninresponsetoConditions.Inthiscase,youcouldapplyaResponseRulesettolimittheBlockingalertsyoureceive,whilestillretainingBlockinginformationontheBlockingSQLtab.

SQLTEXTDATALENGTHBydefaulttextdataforcapturedeventsistruncatedat10,000characters.YoucanchangethismaximumlengthintheMonitoringServiceSettings(Navigatorpane→Configuration→GlobalSettings→Advancedtab).

DISPLAY/CONTROLS

TOOLBARTheBlockingSQLtabhastwomodes,RealTimeandHistory.Theactivemodeiscontrolledthroughthetoolbar.Whentheauto-refreshPlaybuttonisselected,thetabentersRealTimemode.InRealTimemode,anyblockingSQLwhichhappenedwithinthelast10minuteswillbe



displayed.

Whentheauto-refreshPausebuttonisselected,thetabgoesintoHistorymode.SelectatimerangeandthenusetheGotoolbarbuttontoviewblockswhichhappenedduringthattimeperiod.Alternatively,usetheJumpToLastBlockbuttontonavigatetothelastblock.

FILTERThetoppaneprovidesclientfiltersforspecifyingwhichrecordstodisplayforthedefinedinterval.

Note:TheFilterpaneisforClientsidefilteringanddoesnotimpactwhatisactuallycollected.SeetheBlockingSQLCollectionsectionofthistopicforcollectionrelatedinformation.

Afterchanginganyofthefilters,itisnecessarytoclicktheRefreshbutton,orpressF5,toapplythefilter.Toselectmorethanoneiteminalist,useshift-clickorctrl-click.Theavailablefiltersare:

SQLServersApplicationsDatabasesHostsWaitResources

ShowTop-Dependingonthelengthofthedisplayedinterval,youmayhavealotofdatatoworkwith.Thissettingcontrolshowmanyoftherowsareactuallyretrieved.

BLOCKINGSQLGRIDVIEWEachblockisdisplayedinahierarchicalformat,showingtherelationshipsbetweenallblockingandblockedSPIDsinablockingchain.

Theheadoftheblockingchainwillbethetopnodeinthehierarchy.Thiswillcontaintheblockingstatement.Itwillbedisplayedwithanorangenodeifthestatementisstillrunning,andagreennodeonceithascompleted.Sub-nodesinthechainarethestatementswhicharebeingblocked,andtheyaredisplayedwitharednode.Anysubsequentstatementswhicharebeingblockedwillbenestedbeneath,givingyouacompletepictureoftheblockingchain

Auniquerecordisshownforeachversionofablockingchain,denotedbytheVersioncolumn.Anewrecordiscreatedeverytimetheblockingchainchanges,whichmeansthatablockedSPIDwaseitheraddedorremovedfromthechainbetweenpollingintervals.Forsomeblocksthismayhappenfrequentlycausingmultiplerecordstobecreated,whileothersmaynotchangeatallforthedurationoftheblock.ThepollingintervalforblocksisdeterminedbytheEventMonitorPollingInterval(Navigatorpane→MonitoringServicenode→Settings→EventMonitortab).

TEXTDATAThebottompaneshowstheTSQLtextdataforthecurrentlyhighlightedBlockingSQLrecord.NotethatforsomeSPIDsthismaybeblankifSentryOnewasunabletocollecttheTSQLduetotimingissues.

ADDITIONALOPTIONSThereareadditionaloptionsavailablethroughtheright-clickcontextmenu,including:

JumptoCalendar-gotothateventontheEventCalendar(requiresservertobewatchedwithEM).


JumptoDashboard-openthePerformanceAnalysisDashboardwiththeselectedBlockingeventoverlaidoneachofthecharts.JumptoTopSQL-opentheTopSQLtabhighlightingthequeryinvolvedintheblockingevent.Right-clickingonablockingrecordpresentsacontextmenuthatwillallowyoutojumptotheinstanceonthecalendarorkilltheprocessassociatedwiththeblockingevent.UsetheClearSortcommandavailablethroughthecontextmenutoremoveanygridorderings.Additionalcontextmenuoptionsincludetheabilitytoexpandandcollapseindividualtreesoralloftherecordsinthegridview.

BLOCKINGSQLMETRICSName Description

SPID[ecid] ThesessionprocessIDoftheassociatedblocked/blockingprocess.

Version

Auniquerecordisshownforeachversionofablockingchain,denotedbytheVersioncolumn.Anewrecordiscreatedeachtimetheblockingchainchanges,whichmeansthatablockedSPIDwaseitheraddedorremovedfromthechainbetweenpollingintervals.Forsomeblocksthismayhappenfrequentlycausingmultiplerecordstobecreated,whileothersmaynotchangeatallforthedurationoftheblock.

Note:ThepollingintervalforblocksisdeterminedbytheEventMonitorPollingInterval(Navigatorpane→MonitoringServicenode→Settings→EventMonitortab).

SQLServer NameoftheSQLServerhostingtheSPID.

StartTime Starttimeoftherequest.

Duration Thelengthoftimethattheblockexisted.

Plan UsethePlanbuttontoopenaPlanExplorersessionfortheassociatedqueryplan.

Statement Thecommandtextassociatedwiththerequest.

Object Theobjectassociatedwiththerequest.

WaitTime Durationofwaittimeinmilliseconds.

WaitType NameoftheWaitType.FormoreinformationaboutwaittypesseethisMSDNarticle.

WaitResource Nameoftheresourceonwhichtherequestiscurrentlywaiting.

Host Theclientworkstationspecifictothissession..

Application Theassociatedapplication.

Database Theassociateddatabase.

Login TheLoginNameassociatedwiththesession.

LastBatch Thelasttimeaclientprocesscompletedbatchexecution.

HostProcessID TheprocessIDoftheclientprogramwhichinitiatedthesession.

9.11 Deadlocks



Appliesto:SQLSentry

TheDeadlockstabdisplaysinformationaboutdeadlockshappeningwithinyourenvironment.UsetheDeadlockstabtoidentifyandcorrectdeadlocksonyourmonitoredservers.

ForaquickoverviewoftheDeadlockstabbesuretoseetheSQLServerDeadlocksvideoontheSentryOneTVwebsite.

DEADLOCKCOLLECTIONDeadlockcollectioniscontrolledthroughtheDeadlockSourceSettings.TheCollectDeadlockEventssettingisTruebydefault,sowheneveranewSQLServerInstanceiswatched,deadlockeventswillbeautomaticallycollectedforthatInstance.YoumayadjustdeadlockcollectionasdesiredthroughtheSettingspane(Viewmenu→Settings).

ExpandforDeadlockSettingsExamples

IfyouwantedtodisabledeadlockcollectionGlobally.

1. SelecttheSharedGroupsnodeintheNavigatorPane(Globalcontext).2. IntheSettingspane,usethetopdrop-downlistandselectSQLServerSettings.3. Usetheseconddrop-downlisttoselectDeadlocksSource.YoushouldnowseetheDeadlocksSourceSettingsthatarebeingappliedGlobally.

4. ChangetheCollectDeadlockEvents:CollectionSettingtoFalse,itwillbesavedautomatically.

IfyouwantedtodisabledeadlockcollectionforanindividualInstance:

1. SelectthedesiredInstancenodeintheNavigatorpane.2. IntheSettingspane,usethedrop-downlistandselectDeadlocksSource.3. YoushouldnowseetheDeadlockSourceSettingswhichareconfiguredfortheInstance.ChangetheInheritFromParentSettingtoFalse.

4. ChangetheCollectDeadlockEvents:CollectionSettingtoFalse,itwillbesavedautomatically.

DEADLOCKRETENTIONBydefault,PerformanceAnalysisBlocking,TopSQL,andDeadlockdataisretainedfor15days.ThisiscontrolledwiththeKeepPerformanceHistoryForSettingfoundontheStoragetaboftheGlobalSettings(Navigatorpane→Configuration→GlobalSettings→Storagetab).FormoreinformationaboutretentionseetheDataCapacityPlanningKBarticle.

DEADLOCKALERTINGYoumayconfigureActionsinresponsetotwoSQLServerDeadlockConditions.TheSQLServer:DeadlockConditionoccurseachtimethereisadeadlockinyourenvironment.ThereareanumberofActionswhichyoucantakeinresponsetothisConditionoccurring.

YoumayalsoconfigureanActioninresponsetotheSQLServerDeadlock:OutputContentMatch(OCM)Condition.TheOCMConditioncanbeusefulinnarrowingthenotificationsyouseeconcerningdeadlocks.TheOCMConditionusestheentiredeadlockXMLtomatchagainst,makingitapowerfultoolinpinpointingspecificdeadlocks.


http://sqlsentry.tv/sql-server-deadlocks/


DISPLAY/CONTROLS

TOOLBARTheDeadlockstabhastwomodes,RealTimeandHistory.Theactivemodeiscontrolledthroughthetoolbar.Whentheauto-refreshPlaybuttonisselected,thetabentersRealTimemode.InRealTimemode,anydeadlockswhichhappenedwithinthelast10minuteswillbedisplayed.

Whentheauto-refreshPausebuttonisselected,thetabgoesintoHistorymode.SelectatimerangeandthenusetheGotoolbarbuttontoviewdeadlockswhichhappenedduringthattimeperiod.Alternatively,usetheJumpToLastDeadlockbuttontonavigatetothelastdeadlock.

FILTERThetoppaneprovidesclientfiltersforspecifyingwhichrecordstodisplayfortheselectedinterval.

Note:TheFilterpaneisforClientsidefilteringonlyanddoesnotimpactwhatisactuallycollected.SeetheDeadlockCollectionsectionofthistopicforcollectionrelatedinformation.

Afterchanginganyofthefilters,itisnecessarytoclicktheRefreshbutton,orpressF5,toapplythefilter.Toselectmorethanoneiteminalist,useshift-clickorctrl-click.Theavailablefiltersare:

SQLServersShowTop-dependingonthelengthofthedisplayedinterval,youmayhavealotofdatatoworkwith.Thissettingcontrolshowmanyoftherowsareactuallyretrieved.

DEADLOCKGRIDVIEWTheDeadlockGridviewliststherecordsmatchingthecurrentfilters.Thedefaultfilteristodisplayallrecords.Eachrecordisexpandabletoviewthedetailsregardingtheprocessesthatwereinvolvedinthedeadlock.ForgeneralbackgroundinformationaboutwhatconstitutesaSQLServerdeadlock,seethisgroupofMSDNarticles.ForgeneralinformationaboutthemetricsdisplayedseetheDeadlockMetricssectionattheendofthistopic

DEADLOCKGRAPHTheDeadlockGraphisformedaccordingtothecaptureddeadlockXML.ProcessandResourcenodesareindependentlyrepresented,alongwithanyrelationshipswhichexistbetweenthem.

Thedeadlockvictimishighlightedwitharedbackground.Thenumbers(1)andassociatedarrows,betweeneachnode,indicatetheactualsequenceofeventswhichtookplace,leadingtothedeadlock.Thelettersindicatetherequestedlockmode.

Selectingobjectnodesinthegraphicalrepresentationwillsetfocustothatobjectinthegridview.YoumayzoominandoutontheDeadlockGraphusingctrl+mousewheelorthroughtheright-clickcontextmenu.

ADDITIONALOPTIONSThereareadditionaloptionsavailablethroughtheright-clickcontextmenu,including:

JumptoCalendar-gotothateventontheEventCalendar(requiresservertobewatchedwithEM).


http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms177433(v=sql.105)


JumptoTopSQL-opentheTopSQLtabhighlightingthequeryinvolvedinthedeadlockevent.ExportDeadlocktoXML-exportsthedeadlockinXMLformat.Thedividerbetweeneachofthesepanescanbedraggedtoresizeorhideeachpane

YoumayopenexportedDeadlockXMLfiles(*.xdl)intheSentryOneClient(Filemenu->Open).Wheneveryouopenadeadlock,anewtabdisplayingthedeadlockinformation,includingthedeadlockgraphwillbecreated.

DEADLOCKMETRICSDeadlockOverview

Name Description

SQLServer TheSQLServerwherethedeadlocktookplace

Time Thetimethedeadlockoccurred.

VictimSPID ThesessionprocessIDoftheVictiminvolvedinthedeadlock.

VictimHost Theworkstationbelongingtothevictimthread.

VictimApplication Theapplicationnamebelongingtothevictimthread.

VictimDatabase Thenameofthedatabaseonwhichtheprocesstookplace

VictimTextData Theassociatedtextdataofthevictim.

DeadlockXML ThisistheactualcapturedDeadlockXML.

LockDetails

TheLockDetailsareabreaksdownthedeadlockbyspecificlocktypes,includingtheownersandwaitersinvolvedineachlock.

Name Description

SPID[ecid] ThesessionprocessIDoftheassociatedowner/waiter.

Plan UsethePlanbuttontoopenaPlanExplorersessionfortheassociatedqueryplan.

Host Theworkstationname.

Application Theassociatedapplication

Database Theassociateddatabase.

LogUsed TheamountofLogSpaceusedbytheprocess.

DeadlockPriority

SpecifiestheDeadlockPriority.Zero(0)orNORMAListhedefaultpriority.Incaseswhereeachsessionhasthesamedeadlockpriority,SQLServerwillchoosethevictimbasedontheleastexpensivesessiontorollback.ForgeneralinformationabouttheDEADLOCK_PRIORITYoptionseethisMSDNarticle.

WaitTime Timein(ms)millisecondsspentwaitingontheresource.

TransactionStartTime Timethatthetransactionbegan.

LastBatchStartTime Thelasttimeaclientprocessstartedbatchexecution.

LastBatchCompletionTime Thelasttimeaclientprocesscompletedbatchexecution.

