Why is it important to monitor SQL Server?

SQL Server is good. You install it, give it some databases to manage, and let it do it’s thing. When queries come in, it figures out how to resolve them. If it needs some statistics, it creates them. If the database is running out of space, it’ll grow the data file for you. Automatically. And SQL Server keeps getting better.

So that begs the question: If SQL Server is so automatic why not trust SQL Server to take care of itself? Why monitor it?

What’s important to your company?

“People are our most important asset.” That’s what a lot of companies say. And I agree with that, even if it sounds like a platitude.

However, even the best people cannot work without some kind of information available to them.

Doctors rely on Practice Management Systems and Electronic Medical Records to see patients. Bankers rely on core banking systems. Construction companies rely on project management software.

FinTech, Import/Export, Dentistry, Logistics, Manufacturing, and the Legal profession all depend on data systems. It’s hard to imagine an industry that doesn’t rely on data to some level.

In that sense, your database is near to the very heart of your business. It stores the critical data that your teams need to do their jobs.

So, if data systems are necessary for your teams to do their jobs, it’s important to keep the SQL Servers running. They need to be:

• Reliable and available when needed
• Secured and audited to protect against unauthorized access
• Responsive and well-performing so your team isn’t wasting time

Reliability. Security. Performance.

That’s why it’s so important to monitor your database environment.

Benefits of monitoring SQL Server

You may have heard of Pearson’s Law.

“That which is measured improves. That which is measured and reported improves exponentially.”

Karl Pearson

SQL Server wasn’t around when Karl Pearson said this. In fact, SQL Server wouldn’t be developed until 50 years after Pearson’s death.

Still, the law applies to SQL Server. Monitoring your SQL Server will help improve your data infrastructure.

Three benefits of monitoring your database environment

There are a lot of benefits of monitoring your SQL Server environment. Here are three.

1. Identify and resolve performance and reliability issues early. Monitoring your database environment will provide the visibility to identify performance and reliability issues early, before they cause problems for your users.
2. Prevent data loss. Proactive monitoring and alerting can help detect and prevent data loss. Alerting on errors 823, 824, and 825, can help detect potential hardware issues before they become disruptive events. Reviewing log files and running consistency checks can help reveal corruption.
3. Detect and respond to security threats. By monitoring your database environment, you can detect and respond to security threats. Reviewing failed login attempts and using SQL Audit can help protect your data from unauthorized access or modification.

Ways to monitor your SQL Server

Ok. So, monitoring SQL Server is important. Where should you start?

1. Setting up alerts. First, use the capabilities built into the product. Create alerts to notify you when errors happen. Which ones? In addition to the three mentioned before (823, 834, and 825), create alerts for any event with a severity level of 17 to 25. If one of these occur, you want to know about it because it’s likely not good. These can help you to take action quickly to resolve any issues.
2. Reviewing logs. You should review the logs of your database environment regularly to look for any errors or problems. This is not something you can just turn on in SQL Server. But it can be automated with some creative scripting or purchasing a tool.
3. Using a database monitoring / alerting tool. There are many different database monitoring tools available – Solarwinds’ SQLSentry, Redgate’s SQL Monitor, and others. These tools can help you to collect data about your database environment and analyze it to identify any problems.
4. Working with a partner. An experienced SQL Server partner can bring the tools, the processes, and the SQL expertise needed to proactively monitor your SQL Server. That’s what we do with SEROShield – DBA as a Service.

Want some help?

So, as good as SQL Server is, it’s not a set and forget system.

If you rely on the data in your SQL Server, you’ll want to monitor its health.

If that sounds like a lot. We can help

We work with clients who have tried monitoring and managing their SQL Servers for themselves, without a DBA. And it doesn