Mode/Type TheMode/Typedesignatestheresourcelockmode.ForgeneralinformationonLockModesseethisMSDNarticle.




Status Stateofthetask.

IsolationLevel Thecurrenttransactionisolationlevel.ForgeneralinformationonisolationlevelsseethisMSDNarticle.

LoginName TheLoginNameassociatedwiththesession.

Owner/WaiterDetails

Name Description

Object Indicatestheassociatedobjectname.

LineNumber Thelinenumberwhichwasbeingexecutedwhenthelockoccurred.

TextData Theassociatedtextdata.

Name Description

9.12 QuickTraces

Appliesto:SQLSentry

QUICKTRACE™AQuickTrace™isacomprehensivesnapshotofactivitycreatedbycombiningprocess-leveldataandtraceeventscollectedduringabriefsampleperiod.VariousmetricssuchasCPU,I/O,recompiles,cachemisses,cursoroperations,etc.,areautomaticallyaggregated,andcanbeeasilygroupedandsorted,toprovideaclearpicturetheprocesses,hosts,applications,orusersresponsibleforactivityduringthesample.WhereasthecontinuousTopSQLtraceusesfilterstocollectonlytheheaviesteventsbydefaultinordertomaintainlowoverhead,aQuickTraceisnotfilteredandsocollectsallevents.ThisiswhyQuickTraceisbothtime-androw-limited,toavoidimpactingtheperformanceofthetargetSQLServer.AQuickTraceistypicallyrunmanuallyfromthedashboardinresponsetoobservinghighutilizationinoneormoremetrics.Forexample,ifyouseeanspikeinTransactions/secontheSQLServerActivity,youcanrunaQuickTrace,thensortbyTransactionstodeterminethecause.

COLUMNSETTherearefourColumnSetsthatcanbeselectedandmodifiedtoprovideapre-determinedviewofthedatawithpresetcolumnsandsorting.IfaQuickTraceislaunchedbyrightclickingtheNetwork,CPU,SQLServerActivity,orDiskIOcharts,theappropriatecolumnsetwillbeusedbydefault.Theactivecolumnsetcanbeeasilychangedbyright-clickingthemasterordetailcolumnheaderrowandselectingtheColumnChoosermenuitem.WhenyouinitiateaQuick TracefromtheQuick TracestabtheSQLActivityColumnSetwillbeused.TheQuick TracestablistsallQuick Tracesoccurringduringtheactivedaterange.Quick TracescanbeexecutedmanuallyorautomaticallyviatheRun Quick TraceactioninresponsetoaconditionsuchasRuntimeThresholdMaxorPerformanceCounterThresholdMax.


http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms189122(v=SQL.105).aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms189122(v=SQL.105).aspx

RUNNINGAQUICKTRACEWhenRun Quick TraceisselectedfromtheQuick Tracestaborfromtheright-clickmenuontheotherapplicabletabs,theoptionsmenuopens.Inthefirstdialoguebox,theusercanenterthelengthoftimetheQuick Tracewillrun.IntheseconddialogueboxtheusercaneitherCollectstatement eventsornotbyusingthecheck-box.Inthethirdbox,thenumberofTrace Datarowscanbelimitedtothedesiredamount.

DefaultSettings:

TheQuick Tracewillrunfor15seconds.Collectstatementeventsisunselected.LimitTraceDatato10000rows.

*Generallythesesettingsarefinebutmayneedtobeadjustedincertainsituations.

RESTRICTIONSInordertoavoidimpactingserverperformanceonverybusysystems,therearecertaincaseswhereSentryOnewillrestrictQuickTracefunctionality.Seethetablebelowformoreinformationaboutthesecases.

QuickTraceRestrictions

Case

AQuickTracewillbenotallowedifa100Mbadapterispresent,andthelastsampleindicatesthereare>300usersor>3000transactionspersecondforthetargetedserver.

ThisstateisalsocheckedbeforeautomatedQuickTracesarerun.Ifthestateisdetected,theQuickTraceisdisallowed.

AQuickTraceisnotrecommendedinthecasewhere1000Mboraboveadaptersarepresent,andthelastsampleindicatesthereare>500usersor>5000transactionspersecondforthetargetedserver.

IfthisstateisdetectedduringamanuallyinitiatedQuickTrace,awarningwillbegeneratedindicatingthattheQuickTraceisnotrecommended.ThestateisalsocheckedbeforeautomatedQuickTracesarerun.Ifthestateisdetected,theQuickTraceisdisallowed.

WARNING:SentryOneVersion7introducedtheaboverestrictionsforQuickTracefunctionality.Forpriorversions,usetheaboverestrictionsasaguidelinewhenrunningAQuickTrace.Failuretofollowtheseguidelinesmaycauseatemporarysuppressionoftransactionthroughput.TheriskofimpacttoperformanceismuchgreaterifthenetworkspeedbetweentheSentryOneClientandthetargetserverislessthan1000Mbps.

EXPORTINGAQUICKTRACEOnceaQuickTraceiscomplete,itcanbeopenedforviewing.Thiscanbedonebydouble-clickingonitorbyright-clickingandselectingopen.Fromthere,thefilecanbeexportedusingtheExportoptionintheFilemenu.Therearetwoformatsitcanbeexportedin:


WebPages(.htm,.html)MicrosoftExcel(.xls)

DISPLAYThetoppaneprovidesaseriesoffiltersandcontrolsforspecifyingwhichrecordstodisplayforthespecifiedinterval.Theavailablefiltersare

SQLServersOwnerSource

Thebottompaneliststherecordsmatchingthecurrentfilters.Thedefaultfilteristodisplayallrecords.

CONTROLSTopPane

Setfilter-Afterchanginganyofthefilters,itisnecessarytoclicktheRefreshbutton,orpressF5,toapplythefilter.Listboxfilters

Clickonacombinationofitemsinanyoftheliststosetthefilters.Thedefaultfilteristodisplayallrecords.Toselectmorethanoneiteminalist,useshift-clickorctrl-click.

SQLServers(dropdown)-SelectserverinstancetorunaQuickTrace.RunQuickTrace-StartaQuickTraceagainsttheselectSQLServerinstance.

BottomPaneSortColumn-clickanycolumnheadertosortbythatcolumn.GroupBybox-draganycolumnheaderheretogroupbythatcolumn.Doubleclickonarow-ViewtheselectedQuickTrace.ContextItems

JumptoDashboard-openstheDashboardwiththeselectedQuickTraceeventoverlaidoneachofthecharts.Open-ViewtheselectedQuickTrace

VIEWERTheQuickTraceViewerpresentsasetofnestedcontrolstoinspectthetrace.ThesecontrolsbehavethesameasontheQuickTracestab,andwillnotbecoveredhere.

Rightclickingonatracerecordpresentsacontextmenuthatwillallowyoutocopytheeventrowdatatotheclipboardorkilltheprocessassociatedwiththattraceevent.Note:theindividualtextcanbecopiedfromtheTextDatacolumn,oncehighlighted,using(Ctrl+C)orthecontextmenu.

Additionalcontrolspresentedinclude:

Reload-RunanewQuickTraceofthesametarget.Refresh-AvailablewhenaQuickTraceisruninreal-time,andcausestheQuickTracetoexecutewithsameparameters.


Options-OpenstheOptionspane.AvailableoptionsintheViewerare:Auto-highlightdetailrowswhensortingbyaneventtotalscolumnFreezemetadatacolumnsHiderowswithemptyvaluesinsortcolumnMaintainrowpositionwhenchangingsortShowQuickTraceprocessShowstatementeventsifavailableShowsystemprocesses

Close-ClosetheQuickTraceViewer

9.13 PerformanceAnalysisOverview

ThePerformanceAnalysisOverviewprovidestheuserwithasummaryofperformancedataforallwatchedInstanceswithinagroup.ToopenthePerformanceAnalysisOverview,usetheright-clickcontextmenuofanygroupnode.SelectingtheAllTargetsnodewillopenanoverviewshowingalloftheInstancesthatarebeingwatched.SelectingacustommadegroupnodewillonlydisplaytheInstanceswithinthatgroup.

UsetheShowAvgOverdrop-downlistboxtochangetheintervalforthesummarizeddata.UsetheShowdrop-downlistboxtovieweitherWindows,SQLServers,orAnalysisServices.Double-clickonanyTargetorInstancetoopenPerformanceAnalysisforthatInstance.

Clickingonaperformancemetricwillcauseahistoricalgraphtoappearatthebottomofthescreen.

Note:Historicalgraphsarenotavailableforallmetrics.

PleaseseethePerformanceMetricssectionoftheUserGuideforadetaileddescriptionofthevariousperformancemetrics.

ThedefaultsettingforthePerformanceAnalysisOverviewSkinisblack,butcanbesettostandardviatheUserPreferenceswindow.(Tools->UserPreferences->PerformanceAnalysis)

FAILOVERSIMULATIONWhenthemonitoredInstancesincludeAlwaysOnAvailabilityGroups,theuserhastheabilitytosimulatewhattheperformancevalueswouldbeintheeventofafailover.Todothis,expandthenodesuntiltheAvailabilityGroupslevelhasbeenreached.Right-clickingonanAvailabilityGroupthatiscurrentlythePrimarywillproduceacontextmenuthatgivestheusertheoptiontoselectwhichSecondaryreplicathattheywouldliketosimulateafailoverto.TheusercanalsosimulatefailovervaluesfromaSecondarybyright-clickingontheSecondaryreplicaandselectingSimulateFailoverfromthecontextmenu.Tostopthefailoversimulation,selectResetSimulationfromthecontextmenuofanAvailabilityGroup.ThesimulationcanalsoberesetfromtheToolsmenu.

Oncetheuserhasselectedtosimulatethefailover,simulatedvalueswillappearasitalicized.


ClickingonasimulatedvaluewillcauseahistoricalgraphoftheactualvaluestoappearalongwithaSimulatedValuescharttoallowtheusertoquicklycomparethesimulatedvaluetotheactualvalue.

FILTERSInthetoprightcornerofeachfiltercolumnheaderisafilterbutton.Onceselected,theusercanchoosetheoperatorandvaluetofilterthedata.Onceafilterisset,itwillappearalongthebottompanelofthewindow.Editstothefiltercanbemadeherebysimplyclicking'EditFilter'andchangingthecriteria.Itcanalsobedisabledbyclearingthecheckboxorclosedcompletelyusingthe'X'ontheleftside.

COLORINDICATORSInstancenameswillappearindifferentcolorsdependingonthestatusoftheInstance.

Color Status

Gray

(Black in the Standard View)Normal

Orange AmetrichascrossedtheWarningthresholdatorbelowthislevel.

Red AmetrichascrossedtheCriticalthresholdatorbelowthislevel.

Black

(Gray in the Standard View)InstanceOffline

PERFORMANCEANALYSISOVERVIEWTHRESHOLDSTargetLevel Normal Warning Critical

NetworkOutboundQueue >=3 >=3for20secondduration

NetworkInboundErrors >0

NetworkOutboundErrors >0

MemoryFree(MB) <100

CPUContextSwitches <5000times#ofcores >=5000times#ofcores >=7500times#ofcores

CPUProcessingTime% 85-89 >=90

CPUQueueLength >2timesthe#ofcores

TargetandSQLServerLevel

DiskReadsms/IO <20 20-29 >=30

DiskWritesms/IO <20 20-34 >=35

SQLServerLevel


SQLServerActivityBlocks >0

SQLServerActivityDeadlocks >0

AverageWaitTime(ms)CPU% >25

SQLServerMemoryGrantsPending >2

SQLServerMemoryPLE <600

DiskIOLazyWrites >20

SSASLevel

SSASFormulaEngineQueuedJobs >0

SSASStorageEngineQueuedJobs >0

SSASMemoryCacheEvictions >0

SSASStorageTempFile(KB) >0

SSASMemory(KB)Shrunk >0

TargetLevel Normal Warning Critical

9.14 PerformanceAnalysisToolbar

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS TOOLBAR

ThePerformanceAnalysistabscanbesynchronizedtoviewperformancedataforahistoricalperiod,orinrealtimemodefortheprevious10minutes.Thisiscoordinatedusingthetoolbar.Seethechartbelowformoreinformationaboutthetoolbar.

# ButtonName Description

1 PrintPreview PrintpreviewnotactiveinPerformanceAnalysis.

2 Print PrintfunctionnotactiveinPerformanceAnalysis.

3 NewPlanExplorerSession OpensanewPlanExplorerSession.

4 OpenPlanFIle Openexecutionplanfile.

5 Save Saveexecutionplanfile.

6 StartDate Setthebeginningdateforviewingarangeofperformancerelateddata.

7 StartTime Setthebeginningtimeforviewingarangeofperformancerelateddata

8 EndDate Settheenddateforviewingarangeofperformancerelateddata.


9 EndTime Settheendtimeforviewingarangeofperformancerelateddata.

10 Go Activatetheselectedstart/endtimerange.

11 GoToCurrentTime Moveforwardsothatthedisplayrangeendsatthecurrenttime.

12 ZoomOut Increasethedaterange.

13 ZoomIn Decreasethedaterange.

14 PreviousInterval Skipbackintimeonefullinterval.

15 PreviousSmallInterval Skipbackintimeonesmallunitoftheintervalscale.

16 NextSmallInterval Skipforwardintimeonesmallunitoftheintervalscale.

17 NextInterval Skipforwardintimeafullinterval.

18 SynchronizeTabs Automaticallysetsalltabstotheactivedaterange(enabledbydefault).

19 StartAuto-refresh Enablesautomaticupdatingofrealtimedataforthecurrenttab,oralltabsifSynchronizeTabsisenabled.

20 PauseAuto-refresh Pausesautomaticupdatingofrealtimedataforthecurrenttab,oralltabsifSynchronizeTabsisenabled.

21 Refresh Refreshtheactiveviewbyretrievingthelatestdatafortheactivedaterange.

22 ShowHistory Togglebetweenhistoryandsamplemodeswhenonthedashboard.

23 RunQuickTrace UsedtoexecuteaQuickTrace.

24 ShowWindowsProcesses OpensthecurrentWindowsprocessesfortheserver.

25 JumptoCalendar OpenstheCalendartabintheworkspacearea.

26 ShowAdvisoryConditionMarkers EnablesanddisablesAdvisoryConditionglyphsandEventMarkers

# ButtonName Description

9.15 DataGrids

DATAGRIDOVERVIEWOnthedifferenttabsinSentryOne,varioustypesofgridsareusedtodisplaydata.Allofthegridscontainapplicableinformationaccordingtowhichtabtheyareon.Thesegridsareveryeasytocustomizeandprovidetheuserwithavarietyoforganizationalmethods,withafewsimpleclicks.

GROUPBYManyofthegridsfoundinSentryOnecanbegroupedbycolumnfields.Thiscanbedonebydraggingthecolumntothetitleareaofthegrid.Thiswillgroupallofthedataintotherespectivecategoriesofthecolumnselected.TheGroupByfunctioncanalsobedonebyright-clickingonthecolumnheaderandselectingtheoptionfromthemenu.

SORTINGThegridsthatareshowninSentryOnecanbeeasilysortedtoorganizedata.Thiscanbedonebyclickingthecolumnheaderwhichwillautomaticallysortaccordingtothevaluesinthatcolumn.Clickingthesamecolumnagainwilltogglebetweenascendinganddescendingorderforthedatainthatfield.Thiscanalsobedoneusingtheright-clickmenuthatopenswhenthecolumnheaderisselected.

FILTERSOnmanyofthefieldsfoundongridsinSentryOne,afiltercanbeusedalongwithdifferentsortingmethodstoorganizedata.Thefiltersshowuponapplicablecolumnheadersonthetop-rightsideofthecellwhenthemouseisoverit.Thefiltercanbeselectedbyclickingthesmallfilterbutton,whichwillbringupthefiltermenuoptions.TheFilterEditorisavailablefromtheright-clickmenualso.Thisfeatureallowstheusertospecifyfilterconditionsbytypingthemintothe


windowthatopens.

EXPORTINGGRIDSTheDataGridsfoundinSentryOneprovideagreatdealofinformationtotheuserinaformthatisveryeasytocustomize.Oncethedesiredorganizationofthecolumnshasbeenachieved,theusercanexporttheinformationinavarietyofformats.ThiscanbedoneusingthefilemenuontheapplicabletabsoftheSentryOneClient.SelectExport Data,giveafilename,thenselectthedesiredfiletype.

TypesofFiles:

CSVFiles(*.csv)MicrosoftExcel(*.xls)AdobeAcrobatFiles(*.pdf)WebPages(*.htm;*.html)

9.16 VirtualMachineSupport

HYPER-VSUPPORTAftermonitoringaHyper-VGuesttargetwithSentryOne,theHostofthattargetwillappearundertheVirtualizationnodeintheNavigatorPane.

WhenaHyper-VHosttargetismonitoredwithWinSentry,theHostandalloftheHost'sGuestswillappearundertheVirtualizationnodeintheNavigatorPane.Additionally,memoryballooningandvCPUinformationwillnowbepresentedonthedashboardsonHyper-VGuesttargets.TheHostinformationwillbeprovidedontheDashboardaswell.

VMWARESUPPORTToenableVMwaresupport,avCentermustbeadded.ToaddavCenter,right-clickontheVMwarenodeundertheVirtualizationnodeintheNavigatorpaneandselecttheAdd vCenteroption.

OncethevCenterhasbeenadded,anyVMwareGuesttargetswillnowdisplayCPUReadyTime,Co-Stop,andmemoryballooningmetricsontheirdashboards.

NOTE:WhenaddingavCentertoasitewithmultipleMonitoringServices,inordertoavoidpotentialoverheadassociatedwithWindowssessionauthentication,itisrecommendedthatyouusealocalvSphereaccount.

VIRTUALMACHINEPERFORMANCECOUNTERSInadditiontogettingVM-relatedmetricsonthePerformanceDashboards,VirtualMachinePerformanceCountersarealsoavailableforuseinAdvisoryConditionsandareavailableforviewinginthePerformanceCounterHistoryReport.

NOTE:MemoryballooninginformationisonlyavailableforGuestswithdynamicmemoryenabled.vCPUinformationwillonlybedisplayedontheSampleModeDashboardCPUchartsifthevalueis>1%.


9.17 cloud.sentryone.com

Cloud.sentryone.comisawebservicehostedbySentryOnewhichallowsuserstouploadandsharecertaininformationabouttheirmonitoredSentryOneenvironment.Oncetheclouduploadisconfigured,apartialreplicaofyouron-premisesSentryOnedatabasewillbeginsyncingtotheSentryOnecloud.

Duringtheconfigurationprocess,youwillfirstregisterauserwithcloud.sentryone.com,andthenenablewhichmonitoredserversinyourenvironmentaresyncedtothecloud.Initially,onlytheuserwhocompletedtheconfigurationprocesswillhaveaccesstothesyncedinformationoncloud.sentryone.com.Thereareseveraloptionsforsharingyourdatabaseoutlinedhere,includingtheabilitytosharewithindividuals,andtheabilitytodefineasubsetofwhichserverswillbevisibletothoseuserswithwhichyoushareyourdatabase.

WHAT'SAVAILABLEINTHECLOUD?Thecloud.sentryone.comofferingincludesthefollowingfeatures:

ServerHealthStatus-AhighlevelviewofthehealthofyourenvironmentServerDetails-Adetailedviewofyourenvironment'sperformance,includingreportsandanareatomanagecloudsharing

CLOUDCONFIGURATIONINTHESENTRYONECLIENTToconfigureyourenvironmentforcloudsynchronization,expandtheMonitoringServicenodeintheNavigatorPaneandopenthecloud.sentryone.comnode.

REGISTRATIONFromthecloud.sentryone.comtab,clicktheConfigureSyncbuttontobegintheregistrationprocess.IfyouhaveanexistingSQLPerformance.comaccount,itcanbeusedforcloud.sentryone.com.Ifyoudonothaveanaccount,youmaycreateoneusingtherightsideoftheregistrationform.

CONFIGURATIONAftercompletingtheregistrationprocessandloggingin,youwillseealistofallmonitoredTargetsandInstancesinyourenvironment.Youwillalsonoticethattheinitialstateofthesynchronizationisoff.

CHOOSINGWHICHTARGETSANDINSTANCESTOSYNCFromthelistofTargetsandInstancesinyourenvironment,youmaychoosewhichonesyouwouldliketoenablethecloudsynchronizationprocess.IfyouwouldliketoselectallTargetsandInstances,youcansimplyright-clickandselectEnable->Allfromthecontextmenu.

CHOOSINGWHATTOSYNCWhenanInstanceisselectedtobesyncedwiththecloud,TopSQL,BlockingSQL,andDeadlockinformationareenabledforsyncbydefault.Withtherealizationthatyoumayhavesensitivedatainyourenvironment,youhavecontroloverwhichtypesofinformationgetsyncedtothecloud.YoucandisableanyoftheseoptionsbydrillingintotheInstanceanduncheckingtheboxnexttotheoptionthatyouwouldliketodisable.


http://www.SQLPerformance.com/

Note:Regardlessofwhatsub-systemsaredisabled,performancemetricswillalwaysbesynchronizedforInstancesthathavecloudsyncingenabled.

ALIASINGTARGETS,INSTANCES,ANDDATABASESWhenyousynchronizeyourSentryOnedatawiththecloudyouhavecompletecontroloverwhoseesthisdataandhowyouchoosetoshareit.Asanaddedsecurityfeature,youmaychoosetoaliasthenamesofTargets,servers,anddatabasesbeforetheyaresynchronized.Thisobfuscationallowsyoutohidepotentiallysensitivedata.

YouhavetheabilitytoaddaliasesbytypingintheAliasfield,oryoucanauto-generatealiasesthroughthecontextmenu.Onceyouhavemadeyourselections,toggletheOffbuttontotheOnposition,andafterabriefinitializationprocess,synchronizationwillbegin.SynchronizationwillcontinuetooccurattheSyncFrequencythatisselected.

NOTE:Changesinaliasnamesorobjectsenabledforsyncingrequireasavebeforethesettingswilltakeeffect.

RESTRICTINGVISIBILITYOFSERVERSSentryOnesupportsrestrictingservervisibilityinthecloudthroughtheapplicationofRightsBasedSecurity.WithRightsBasedSecurity,ausercanbeassignedalimitedsetofvisibleSites,TargetGroups,orInstances.ThoserightsthatyouconfigureintheSentryOneClientforauserwillbehonoredinthecloud.

Torestrictwhatashareduserhasaccessto,firstcreateauserintheSentryOneclientandrestricttheirrightsviaRightsBasedSecurity.ThatuserwillthenbeavailableintheLinktoSentryOneClientUserdropdownwhilesharing.

NOTE:Whencreatingauserforcloudsharingpurposes,itisnotnecessaryfortheusertohaveaSQLServerlogin.

9.17.1 ServerDetails

TheServerDetailsareaofthecloudincludesthefollowingfeatures:

VIEWSPerformanceOverview:ThePerformanceAnalysisOverviewprovidestheuserwithasummaryofperformancedataforallsyncedservers.ThisisthewebequivalenttotheSentryOneClientPerformanceAnalysisOverview.EventsLog:TheEventsLogprovidestheuserwithalistingofAdvisoryConditionEventsforsyncedservers.Actualevaluationvaluesarenotprovidedwithinthecloud,onlytheopenedandclosedstatusoftheAdvisoryConditions.ThisisthewebequivalenttotheSentryOneClientGlobalEventsLog.Reports:ExpansivelistofReportsforyourmonitoredenvironment.ThisisthewebequivalenttotheSentryOneClientReportingoptions.

MANAGEMENTOPTIONSSyncHistory:ThecompletesynchistoryofyourSentryOnerepositorydatabase.Thisincludesalistingofeachtablethathasbeensyncedwithcloud.sentryone.com.

DatabaseDetails:Providessummaryinformationaboutyourcloudinstallation.Thesharing


https://www.sqlsentry.com/help/ug/Performance_Advisor_Overview.html

https://www.sqlsentry.com/help/ug/Custom Conditions.html#EventsLog

https://www.sqlsentry.com/help/ug/Reporting_Overview.html

ofyourcloudinstallationcanbemanagedfromthisview.

SHARINGYOURCLOUDDATABASEYoucanshareyourclouddatabasebyaccessingtheDatabaseDetailspageoncloud.sentryone.com.FromtheMemberSectionOverviewpage,selecttheLaunchDatabaseiconandthenselecttheDatabaseDetailstab.FromtheDatabaseDetailstab,locatetheDatabaseSharingsection.Youcanshareyourdatabasewitheitheranexistingcloud.sentryone.comuseroranon-member.Youmayalsochoosetorestrictwhatserversarevisibletothoseuserswithwhomyoushareyourdatabase.Formoreinformation,seethesectionsbelow.

SHARINGWITHANEXISTINGUSER:Ifyouwouldliketoshareyourdatabasewithanexistinguser,youcandosoeitherviaemailorcloud.sentryone.comusername.Theexistinguserwillreceiveanemaillettingthemknowthatyouhavesharedadatabasewiththem,andthenexttimetheylogin,theywillhaveaccesstotheshareddatabase.

SHARINGWITHANEWUSER:Ifyouwouldliketoshareyourdatabasewithanon-member,simplyentertheiremailaddress.Theywillbeinvitedtoregisteroncloud.sentryone.comviaemail,andoncetheyhavecompletedtheregistrationprocess,theywillhaveaccesstotheshareddatabase.

RESTRICTINGVISIBILITYOFSERVERSSentryOnesupportsrestrictingservervisibilityinthecloudthroughtheapplicationofRightsBasedSecurity.WithRightsBasedSecurity,ausercanbeassignedalimitedsetofvisibleSites,TargetGroups,orInstances.ThoserightsthatyouconfigureintheSentryOneClientforauserwillbehonoredinthecloud.

Torestrictwhatashareduserhasaccessto,firstcreateauserintheSentryOneclientandrestricttheirrightsviaRightsBasedSecurity.ThatuserwillthenbeavailableintheLinktoSentryOneClientUserdropdownwhilesharing.

NOTE:Whencreatingauserforcloudsharingpurposes,itisnotnecessaryfortheusertohaveaSQLServerlogin.

9.17.2 ServerHealthStatus

ServerHealthStatusprovidesyouwithahighlevelviewofthehealthofyourenvironment.

SERVERHEALTHSTATUSANDADVISORYCONDITIONSSomefunctionalityoftheServerHealthStatusisdependentontheuseofAdvisoryConditions.InadditiontoyourownAdvisoryConditions,youcandownloadthelatestAdvisoryConditionPackfromtheToolsmenuintheSentryOneclient.ThispackincludesmanyAdvisoryConditionsthatwillassistinmonitoringperformanceissues,suchashighCPUusage,diskwaits,andmore.

ELEMENTSOFSERVERHEALTHSTATUS


https://www.sqlsentry.com/help/ug/SQL_Sentry_Client_Security.html

https://www.sqlsentry.com/help/ug/SQL_Sentry_Client_Security.html

ViewsTherearethreeavailableviewsontheServerHealthStatuspage.TheServerHealthIndicatorandScorewilldisplaydifferentinformationdependingonwhatviewyouareusing.

WaitTime/Session–UsesascorebasedonwaitstatsEventsbyTag–HealthIndicatordisplaysinformationrelatingtoAdvisoryConditiontagsEventsBySeverity–HealthIndicatordisplaysinformationrelatingtoAdvisoryConditionseverity

HealthIndicatorTheHealthIndicatorprovidesavisualrepresentationofaserver’shealth.

IntheWaitTime/Sessionview,theIndicatorisdividedinto5sections.Goingclockwise,thesesectionsrepresentwaitsofthefollowingcategories:CPU,Memory,Disk,Other,andNetwork.Asthesewaitsincrease,thecorrespondingsectionwillbegintofillandtheHealthIndicatorwillbegintochangecolor,goingfromgreentoyellowtored.

IntheEventsbyTagview,eachsectionrepresentsthetagsthatareappliedtotheAdvisoryConditionsinyourenvironment.

IntheEventsbySeverityview,theHealthIndicatorisdividedintoquadrantsrepresentingLow,Medium,High,andCritical.

ScoreScoresgiveyouametrictousetoquicklyevaluateyourserver'shealth.

WaitTime/SessionreliesonwaitstatsdatathatarecollectedbySentryOne.Thesewaitstatsarebrokendownbymajorresourcecategory(Network,CPU,Memory,Disk,Other).The"Other"categoryisforafewotherimportantwaittypesthatcaneitheraffectperformanceinmorethanonemajorcategory,orcannotbedirectlyattributedtoanycategorywithabsolutecertainty,suchasbackupsandparallelismrespectively.Eachcategoryiscalculatedindependently.Thedisplayedvalueforacategoryiscalculatedasthewaitsforthecategorydividedbytheusersessions.Thevaluesforwaitsandusersessionsarebasedonthemostrecentvaluespresentintheselectedtimeframe.Eachvalueisthenroundedanddisplayedasthecategory’svalue.Theoverallscoreisthesumofthefiveroundedcategories.

TheEventsbyTagandEventsbySeverityviewsworkbyincorporatingAdvisoryConditions.Bothuser-definedandprepackagedAdvisoryConditionsareusedtocalculatethescores.ThescorefortheseviewsisbasedontheseverityofallopenAdvisoryConditioneventswithintheselectedtimeperiod.Theseveritypointsareasfollows:

Low-1PointMedium-3PointsHigh-6PointsCritical-9Points

Theweightofanopeneventdiminisheswithitsage.Thescorebeingpresentedis100minusthesumoftheweightedvalueofopenevents.

NOTE:ClosedeventsarenotfactoredintotheServerHealthscore.EventscanbeclosedintheEventsLogintheSentryOneclient.

UptimeChartTheuptimechartwillindicateanydowntimethatoccurredwithinthedefinedtimeframe.


Downtimewillbedisplayedasaredgapwithinthechart.Uptimepercentageisdisplayedbelowthechart.

EventsLogWhenattheInstancelevel,youcanviewtheEventsLog.TheEventsLogdisplaysanyAdvisoryConditioneventsthatwereactiveduringthetimeperiodthatisselected.ThetimeperiodcanbeadjustedbyusingtheTimePeriodFilterinthetoprightcorner.

NavigationBarDetailView–ThisviewdisplaysmoredetailedinformationwithouttheneedtodrillintoaspecificTargetorInstance.SummaryView–Thisviewprovidesaminimalistviewofyourenvironment,allowingyoutoquicklyspotserversthatmaybeexperiencingsub-optimalconditions.GroupMode–ThismodeisavailableineitherviewandallowsyoutoseeTargets/InstancesastheyaregroupedintheSentryOneClientNavigatorpane.ZoomOutZoomInTimePeriodFilter–TheTimePeriodFilterallowsyoutoseetheServerHealthofyourenvironmentovertheselectedperiodoftime.


10 ImportantConcepts

TheconceptsandterminologycoveredinthissectionareimportantforafullunderstandingofSentryOnesoftware.

EarlierversionsofSentryOnefocusedprimarilyonSQLServerAgentjobs,however,thisisnolongerthecase.EventManager'snewEventConnectorArchitecturenowenablesmonitoringandmanagementofdifferenttypesofschedulingsystems,andvarioustypesofjobs,tasksandstatusevents.

Thisnecessitatedsomedramaticchangestobothoursystemarchitectureandterminology.Asaresult,throughoutthisguidemoregenerictermssuchas"eventstoreconnection"and"eventobject"(orsimply"connection"and"object")areusedwherebeforereferencesto"SQLServers"or"jobs"wereused.Thefollowingtopicscoverthesearchitecturalandterminologychangesindetail.

EventConnectorArchitectureExecutionAgentsExecutionEnginesEventStoresEventStoreConnectionsEventProvidersEventSources

SQLServerAgentJobsSQLServerAgentAlertsReportingServicesReportsSQLServerAgentLogWindowsTasksWindowsEventLogs

EventObjectsActiveEventObjectsStatusEventsHybridEventObjectsEventInstances

10.1 EventConnectorArchitecture

SentryOne'seventconnectorsystemencompassestheentireprocessbywhichSentryOnecollectshistoricalandactivestatusinformationfromvariouseventstores,andtranslatesthedataintothecalendars,lists,andgraphsintheSentryOneClient.ThedatacollectedisalsousedtotriggerthevariousactionscarriedoutbytheSentryOneMonitoringService,suchassendingemailnotifications.

Inanutshell,executionagentstriggerexecutionengineswhichwritedatatoeventstores.Therearemanydifferenttypesofagents,engines,andstores,andit'simportanttonotethatthisprocessisn'tnew,andisnotsomethingweinvented.However,SentryOne'sprimaryfocusiscollectingdatafromtherespectivestores,translatingit,correlatingit,renderingitinameaningfulfashionto


theDBA,andenablingautomatedactionsbaseduponit.Sowe'vehadtodefinesometermswhichabstractthesecomponentstomaketheprocessbywhichSentryOnecollectsandusesthisdatamoreunderstandable.Creatingnewtermsisn'tsomethingwedoforfun,butrathersomethingwe'vehadtodoheresimplybecauseallotherexisting"enterprise"schedulersutilizetheirownproprietaryexecutionagentsandengines.Sincetheydon't"wrap"otheragentsandenginesaswedo,thereprobablywasn'tmuchofaneedforthesetermsbeforenow.

Asanaside,webelieveour"agent-less"approachissuperiortothe"proprietaryschedulingagent"approachemployedby"enterprise"schedulersinmanyways,includingsignificantlyreducedinstallation,configurationandmaintenanceoverhead,aswellastheabilitytointegratewithsystemssuchasSQLServerAgentinamuchmorenativefashion.Forexample,wedon'tworkwithSQLAgentjobsviathecommandlineusingosql.exeasotherschedulersdo-insteadwetalkdirectlytoSQLServerinitsnativelanguages(DMO,SMO,ADO.NET,etc.).Ingeneral,weletexistingschedulingagentsdowhattheydobest,schedulejobsandtasks,andwedon'ttrytoreplacethem.

ThepartoftheprocessthatisproprietarytoSentryOneishowituseseventproviderstoaccessandtranslatetheeventstoredataovereventstoreconnectionsintotheeventobjectsusedbytheSentryOneClientandServer.Again,wearen'tjustdealingwithSQLAgentjobsanymore,sowe'vehadtocomeupwithafewtermstoabstractthesecomponentstomakethemmoreunderstandableandmanageable.It'salsoimportanttonotethatSentryOneisa100%.NET-basedapplication,sothisobject-orientedapproachisverymuchinlinewithhowwe'vedesignedthesoftware,andinmanywaystheseconceptsandtermsaredescendedfromit.

10.2 ExecutionAgents

Executionagentsrepresentanyprocessresponsiblefortheexecutionofoneormoreexecutionengines.Therearetwotypesofexecutionagents:schedulersandadhoc.

SCHEDULERSSchedulersofcoursetriggerexecutionenginesonanautomatedbasisatpredeterminedtimesand/orintervals.Therearemanydifferenttypesofschedulingagents–therearethoselikeSQLAgentandTaskSchedulerwhichcanbeusedbyanyonetoschedulejobsandtasks.Therearealso"proprietary”schedulers.Theseareschedulersthatexistaspartofsomeapplicationbutdon’toperateasstandaloneschedulers,andthereforecan’tbeusedtoscheduletasksunrelatedtotheapplicationitself.Manyanti-virussystems,diskdefragmentationsystems,andnetworkbackupsystemsfallintothiscategory.

TheschedulersthatSentryOneismostinterestedinarethoseexecutingtasksthat:

canimpactSQLServerperformance.havedependencyrelationshipswithotherSQLServer-relatedjobsortasks.

Schedulersalwayshavejob(ortask)historylogs,whichrecorddatasuchasstarttime,endtime,duration,andjoboutput.IftheSchedulerallowsadhoc(unscheduled)executionofitsjobs,thiswillalsonormallybelogged.GoodexamplesofthisaremanuallyexecutedSQLAgentjobsandWindowsTaskSchedulertaskswhicharewrittentotherespectivehistorylogsjustasscheduledexecutionsare.


It'simportanttonotetheSQLServerAgentisn'tonlyaschedulingagent-ithasjobsubsystemsthatmanagejobstepsandschedules,butitalsocontainsan"Alertengine"whichdetectsvariousconditionsoftheSQLServerprocessandperformancecounters,andithastheabilitytoauto-restartafailedSQLServerAgentorSQLMonitoringService.

Schedulerssometimeshavetheirownseparatelogswhichrecordgeneralinformation,errorsorwarningconditionsnotnecessarilyrelatedtojobs.AgoodexampleofthisistheSQLServerAgentlog.UnlikeSQLServerAgent,WindowsTaskSchedulerdoesnothaveitsownlog,onlyataskhistorylog.InthecaseofSQLServerAgent,SentryOnecollectsdatafromboththeSQLServerAgentLogitselfaswellasitsjobhistorylog.

ADHOCNon-scheduledexecutionsaretriggeredbyadhocagents,whichincludeusersandresponse-basedsystems.

Whenauserexecutesajobmanually,it'sconsideredanadhocexecution.Likewisewhensomeotheractiveprocessdetectsatransientconditionintheenvironmentandtriggersanexecutionengineasaresultitisconsideredaresponse-basedadhocexecution.

SentryOneisagreatexampleofaresponse-basedsystem-itisabletodetectvariousconditionsrelatedtoeventsourcesandtriggeravarietyofpre-definedactionsinresponse.SeeAlertingandResponseSystemformoreinfo.

Inthecasewhereauserexecutesanenginedirectly,therewillbenoschedulerlogs,andSentryOnewillbedependentontheengine’sownexecutionlogsiftheyexist.IftheenginedoesnotlogorsupportactivestatusqueriesviaAPIorotherinterface,thenweareoutofluckandSentryOnecan’tdoanythingwithit–wecan’tshowtheeventinstancesonacalendar,triggerconditionsandactions,and/ormonitorperformancefortheevent.AnexampleofthisisanSSISpackagethatisrunfromwithinSSMSwithoutpackageloggingenabled,oramanuallyexecutedVBScript(.vbs)filethatdoesn’tperformanylogging.

Themostimportantpointtorememberregardingexecutionagentsisthatiftheschedulerand/ortheexecutionenginelogseventdata,and/oreitherallowsactivestatusqueries,thenSentryOnecanworkwithit.

10.3 ExecutionEngines

Anexecutionengineisjustafancynameforanyapplicationorprogramthatdoessometypeofwork,typicallybackgroundprocessing.Someexamplesare:

SQLAgentjobssqlmaint.exe–theexecutableresponsibleforSQLAgentMaintenancePlanfunctionsReportServerservice–aWindowsservicewhichprocessesReportingServicesreportsandproducesassociatedoutputTaskScheduler–aWindowsserviceresponsibleforrunningtasksDiskdefragmentationsoftware–anexecutablewhichdefragmentslogicaldiskdrivesAnti-virussoftware–anexecutablewhichscansasystemforviruses


Oneoftheprimarydifferencesbetweenexecutionenginesandotherprogramsisthattheyusuallyrunasbackgroundprocesses,meaningtheyquietlygoabouttheirworkwithoutanysignificantuserinterfaceoruserinteraction.Inotherwords,executionenginesarenotlikeUI-drivenproductivityapplicationslikeMicrosoftWordorExcel.Seemssimpleenough,butit'sanimportantconcept.

There'sanotherimportantcharacteristicofmostexecutionengines–theythrowoffstatusinformation,typicallyintheformofanexecutionlog.ThiselementiskeyformanyofthefunctionsofSentryOne,includingnotifications,chaining,queuing,etc.Ifanexecutionenginedoesnotlogstatusinformationtoitsownexecutionlog,thenSentryOnewilldefaulttousethelogsoftheassociatedscheduler.Thefactthatitdoesn'thaveanexecutionlogdoesn'tmeanthatit'snotanexecutionengine,justthatforSentryOne’spurposesthereisn'treallymuchthatcanbedonewithit–weneedsometypeofexecutionlogdatawithanassociatedprovidertoshowtheeventinstanceonthecalendar,triggerconditionsandactions,monitorperformance,etc.

10.4 EventStores

Aneventstoreissimplyacollectionoflikeeventinstanceskeptinacommonlocation,typicallyadatabaseorfile-basedstorage.Someexamplesareshowninthetablebelow:

EventProvider ProviderType EventType EventStore

SQLServerAgent Scheduler Status FileStorage

SQLServerAgentJob ExecutionEngine Active SQLServerdatabase(MSDB)

WindowsTaskScheduler Scheduler Active WindowsAPI+FIleStorage

WindowsEventLog EventLog Status WindowsAPI

EVENTLOGSEventlogsareatypeofeventstorewhichholdonlystatuseventinstances.TheWindowsEventLogs,SQLServerLogs,andSQLServerAgentLogsareexamplesofeventlogs.

10.5 EventStoreConnections

Aneventstoreconnection(usuallyreferredtosimplyasaconnection)isusedbyeventsourcestoaccessdataineventstoresviasomenetworktransportmechanism.

IntheSentryOneClient,eachSQLServerandWindowsinstancenoderepresentsasingleconnection.

Forexample,theJobseventsourceaboveutilizesthe"SQLServerAgentJob"eventprovideroveranADO.NETconnectiontotheSQLServertoaccesseventdatastoredintheMSDBdatabase.

Formaximumefficiencyandperformance,SentryOneallowsaconnectiontobesharedbymultipleeventsourcessimultaneously-alleventsourcesundertheSQLServerInstancenodeabove(Jobs,MaintenancePlans,Alerts,ReportingServices,andSQLAgentLog)utilizethesamephysicalnetworkconnection.ThisconceptisillustratedinmoredetailintheEnterpriseArchitectureDiagram('EnterpriseArchitecture'intheon-linedocumentation).

CONFIGURINGINSTANCE-LEVELSETTINGS


Wheneveryousingle-clickonanInstancenodeintheNavigator,theConditionsandSettingspanewillautomaticallyrefreshtodisplayallconditions,actionsandsettingsfortheselectedInstance.AnychangesmadeherewillapplytotheselectedInstanceonly,overridinganygloballyconfiguredsettings.Likewise,Instance-levelsettingscanbeoverriddenattheobjectlevelbyselectinganobjectnodeintheNavigator.

10.6 EventProviders

AneventproviderisamodulewhichenablesSentryOnetocommunicatewithandtranslatedatafromaneventstoreoveraneventstoreconnectionintoacommonformatwhichcanbeusedbythevariouspartsoftheSentryOnesystem,includingcalendars,graphs,andnotifications.ASentryOneeventproviderisanalogoustoanOLEDBproviderorODBCdriver.Therearethreetypesofeventproviders:Schedulers,ExecutionEngines,andEventLogs.

Schedulerprovidersenableinterfacingwiththenativeschedulerlogs,suchasforSQLServerAgentorWindowsTaskScheduler.

Executionengineprovidersconnectwiththenativestoresforexecutionenginesforcollectinghistoricalinformation,andactivestatusinformationifsupportedbytheprovider.Notallproviderssupportactivestatusqueries.

Eventlogprovidersenabletranslationofstatuseventdatacontainedinalog-typestores,suchasfortheSQLAgentAlertlogortheWindowsEventLog.

SentryOneshipswithseveralproviders,including:

EventProvider ProviderType

SQLServerAgent Scheduler

SQLServerAgentJob ExecutionEngine

SQLServerAgentAlert EventLog

MaintenancePlan ExecutionEngine

ReportingServices ExecutionEngine

WindowTaskScheduler Scheduler

SentryOneutilizesa“plug-in”architecturewhichallowsfuturemodulestobeaddedon,typicallywithoutrequiringinstallofanewversionoftheSentryOnesoftware.

10.7 EventSources


Aneventsourcerepresentsauniqueinstanceofaneventprovideroperatingoverasingleeventstoreconnection.InSentryOne'sNavigatorpane,everysub-nodeunderneathaSQLServernoderepresentsauniqueeventsource.

BelowisacurrentlistingofalleventsourcescurrentlysupportedbySentryOne,alongwithitsassociatedeventobjects,providersandInstances:

Item NavigatorNode EventProvider InstanceType

SQLServerAgentJobs Jobs SQLServerAgentJob SQLServer

SQLServerAgentAlerts Alerts SQLServerAgentAlert SQLServer

SQLServerAgentLog SQLServerAgentLog

SQLServerAgent SQLServer

MaintenancePlans MaintenancePlans MaintenancePlan SQLServer

ReportingServicesReports ReportingServices ReportingServices SQLServer

WindowsTasks Tasks WindowTaskScheduler

WindowsInstance

WindowsEventLogs WindowsEventLogs WindowsEventLog WindowsInstance

10.7.1 SQLServerAgentJobs

SQLServerAgentJobsarelistedforeachSQLServerInstanceundertheJobsnode.Expandthenodetoviewthelistofjobs,orsingle-clickthenodetoviewacalendarforalljobs.TheSQLServerAgentJobeventproviderisusedbehindthescenestoaccessjobmetadata,history,andactivestatusinformation.

UsingtheSentryOneClient,youcanperformallofthesametasksrelatedtojobsthatyouwouldpreviouslydoviaSSMS,plusmanymorefeaturessuchasvisualscheduling,performancemonitoring,reporting,queuingandchaining.

10.7.2 SQLServerAgentAlerts

SQL SERVER AGENT ALERTSSQLServerAgentAlertsarelistedforeachSQLServerInstanceundertheAlertsnode.Expandthenodetoviewthelistofalerts,orsingle-clickthenodetoviewacalendarforallalerts.TheSQLServerAgentAlerteventproviderisusedbehindthescenestoaccessalertmetadataandhistoryinformation.

OutoftheboxSentryOnesupportsSQLServerAgenteventalerts,butSentryOnecanbeconfiguredtoalertyouonSQLServerAgentWMIeventalerts.Additionally,SentryOnecanalertyouaboutgeneralperformanceconditions,pleaseseetheSettingupAutomatedPerformanceAlertingKBarticle.


http://forum.sqlsentry.com/messages.aspx?TopicID=1856

http://forum.sqlsentry.com/messages.aspx?TopicID=1856

NOTE:InordertoenableserveralertcollectionandnotificationwithouttheuseofagentsoneachSQLServer,SentryOnemustinstallonesimplejob(SentryOneAlertTrap)andstoredprocedure(msdb.dbo.spTrapAlert_20),andonesmalltable(msdb.dbo.SQL_Sentry_AlertLog_20)oneachwatchedserver.

SentryOnemustalsomakeaminorconfigurationchangetoeachserveralertinordertoenablealertcollectionandnotification-the“Executejob”settingisupdatedtousethe“SentryOneAlertTrap”job.Ifanalertisalreadysettoexecuteanotherjob,the“Executejob”settingsforthatalertwillnotbeupdated,andSentryOnewillnotbeabletogeneratenotificationsforthealert.

Oneofthemostcommonreasonsthe“Executejob”settingmayalreadybesettoajobisforloggingand/ornotificationpurposes,inwhichcaseSentryOnemaybeabletosafelyassumecontrolofthisfunction.SomeoftheadvantagesofusingSentryOneinsteadarethatitsloggingandnotificationprocessesarecentralized(versusdistributedoneachserver),theyarenotMAPI-dependent,andtheycaneasilybemaderedundantbyusingmorethanoneSentryOneMonitoringService.

AcompletelistofobjectsSentryOneplacesonawatchedservercanbefoundhere.

NOTE: In order to watch alerts on SQL Server 2005 and above Instances, token replacementmust be enabled for the SQL Server Agent. This is disabled by default as a security precaution. More information on this setting can be found in SQL Server Books Online. You can alsoconfigure SentryOne to auto-enable SQL Agent tokens at the Global and Instance level.

10.7.3 ReportingServicesReports

IfaReportingServicesdatabaseexistsonaSQLServer,theReportingServicesnodewillbedisplayedundertheSQLServerAgentnode,underwhichallreportsarelistedbyname.Expandthenodetoviewthelistofreports,orsingle-clickthenodetoviewacalendarforallreports.TheReportingServiceseventproviderisusedbehindthescenestoaccessreportmetadataandhistoryinformation.

Forscheduledreports,ReportingServicesjobsarelistedundertheJobsnodeusingacombinationofthereportnameandscheduletype.Keepinmindthatnotallreportshaveschedules,andsomereportshavemultipleschedules,sotheassociatedobjectnodesshownunderJobsandReportingServicesnodesmaynotmatchexactly."Shared"reportscheduleswillbelistedundertheJobsnode.

ReportsaredisplayedontheCalendarbyafriendlyname,andoffermanydetailsthroughtheirpopupwindow.



10.7.4 SQLServerAgentLog

TheSQLServerAgentLognodeislistedundereachSQLServerInstancenode.Single-clickthenodetoviewacalendarforallSQLServerAgentevents.TheSQLServerAgenteventproviderisusedbehindthescenestoaccessthishistoryinformation.

10.7.5 WindowsTasks

WinSentrysupportstheTaskSchedulerEventSource.WindowsTasksarelistedforeachWindowsInstanceundertheTasksnode.Expandthenodetoviewthelistoftasks,orsingle-clickthenodetoviewacalendarforalltasks.TheWindowsTaskSchedulereventproviderisusedbehindthescenestoaccesstaskmetadata,history,andactivestatusinformation.

IMPORTANT: Windows Vista introduced Task Scheduler 2.0. Task Scheduler 2.0 isbackwards compatible with Task Scheduler 1.0, however, Task Scheduler 1.0 is not forwardscompatible with Task Scheduler 2.0. For this reason, in order to Watch or Synchronize TaskScheduler 2.0 connections, you must have a SentryOne Monitoring Service and SentryOneClient running Windows Vista or higher.

Windows 8 and Windows 2012 also introduced changes to Task Scheduler. In order toWatch or Synchronize Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 Instances, you must havea SentryOne Monitoring Service and SentryOne Client running Windows 8 or Windows 2012.


SPECIFYINGNON-ZEROSUCCESSCODESFORWINDOWSTASKSSomeTaskSchedulertasksdonotreturn"0"forsuccess.Inthesecases,WinSentrymaymisinterpretthisnon-zeroexitcodeasataskfailure.Inordertopreventthese"falsenegatives",youmayspecifyanexacttextstringthatWinSentryistorecognizeasthesuccesscodeforthatparticulartask.Todoso,clickonthetaskintheNavigatorpaneandenterthevaluenextto"Exitcodeiftaskwassuccessful".

NOTE:Occasionally, Windows Tasks may show as running even after they have completed. Forthis reason, while a task is running, theCloseRunningEventcontext menu item is available tomanually close this event. This menu item should only be used when you are sure the task hascompleted, but shows as running in Win Sentry .

10.7.6 WindowsEventLogs

WinSentryincludestheWindowsEventLogsEventSource.ThemonitoringoftheApplication,Security,andSystemEventlogsissupported.WhenyoumonitoraWindowsInstancetheApplicationandSystemLogsareinitiallywatched.IfyouwouldliketomonitortheSecuritylog,simplyselectWatchWindowsEventLogfromtheSecuritynode'scontextmenu.

TheWindowsEventLogsSourcehasadefaultHistoryFilterinplace.ThedefaultfilteristailoredtocaptureinformationaboutbothSentryOneandSQLServer.WiththeHistoryFilteryoudefineruleswhichcontrolexactlywhattypesofeventstheMonitoringServicewritesintoEventHistoryconcerningtheWindowsEventlogs.IfaneventdoesnotmeetthecriteriayouhavedefinedintheHistoryFilter,informationaboutthateventisnotwrittentoyourSentryOneDatabase.Youmaychangethefilterasneededtobestfityourenvironment.

TheWindowsEventLogsHistoryFiltercanbeaccessedintheSettingspaneasfollows:

1. SelecttheWindowsInstancenodeintheNavigatorpane.2. OpentheSettingspane(Viewmenu->Settings).3. SelectWindowsEventLogsSourcefromthedropdownmenu.

Note:MonitoringtheWindowsEventLogsissupportedforWindowsVistaorhigher.

10.8 EventObjects

Atahighlevel,aneventobjectissimplyanyjob,task,orothereventtypethatcanbemanagedusingSentryOne.Therearetwogeneraltypesofevents:activeeventobjectsandstatusevents.Thetwoareactuallycompletelydifferent,withtheexceptionthattheireventinstancesbothoccuratsomemeasurablepointintime,andthereforecanberepresentedchronologicallyincalendarandlistviews.Athirdsub-typeishybrideventobjectswhichcontainsomecharacteristicsofbothactiveand/orstatusevents.

WHYISITIMPORTANTTODIFFERENTIATETHETYPESOFEVENT


OBJECTS?WhenyouviewacalendarinSentryOne,youwillseeacombinationofvarioustypesofactiveandstatuseventinstances.ActiveeventobjectsincludeSQLAgentJobs,MaintenancePlans,andReportingServicesReports,alongwithWindowsTaskSchedulerTasks.StatuseventsincludeSQLAgentAlertsandSQLAgentLogrecords.Sincebusycalendarscanincludesomeoralloftheseeventtypes,it'simportanttobeabletodifferentiatethemtomakethemostoftheinformationpresented.TheSentryOneClientfacilitatesthisbyindicatingthetypeofeventobjectusingasmallglyphoneacheventinstance,aswellasineventinstancepopupwindows.

It'salsoimportanttounderstandwhy,forexample,activeeventobjectshaveruntimeandperformancegraphs,aswellasruntimeandperformanceconditions,whilestatuseventsdonot.

EventObjects Type InstanceType

SQLServerAgentJob Active SQLServer

SQLServerAgentAlert Status(hybrid) SQLServer

SQLServerAgentLogRecord Status SQLServer

MaintenancePlan Active(hybrid) SQLServer

ReportingServicesReport Active SQLServer

WindowsTask Active Windows

WindowsEventLogsEvent Status Windows

10.8.1 ActiveEventObjects

Anactiveeventobjectisalsocommonlyreferredtoasajoboratask,andcontainsalloftheinformationnecessarytoperformsomemeasurablework.Thiscanincludeinstructionsinsomescriptinglanguage(T-SQL,VBScript,etc.),connectioninformation,configurationparameters,etc.Activeeventsalwayshaveastarttimeandanendtime,i.e.,theyhaveduration,andtheyarealsoschedulable.SQLAgentJobsandWindowsTasksareexamplesactiveeventobjects.

10.8.2 StatusEvents

Astatuseventrepresentsthediscreteoccurrenceofsomeconditionofaprocess,usuallyapersistentprocess.Statuseventsdonothaveduration,theyarenotschedulable,andtheydonotperformanymeasurablework.Forexample,theSQLServerAgentLogcontainsvariousstatuseventsgivenoffbytheSQLServerprocessatspecificpointsintime.

STATUSEVENTOBJECTSAstatuseventobjectisanystatuseventthatispredefinedand/orconfigurable,suchasaSQL


ServerAgenterrorcondition.MostentriesintheSQLAgentLogsareinstancesofastatuseventobject,suchasthisone:[264] An attempt was made to send an email when no email session hasbeen established

Althoughthiseventobjectisnot“configurable”,itrepresentsanerrorconditionthatispredefinedandstatic.

ADHOCSTATUSEVENTSNotallstatuseventscanbepre-defined,forexamplean“adhoc”messageforatransactionlogbackuprecordedintheSQLServerLog:Log backed up: Database: Northwind, creation date(time):2004/07/27(11:51:24), first LSN: 238:292:1, last LSN: 238:292:1, numberof dump devices: 1, device information: (FILE=1, TYPE=DISK: {'D:\ProgramFiles\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL\BACKUP\

Inthiscaseadiscretestatuseventisloggedastheresultofsomeprocess,butdoesnotspecifyastartorendtime,noristheoutputconstant,i.e.,itchangeseverytime.Itisalsonotentirelypre-definednorisitconfigurable;thereforeweconsiderthisanadhocstatusevent.

10.8.3 HybridEventObjects

Hybrideventobjectsarethosethatdon'tnecessarilyfallcleanlyintotheactiveorstatuseventcategories.

Forexample,aSQLAgentMaintenancePlanisanactiveeventobjectthatiscomprisedofseveralotheractiveeventobjects–SQLAgentjobs.Theplanitselfdoesn'tactuallydoanywork,thejobsdo;theyhandlethevariousactivitiesassociatedwiththeplansuchasbackups,optimizations,etc.Inthiscasethejobsactassurrogatesfortheplanitself.Theplandoes,however,containconfigurationinformation,aswellasanexecutionengineandlog,anditsassociatedjobsdoworkandhaveduration.Thereforeweconsidertheplanavariantofanactiveeventobject.Ifitdidnothaveitsownconfigurationinfoorexecutionlog,itwouldsimplybeacollectionofjobs.

ASQLAgentAlertisavariantofastatuseventobject.AlertscanbetriggeredbyvariousconditionsoftheSQLServerprocess,suchasafulltransactionlog,acorruptdatabase,etc.SQLServerlogsastatuseventtotheWindowsApplicationLog,thenSQLAgentpicksitupandfiresanydefinedAlertsthatmatchthecondition.AlthoughAlertsdon'tactuallyhavetheirownlog,whentheyfireSentryOneisabletocapturetheoutputasadiscretestatuseventinstanceandlogittoatableinMSDB,effectivelyaneventlog.SQLAgentAlertsarereallymoreofatoolfortheDBAtodefinetheeventsforwhichtheywanttobenotifiedortakesomeotheraction--theyaren'treallystatuseventobjectsinthestrictestsense,butforourpurposesithelpstothinkofthemthatway.

10.8.4 EventInstances

Aneventinstanceisanyindividualhistoricalorfutureoccurrenceofanactiveeventobjectorstatusevent.EventinstancescorrelatetotherectangularplaceholdersdisplayedonaSentryOnecalendar,orthemasterrecordsshowninalistview.AnindividualexecutionofaSQLAgentjob


representsanactiveeventinstance.EveryoccurrenceofaSQLAgenterrorintheSQLAgentlogsisanindividualstatuseventinstance.


11 Appendix

11.1 sp_sentry_mail_20

WhenaSQLServerInstanceisfirstsettowatchedstatuswithSQLSentry,SentryOneauto-installsastoredprocedureintheMSDBdatabasenamedsp_sentry_mail_20thatisintendedtobeaninterfacecompatiblereplacementforxp_sendmail.sp_sentry_mail_20supportsalmostallofthefunctionalityofxp_sendmail,includingsendingqueryresultsasattachments.

AsidefromusingSMTP,notMAPI,sp_sentry_mail_20isastandardstoredprocedure,notanextendedstoredprocedure,soitdoesn'trequireinstallationofanydll’s,scripts,orothercomponentsoneverySQLServer.Thus,theconfigurationandmaintenancerequirementsaredramaticallyreducedoverxp_sendmailandotherxp_sendmailreplacements.Inaddition,becausesp_sentry_mail_20hasnodependenciesonMAPIorSQLMailitisinherentlymorereliablethanxp_sendmail.

AfterwatchingtheSQLServerInstance,allthat'srequiredisreplacinganycallstoxp_sendmailwithsp_sentry_mail_20asshownbelow.

NOTE:For sp_sentry_mail_20 to function,SMTPsettingsmust be configured first.

SP_SENTRY_MAIL_20PARAMETERSAlistofsp_sentry_mail_20parametersisshowninthetablebelow.Allparametersareoptionalexceptfor@recipients.Parametersareidenticaltothoseusedbyxp_sendmail,withtheexceptionoftwonewoptionalparameters(@from_addressand@email_format).

Parameter Description

@recipients Emailaddressesofrecipients,delimitedbysemicolons.

@message Thebodyofthemessage.

@queryA SQL statement to be executed. The results of the query will beincluded in the body of the email by default, or as an attachment if@attach_resultsisTRUE.

@attachments Asemi-colondelimitedlist of files toattachtothemessage.Currentlyignored.Plannedforfutureversion.

@copy_recipients Emailaddressesofrecipientstobecopied,delimitedbysemicolons.

@blind_copy_recipients Email addresses of recipients to be blind copied, delimited bysemicolons.

@subject Subjectlineofthemessage.

@type Ignored. used by xp_sendmail only, but provided for xp_sendmailcompatibility.

@attach_resultsIfTRUE,thequeryresultswillbeattachedasatextfile.

If FALSE (default), the results will be included inline in the body of themessage.


@no_outputIfTRUE,nooutputisreturnedtotheclientwhenthemessageissent.

IfFALSE(default),"Mailsent."isreturnedtotheclient

@no_header IfFALSE(default),nocolumnheadersareincludedinthequeryresults.

@width The line width for rows in the query output. 0 (default) indicates nowidthlimitshouldbeused.

@separator Columnseparatorvaluetouseforthequeryoutput.

@echo_error Ignored. used by xp_sendmail only, but provided for xp_sendmailcompatibility.

@set_user Theusercontextunderwhichtoexecutethequery.Currentlyignored.Plannedforfutureversion.

@dbuse Thenameofdatabaseinwhichtorunthequery.

@from_address The"mailfrom"addresstouseforthemessage.

@email_format Allowedvaluesare'text'or'html'only.

REPLACINGCALLSTOXP_SENDMAILSimplychangecallstoxp_sendmailtomsdb..sp_sentry_mail_20asshownbelow:

Oldcall:

execxp_sendmail@recipients='[email protected]',…

Newcall:

execmsdb..sp_sentry_mail_20@recipients='[email protected]',…

EXAMPLE:RESULTSEMBEDDEDINMESSAGEBODYexecmsdb..sp_sentry_mail_20

@recipients='[email protected]',

@subject='TitlesList',

@Message='TitlesListReport',

@query='SELECTtitle_id,titleFROMtitles',

@dbuse='pubs'

Results:


mailto:'[email protected]'

mailto:'[email protected]'

EXAMPLE:COMMA-SEPARATEDRESULTSATTACHEDTOMESSAGEexecmsdb..sp_sentry_mail_20



@Message='TitlesListReport',

@query='SELECT*FROMtitles',

@dbuse='pubs',

@attach_results='TRUE',

@separator=','

Results:


11.2 sp_sentry_dbmail_20

WhenaSQLServer2005andaboveInstanceisfirstsettowatchedstatuswithSQLSentry,SentryOneauto-installsastoredprocedureintheMSDBdatabasenamedsp_sentry_dbmail_20thatisintendedtobeaninterfacecompatiblereplacementforsp_send_dbmail.sp_sentry_dbmail_20supportsallofthefunctionalityofsp_send_dbmail,withouttheneedtoconfigureeachservertouseit.Thus,theconfigurationandmaintenancerequirementsaredramaticallyreducedoversp_send_dbmail.

AfterwatchingtheSQLServer2005andaboveInstance,allthat'srequiredisreplacinganycallstosp_send_dbmailwithsp_sentry_dbmail_20asshownbelow.

NOTE:For sp_sentry_dbmail_20 to functionSMTPsettingsmust be configured first.

SP_SENTRY_DBMAIL_20PARAMETERSAlistofsp_sentry_dbmail_20parametersisshowninthetablebelow.Allparametersareoptionalexceptfor@recipients.Youmustspecifyatleastoneof@body,@query,@file_attachments,[email protected],sp_sentry_dbmail_20returnsanerror.Parametersareidenticaltothoseusedbysp_send_dbmail.

Parameter Description

@profile_name

ProfilesarerequiredtobesetupinSQLServer2005andabovebeforeusingmailfunctionality.ProfilesareNOTrequiredforSentryOne,thereforethisparameterisoptionalforsp_sentry_dbmail_20.

@recipients Emailaddressesofrecipients,delimitedbysemicolons.

@copy_recipients Emailaddressesofrecipientstobecopied,delimitedbysemicolons.

@blind_copy_recipients Emailaddressesofrecipientstobeblindcopied,delimitedby


semicolons.

@subject Subjectlineofthemessage.

@body Thebodyofthemessage.

@body_format Theformatofthemessagebody.MaybeTEXTorHTML.

@importance Theimportanceofthemessage.MaybeLow,Normal,orHigh.

@sensitivity Thesensitivityofthemessage.MaybeNormal,Personal,Private,orConfidential.

@file_attachments Asemi-colondelimitedlistoffilestoattachtothemessage.

@queryASQLstatementtobeexecuted.Theresultsofthequerywillbeincludedinthebodyoftheemailbydefault,orasanattachmentif@attach_query_result_as_file=1.

@execute_query_database Thenameofdatabaseonwhichtorunthequery.

@attach_query_result_as_fileIf1,thequeryresultswillbeattachedasatextfile.

If0(default),theresultswillbeincludedinlineinthebodyofthemessage.

@query_attachment_filename

Thefilenametousefortheresultsetofaquerywhenattached.

Ifnoneisspecifiedandtheaboveparameter=1,anarbitraryfilenamewillbeused.

@query_result_headerIf1(default),thequeryresultswillincludecolumnheaders.

If0,theywillnot.

@query_result_width Thelinewidth,incharacters,forrowsinthequeryoutput.

@query_result_separatorColumnseparatorvaluetouseforthequeryoutput.

Thedefaultis''.(space)

@exclude_query_outputIf1,nooutputisreturnedtotheclientwhenthemessageissent.

If0(default),"Mailsent."isreturnedtotheclient

@append_query_errorIf1,themessageissentwiththequeryerrorinthebody.

If0(default),themessageisnotsent.

@query_no_truncateIf1,queryresultsarenottruncated.

If0(default),columnstruncateto256characters.

@mailitem_id Optionaloutputparameterreturnsthemailitem_idofthemessage.Themailitem_idisoftypeint.

@from_address The"mailfrom"addresstouseforthemessage.


REPLACINGCALLSTOSP_SEND_DBMAILSimplychangecallstosp_send_dbmailtomsdb..sp_sentry_dbmail_20asshownbelow:

Oldcall:

execsp_send_dbmail@recipients='[email protected]',…

Newcall:

execmsdb..sp_sentry_dbmail_20@recipients='[email protected]',…

EXAMPLE:RESULTSEMBEDDEDINMESSAGEBODYexecmsdb..sp_sentry_dbmail_20



@body='TitlesListReport',

@query='SELECTtitle_id,titleFROMtitles',

@execute_query_database='pubs'

Results:


EXAMPLE:COMMA-SEPARATEDRESULTSATTACHEDTOMESSAGEexecmsdb..sp_sentry_dbmail_20



@body='TitlesListReport',

@query='SELECT*FROMtitles',

@execute_query_database='pubs',

@attach_query_result_as_file=1,

@query_result_separator=',',

@query_attachment_filename='queryresults2.txt'

Results:


11.3 WatchedServerObjects

SENTRYONEWATCHEDSERVEROBJECTSWhenaSQLServerinstanceiswatchedbySentryOne,thebelowobjectsareplacedonthetargetserver.Toremovetheseobjects,seetheUninstallingSentryOnetopic.

TABLES(MSDB):SQLSentryObjectVersion_20

SQLSentryAlertLog_20

SQLSentryDBEmails_20(SQLServer2005+)

SQLSentryDBEmail_Attachments_20(SQLServer2005+)

SQLSentryEmails_20

SQLSentryLogCache_20

SQLSentryLogData_20

SQLSentryObjectVersion_20

SQLSentryQueueLog_20

STOREDPROCEDURES(MSDB):spGetBlockInfo_20

spGetProcedureStatsData

spGetQueryStatsData

spGetBlockInfo_20


http://www.SentryOne.com/help/qs/#Uninstalling_SQL_Sentry.html

spGetJobInfo_20

spQueueHeartbeat_20

spQueueJob_End_20

spQueueJob_Start_20

spQueueMonitor_20

spReadLogFile_20

spSetupAlertsTrap_20

spTrapAlert_20

sp_sentry_mail

sp_sentry_mail_20

sp_sentry_dbmail_20(SQLServer2005+)

SQLAGENTJOBS:SQLSentry2.0AlertTrap

SQLSentry2.0QueueMonitor

SENTRYONEMONITORINGOBJECTSINAZURESQLDATABASETARGETSWhenanAzureSQLDatabaseiswatchedbyDBSentry,theuserisgiventheoptiontoallowsomemonitoringobjectstobecreatedinthetargetdatabase.IftheseobjectsareallowedtheywillbecreatedunderaSentryOneschema.Toremovetheseobjects,seetheUninstallingSentryOnetopic.Someofthetableswillhaveuniqueidentifiersonthemafterthetablename(indicatedwith'...').

TABLES(TARGETDATABASE)SQLSentry.SQLSentryObjectVersion_20

SQLSentry.ProcedureStats_...

SQLSentry.ProcedureStats_...

STOREDPROCEDURES(TARGETDATABASE)SQLSentry.spGetProcedureStatsData

SQLSentry.spGetQueryStatsData

11.4 ExecuteActionParameters

ExecuteSQLandExecuteProcessactionsallowforthepassingofparametersinthecommandtext.

SYSTEMPARAMETERSThereareninesystemparametersthatareavailableinSentryOne.Belowisalistofthesystemparametersalongwithadescriptionoftheinformationtheyhold.

SystemParameter Description


ServerName* NameoftheInstanceonwhichtheobjectexists

ObjectName Nameoftheobject

ObjectType SQLServerAgentJob,MaintenancePlan,etc.

Owner* Owneroftheobject

StepName* Nameassignedtothestep

Message* Outputtextassociatedwiththestep

Category* Categoryasdefinedinthepropertiesoftheobject

Condition Failure,Completed,etc.

MessageText ProvidingthebodytextofthestandardSentryOnenotification.

*AvailableforGeneralActionsonly.

Theseparametersarepassedtothecommandtextbysurroundingtheparameternamewith<%%>,suchas<%ServerName%>.

USERPARAMETERSUserdefinedparameterscanalsobedefinedintheoutputtextofanevent.Thesyntaxwithintheoutputmustbe:PARAM=12345,PARAM:12345,orPARAM:12345.Youwouldthenuse<%PARAM%>withinthecommandtextoftheexecuteactiontopassthatvalue.

EXAMPLEYourorganizationkeepsatableonitsIssuesdatabasecalledFailedAccountingJobs,whichhascolumnsforJobOwner,JobName,LastOrderProcessed,andTime.TheAccountingjobscreatestepoutputthatrecordsthelastOrderIDprocessedincaseoffailureusingOrderIDastheuserdefinedparameter.YoucouldsetupanExecuteSQLactionontheSQLAgentJob:FailureconditionthatpointstotheserverthatholdstheIssuesdatabasewithaT-SQLcommand:

InsertIntoIssues..FailedJobs(JobOwner,JobName,LastOrderProcessed,Time)

VALUES('<%Owner%>','<%ObjectName%>','<%OrderID%>',GetDate())

Thevaluesfortheowner,nameoftheobject,andOrderIDwillautomaticallybeprovidedbySentryOneandinsertedintothecommandwhenitruns.

NOTE:

User defined parameters may not be retrievable from the output of retried SQL Agent Jobsteps.


When passing the MessageText parameter, double quotes may be needed. Also rememberto use SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER OFF in this case.

ADDITIONALOPTIONSOtheroptionsareavailablefortheStepNameandMessageparameters.TheStepNameandMessagecanalsobepassedusingtheformat<%StepName:[Identifier]%>or

<%Message:[Identifier]%>.Ifthe[Identifier]isanumberthenthevaluefromthatparticularstepIDisused,startingwithstep1.

Additionally,the[Identifier]canalsobeoneofthefollowingvalues:

FirstStep–Thevalueforthestepnameormessageofthefirstcompletedstep.LastStep–Thevalueforthestepnameormessageofthelastcompletedstep.FirstFailure–Thevalueforthestepnameormessageofthefirstfailedstep.LastFailure–Thevalueforthestepnameormessageofthelastfailedstep.

Example:INSERTINTOTABLE(MyCustomMessage)VALUES('Thelaststepfailurewasonstep<%StepName:LastFailure%>andthetextforthatwas

<%Message:LastFailure>')

11.5 SentryOneDatabaseMaintenance

JustaswithanyotherSQLServerdatabase,itisimportantthatregularmaintenanceactivitiesbeperformedontheSentryOnedatabasetoensureoptimalperformance.Thefollowingaresuggestedpracticesforperformingsuchmaintenance.

WEEKLY

INDEXREBUILDSWeeklyIndexrebuildsarerecommended.SentryOneFragmentationManagercanbeusedtohelpyoumakeintelligentdecisionsaboutindexmanagementinyourenvironment.FormoreinformationseetheFragmentationManagertopic.

NIGHTLY

DATABASEINTEGRITYCHECKSDatabaseintegritychecksshouldbeperformedeverynight.TheyalsocanbescheduledthroughamaintenanceplanandwillthenbereflectedintheSentryOneClient.

INDEXDEFRAGMENTATION


SentryOneFragmentationManagercanbeusedtohelpyoumakeintelligentdecisionsaboutindexmanagementinyourenvironment.FormoreinformationseetheFragmentationManagertopic.

CONFIGURINGTHESENTRYONEDATABASEMAINTENANCEWINDOWTheMaintenanceWindowshouldalsobeconfiguredwiththeaboveactivityscheduledwithintoavoidexcessiveFailsafeNotificationsduetotheseactivities.

11.6 RelocatingtheSentryOneDatabase

MovingtheSentryOneDatabasetoanewSQLServerinstanceisastraightforwardprocess.Followingarethestepsrequiredtoaccomplishthis:

1. RetrievetheinstancenameforthenewSQLServerbyrunningSELECTSERVERPROPERTY('SERVERNAME')againstit.Yourlicensekeyisbasedonthisinstancename.

2. LogintotheCustomerPortalhttp://www.SentryOne.com/portal.UndertheLicenseMaintenancesection,selectView/ModifyExistingSentryOneLicenses.

a. InthePerpetualLicensessectionyouwillseeyourSentryOneLicenselisted.Clicktheplussymbolnexttotheinstancenametoexpandthelicensemanagementoptions.

b. SelecttheLicenseConfigurationtab.c. IntheSQLServerInstanceNamefieldenterthenewinstancenamefromStep1.d. IntheReasonForChangefieldenterasimplereasonforthechange.e. ClicktheUpdatebuttonandthelicensewillbeautomaticallyemailedtoyou.

3. Onceyouhavereceivedthenewkey,shutdownallSentryOneClientsandSentryOneMonitoringServices.

4. PerformafullbackupoftheSentryOneDatabase.5. DetachtheSentryOneDatabase.6. Movetheassociateddataandlogfiles.7. AttachtheSentryOneDatabasetothenewserver.8. OpentheSentryOneClientonanymachinewithaSentryOneMonitoringService.AfterfailingtolocatetheSentryOneDatabase,theConnectwindowshouldappear.EnterthenewlocationoftheSentryOneDatabase.TheSentryOneClientwillalertyouthatitneedstoberestartedtoconnecttothenewSentryOneDatabase.Onrestarting,youwillbeaskedforthenewlicensekey.

9. AftersuccessfullyapplyingthelicenseandstartingtheSentryOneClient,youwillneedtoruntheServiceConfigurationUtility,pointingtheMonitoringServiceatthenewSentryOneDatabase.TheServiceConfigurationUtilitycanbefoundintheSentryOneprogramgroup.AfterrunningtheServiceConfigurationUtilitybesurethattheMonitoringServicehasbeenrestarted.

10. Repeatsteps8and9onanyothermachineswithSentryOneMonitoringServices.Youwillnotbeaskedforthelicenseagain,however.

YoumaynowstartanyotherSentryOneClientandenterthenewSentryOneDatabaselocationwhenasked.

Don'tforgettosetupSentryOneDatabasemaintenanceonthenewserver.


http://www.SentryOne.com/portal

ToremoveanoldserverfromtheAllInstancesViewsothatyouwillnolongerbepromptedaboutitwhenopeningtheSentryOneClient:

1. SelecttheServerNameoftheserveryouwouldliketoremoveinthe“PleaseSpecifytheServerName”drop-downlist,andpressShift+Delete.

2. Thenewservershouldnowbetheonlyonelistedinthedrop-downlist.UsetheConnectcommandandconnecttothenewinstallation.

ThenexttimeyouopentheClientitwillautomaticallyconnecttothenewinstallation.

11.7 WatchingServersAcrossDomains

ItispossibletowatchInstancesacrossdomainswithSentryOneevenwhenthereisnotrustrelationshipbetweenthem.Thebestoptiontoachievethisdependsontheresourcesavailableandnumberofserversyouwishtowatch.

ONEMONITORINGSERVICEIfyouonlyhavetheresourcestoinstalloneSentryOneMonitoringServiceforyourenvironment,oronlyhaveacoupleserversinnon-trusteddomainsyouwishtowatch,pass-throughauthenticationcanbesetuponeachserverintheotherdomain.ThisrequireseachwatchedserverontheotherdomaintohavealocalWindowsaccountthathastheidenticalloginandpasswordastheSentryOneMonitoringServiceservice'sdomainaccount.ThismustalsohavesysadminprivilegesonthewatchedSQLServerinstance.

MULTIPLESERVERSERVICESAnotheroptionistoinstallaSentryOneMonitoringServiceineachdomainwhereyouhaveserversyouwishtowatch.Thisonlyrequirespass-throughauthenticationtobesetupforeachMonitoringServicetothemachinewheretheSentryOneDatabaseisinstalled.YoucouldthencreateseparatesitesforeachMonitoringServicetoensurethattheyonlypolledtheserversintheirdomain.

11.8 HotKeyList

BelowarethehotkeysthatareavailableinSentryOne:Item Keys Notes

Help F1orCtrl+H OpenstheUserGuide.

Save Ctrl+S Saveschangesmadeintheclient.

Close Ctrl+W Closestheactivetabintheclient.

Exit Ctrl+Q Closestheclient.




UserPreferences Ctrl+O OpenstheUserPreferenceswindow.

Print Ctrl+P OpensthePrintwindow.

FindObject Ctrl+F OpenstheEventObjectSearchwindow.

TabScroll Ctrl+Tab Scrollsthroughopentabsintheclient.

SelectAll Ctrl+A Selectsallitemsinwindow(whereapplicable).

Copy Ctrl+C Copiesselecteditemstoclipboard(whereapplicable).

Paste Ctrl+V Pastesitemsfromclipboard(whereapplicable).

AddNote

Onnotedialog:

-New

-Save

-Delete

-Close

Ctrl+Alt+N

Onnotedialog:

-Ctrl+N

-Ctrl+S

-Ctrl+D

-Ctrl+C

Opensthenotesinterfacewhenanapplicableobjectisselected.

Onnotedialog:

-Opensnewnote.

-Savesnote.

-Deletesnote.

-Closesnotedialog.

HistoryList(oneday) Ctrl+Alt+H OpensthehistoryListviewforonedaywhenanapplicableobject

Item Keys Notes


isselected.Item Keys Notes

11.9 SentryOnePowerShellModule

TheSentryOneinstallationpackageincludesaPowerShellmodulewhichcanbeusedtomanageyourSentryOneenvironmentthroughPowerShell.Thistopicincludesawalkthroughofthatfunctionality.

NOTE:PowerShell3.0orhigherisrequiredtousethisfunctionality.

GETTINGSTARTEDThefirststepistoimporttheSentryOnePowerShellmodule.YoucanfindthemoduleintheSentryOneprogramdirectory.UsetheImport-Modulecommand.

Import-Module"C:\ProgramFiles\SentryOne\11.0\Intercerve.SQLSentry.Powershell.psd1"

Toverifythatthemoduleimportedcorrectly,runtheGet-Modulecommand.YoushouldseealistingforIntercerve.SentryOne.Powershell.

COMMANDSVariouscommandsareavailable,seethetablebelowformoreinformationabouteachcommand.

Command Description

Connect-SQLSentry

ThiscommandallowsyoutoconnecttoaspecificSentryOneinstallation,whichisrequiredbeforeanyotheractionscanbeperformed.Thiscommandisalsousefulfornavigatingbetweenrepositories.UsedinenvironmentswhichhavemorethanoneSentryOnerepository.

AvailableParameters:

DatabaseName

Login

Password

ServerName

UseIntegratedSecurity

Disconnect-SQLSentry

ThiscommandallowsyoutodisconnectfromaspecificSentryOneinstallation.UsefulforenvironmentswhichhavemorethanoneSentryOnerepository.



Get-SQLSentryConfiguration ViewBasicinformationaboutyourSentryOneConfiguration

Get-Connection

ViewConnectionsinyourenvironment


ConnectionType

ID

Name

ObjectID

Get-Computer

ViewComputersinyourenvironment


ComputerType

ID

Name

Get-Site

ViewSitesinyourenvironment


ID

Name

Register-Computer

InordertobewatchedwithSentryOne,youmustfirstregisteraComputer


ComputerType

Name

AccessLevel

DatabaseName

Login

Password

Port

TargetSite


Command Description


AllowAzureRemoteObjectInstallation

NOTE:The-AllowAzureRemoteObjectInstallationparameterisONLYvalidforAzureSQLDatabasetargets.

Invoke-WatchComputer

WatchaComputerwithSentryOne.


Computer

LicenseMode

Register-Connection

InordertobewatchedwithSentryOne,youmustfirstregisteraConnection.


ConnectionType

Name

Login

Password

Port

TargetSite


Invoke-WatchConnection

WatchaConnectionwithSentryOne.


Connection

Invoke-UnwatchConnection

StopwatchingaConnectionwithSentryOne.


Connection

EXAMPLES<# Import the SentryOne PowerShell Module"#>Import-Module "C:\Program Files\SentryOne\11.0\Intercerve.SQLSentry.Powershell.psd1"<# Connect to a specific SentryOne Installation"#>Connect-SQLSentry -ServerName server.domain.com -DatabaseName SentryOne<# Get Information about your SentryOne Installation "#>Get-SQLSentryConfiguration<# Get Information about the Sites in your SentryOne Installation -use parameters to find information for a specific site "#>Get-Site

Command Description


<# Get Information about the Connections (Instances) in your SentryOne Installation -use parameters to find information for a specific connection "#>Get-Connection<# Get Information about the Computers (Targets) in your SentryOne Installation -use parameters to find information for a specific connection "#>Get-Computer <# Get Information about the Connections in your SentryOne Installation -use parameters to find information for a specific connection "#>Get-Connection<# Register Computers (Targets), so that they can be watched in your environment"#>Register-Computer -ComputerType Windows -Name server.domain.com -AccessLevel FullRegister-Computer -ComputerType Windows - Name server.domain.com -AccessLevel Limited<# Register a Target that cannot utilize Windows Authentication (e.g., Azure SQL Database)"#>Register-Computer -ComputerType AzureSqlDatabase -Name example.database.windows.net -DatabaseName dbName -Login username -Password password -AccessLevel Full -UseIntegratedSecurity 0<# Register Connections (Instances), so that they can be watched in your environment"#>Register-Connection -ConnectionType SqlServerAnalysisServices -Name server.domain.comRegister-Connection -ConnectionType SqlServer -Name server.domain.com<# Watch Windows Computer (Target) with Performance Analysis and Event Calendar | -Pipe in the Computer"#>Get-Computer -Name server.domain.com -NamedServerComputerType Windows | Invoke-WatchComputer<# Watch Hyper-V Host (Target) with Performance Analysis and Event Calendar (core-based licensing) | -Pipe in the Computer"#> Get-Computer -Name server.domain.com -NamedServerComputerType Windows | Invoke-WatchComputer -LicenseMode CoreBased<# Watch SQLServer Connection (Instance) with Performance Analysis and Event Calendar | -Pipe in the Connection "#>Get-Connection -Name server.domain.com -NamedServerConnectionType SqlServer | Invoke-WatchConnection<# Watch SSAS Connection (Instance) with Performance Analysis and Event Calendar | -Pipe in the Connection "#>Get-Connection -Name server.domain.com -NamedServerConnectionType SqlServerAnalysisServices | Invoke-WatchConnection

<# Unwatch Windows computer (Target)"#>Get-Computer -Name server.domain.com -NamedServerComputerType Windows | Invoke-UnwatchComputer<# Unwatch SSAS connection"#>Get-Connection -Name server.domain.com -NamedServerConnectionType SqlServerAnalysisServices | Invoke-UnwatchConnection<# Unwatch SQLServer connection"#>Get-Connection -Name server.domain.com -NamedServerConnectionType SqlServer| Invoke-UnwatchConnection<# User cmdlets#> Register-User -FirstName Test -LastName user -Email [email protected] -PagerAddress [email protected] -Description Tester -Login domain\username Get-User -FirstName Test Get-User -Name "Test User" Disable-User -Name "Test User" Enable-User -Name "Test User" Unregister-User -Name "Test User"<# Group cmdlets#> Register-Group -Name "Test Group" -Description "A Group" -Login Domain\TestGroup Get-Group -Name "Test Group" Disable-Group -Name "Test Group" Enable-Group -Name "Test Group" Unregister-Group -Name "Test Group" <# User = and - to the Group cmdlets#> Get-User -Name "Test User" | Add-GroupUser -GroupName "Test Group" Get-User -Name "Test User" | Remove-GroupUser -GroupName "Test Group"


12 ContactInformation

CUSTOMERPORTALAccesstotheSentryOneCustomerPortalisavailablearoundtheclock,allowingyoutoretrieveabackuplicensekey,expandyourenterprisebyaddingmorelicensesorevenmodifyanexistinglicensekeyinthecaseofhardwarechanges.Inaddition,theCustomerPortaliswhereproductupdatesanddocumentationcanbefound.Thepagehttp://www.SentryOne.com/portalcanbeusedtoactivateandlogintoyouraccount.

SUPPORTIfyouhaveanytechnicalquestions,orforhelpwithinstallationorconfigurationissues,pleasedon’thesitatetocontactus:


Phone:704-895-6241

TollFree:855-775-7733

SUPPORTFORUMAdditionalinformationaboutSentryOnecanbefoundattheSentryOnesupportforum:http://support.sentryone.com

DEMOSTosignupforoneofourregularlyscheduledpublicwebinardemospleasevisit:

http://www.SentryOne.com/company/news-events#webinars

SALESIfyouhaveanypre-salesquestions,orwouldliketoplaceanorder,pleasecontactoursalesteamdirectly:


Phone:704-895-6241

FEEDBACKWealwayswelcomeyourfeedbackonthisguideandSentryOneingeneral.Pleaseemailanyfeedback,ideas,[email protected]


http://www.SentryOne.com/portal

mailto:[email protected]

http://support.sentryone.com/

http://www.SentryOne.com/company/news-events#webinars



13 Index

ActionBehaviors,109-111

Actions,103-109

ActionsLog,61-63

ActiveEventObjects,262

AddingNotes,71-73

AdvisoryConditions,96-102

AdvisoryConditions,96-102

AlertingandResponseSystem,77-78

AllTargets,36-38

AlwaysOn,217-224

Appendix

ExecuteActionParameters,273-275

HotKeyList,277-279

RelocatingtheSentryOneDatabase,276-277

Reporting,64-71

SentryOneDatabaseMaintenance,275-276

sp_sentry_dbmail_20,268-272

sp_sentry_mail_20,265-268

WatchedServerObjects,272-273

WatchingServersAcrossDomains,277

AuditConditions,94-96

Baselining,183-187

BlockingSQL,233-236

CalendarView,140-144

ClearingFailedInstances,163-164

ClientAlerts,25-26

ClientInterface,15-16

ClientSecurity,8-11

cloud.sentryone.com,247-249

Concepts,6

ConditionSettings,80-84

Conditions,78-80

ConditionsPane,19-21

ConflictViewer,164-165


ConnecttoInstallation,75-76

ContactInformation,283

ContactManagement,42-45

CopyJob/AlertWizard,164

CustomEventViews,145

CustomEventViews

CustomEventViews,145

LevelingBackupsAcrossaSANorNAS,149-151

WorkingWithCustomEventViews,145-148

Dashboard,177-181

DashboardResolutions/Retention,181-182

DataGrids,246-247

Deadlocks,236-240

DefaultSite,38-39

DiskActivity,196-200

DiskI/O,196-200

Disklatency,196-200

DiskReports,200-203

DiskSpace,200-203

EnablingSSISLogging,171-172

EventChains,151-160

EventChains

EventChains,151-160

EventConnectorArchitecture,253-254

EventInstances,263-264

EventObjectInformationWindow,165-166

EventObjects,261-262

EventProviders,257

EventSources,257-258

EventStoreConnections,256-257

EventStores,256

EventViewPane,18-19

ExecuteActionParameters,273-275

ExecuteJobAction,103-109

ExecuteProcessAction,103-109

ExecuteSQLAction,103-109


ExecutionAgents,254-255

ExecutionEngines,255-256

ExtendedJobStepLogging(SQLServer2005+),171

ExtendedJobStepLogging/SSISLogging,170

FailsafeConditions,92-94

FavoriteTargets,35-36

FilterEditor,84-85

FilterProcessFlowchart,148-149

FilteringProcess,148

FragmentationManager,229-232

GeneralConditions,85-92

GlobalCalendarView,36-38

GlobalView,36-38

HistoryFilter,138-139

HistorySynchronizationFailed,25-26

HotKeyList,277-279

HowtoConfigureActions,103-109

HybridEventObjects,263

ImportantConcepts,253

ImportantConcepts

ActiveEventObjects,262

EventConnectorArchitecture,253-254

EventInstances,263-264

EventObjects,261-262

EventProviders,257

EventSources,257-258

EventStoreConnections,256-257

EventStores,256

ExecutionAgents,254-255

ExecutionEngines,255-256

HybridEventObjects,263

ImportantConcepts,253

ReportingServicesReports,259-260

SQLServerAgentAlerts,258-259

SQLServerAgentJobs,258

SQLServerAgentLog,260


StatusEvents,262-263

WindowsTasks,260-261

IndexAnalysis,214-216

Indexestab,225-229

InstallationandMaintenance,7

Instances,41-42

InventoryView,60-61

JobQueueing,160-163

JobQueueing

JobQueueing,160-163

LevelingBackupsAcrossaSANorNAS,149-151

LicenseManagement,33-35

LicenseManagement

LicenseManagement,33-35

ListView,144-145

LogToDatabaseAction,103-109

LogToDiskAction,103-109

LogToEventLogAction,103-109

Logs

ActionsLog,61-63

Menus,26-29

MessageEditing,111-117

MonitorAdditionalTargetsandInstances,73-75

MonitoringaSQLServerInstance,73-75

MonitoringaWindowsTarget,73-75

MonitoringanAnalysisServicesInstance,73-75

MonitoringService,51

MonitoringService

InventoryView,60-61

MonitoringService,51

MonitoringServiceLoadBalancingandFaultTolerance,61

MonitoringServiceLogonAccount,64

MonitoringServiceSettings,51-55

ServiceConfigurationUtility,63-64

SiteConfiguration,58-60

MonitoringServiceFailover,61


MonitoringServiceLoadBalancing,61

MonitoringServiceLoadBalancingandFaultTolerance,61

MonitoringServiceLogonAccount,64

MonitoringServiceSettings,51-55

Multi-serverAdministration(MSX/TSX),166-167

NavigatorNodes,35

NavigatorPane,16-18

ObjectGroups,48-51

OutputContentMatch,136-137

PerformanceAnalysisOverview,243-245

PerformanceAnalysisToolbar,245-246

PerformanceMetrics,187-194

PerformanceMonitoring

FilterProcessFlowchart,148-149

FilteringProcess,148

PlanDiagramOptions,214

PlanExplorer(integrated),208-211

PlanExplorerSessions,211-212

Processes,194-196

PurgeHistoryOlderThan,51-55

QueryPlans,224-225

QuickTraces,240-243

RelocatingtheSentryOneDatabase,276-277

Reporting,64-71

ReportingServicesReports,259-260

ResponseRulesetExamples,132-136

ResponseRulesets,129-132

RightsBasedSecurity,8-11

RoleBasedSecurity,11-13

RoleBasedSecurity

RoleBasedSecurity,11-13

RunQuickTraceAction,103-109

RuntimeStats,167-168

ScanforConfigurationChanges,39-41

SchedulesandWindows,45-48

SecurityOverview,8


SendEmailAction,103-109

SendPageAction,103-109

SendSNMPTrapAction,103-109

SentryOneClient,14

SentryOneClient

AddingNotes,71-73

CalendarView,140-144

ClearingFailedInstances,163-164

ConflictViewer,164-165

ConnecttoInstallation,75-76

CopyJob/AlertWizard,164

EnablingSSISLogging,171-172

EventObjectInformationWindow,165-166

ExtendedJobStepLogging(SQLServer2005+),171

ExtendedJobStepLogging/SSISLogging,170

ListView,144-145

MonitorAdditionalTargetsandInstances,73-75

Multi-serverAdministration(MSX/TSX),166-167

OutputContentMatch,136-137

RuntimeStats,167-168

SentryOneClient,14

SentryOneDatabaseMaintenance,275-276

SentryOneEventCalendar,138

SentryOneEventManager

SentryOneEventCalendar,138

SentryOnePerformanceAnalysis,173-177

Baselining,183-187

BlockingSQL,233-236

cloud.sentryone.com,247-249

Dashboard,177-181

DataGrids,246-247

Deadlocks,236-240

DiskActivity,196-200

DiskSpace,200-203

PerformanceMetrics,187-194

PlanExplorer(integrated),208-211


QueryPlans,224-225

QuickTraces,240-243

SentryOnePerformanceAnalysis,173-177

ServerDetails,249-250

ServerHealthStatus,250-252

SSASUsageTotals,233

TopSQL,204-208

TopSQLRuntimeStats,216-217

SentryOnePowerShellModule,279-282

ServerDetails,249-250

ServerHealthStatus,250-252

ServiceConfigurationUtility,63-64

Settings,117-120

SettingsPane,21-25

SiteConfiguration,58-60

SMTPAlerts,55-58

SMTPConfiguration,55-58

SMTPServerGroups,55-58

SNMPAlerts,51-55

sp_sentry_dbmail_20,268-272

sp_sentry_mail_20,265-268

SQLServerAgentAlerts,258-259

SQLServerAgentJobs,258

SQLServerAgentLog,260

SQLServerRegistrations,42

SQLServerSettings,120-126

SQLPerformance.comPlanUpload,212-214

SSASSettings,126-127

SSASUsageTotals,233

StatusEvents,262-263

SystemStatus,63

Targets,39-41

Toolbars,168-170

TopSQL,204-208

TopSQLRuntimeStats,216-217

UserPreferences,29-33


VirtualMachineSupport,247

Virtualization,36

WatchedServerObjects,272-273

WatchingServersAcrossDomains,277

Welcome,6

WindowsEventLogs,261

WindowsSettings,127-129

WindowsTasks,260-261

WorkingWithCustomEventViews,145-148


Documents

SentryOne User Guide - downloads.sentryone.com · Add button to open the list of available Instances. 3 . Select the Instances that you wish to configure rights for from the list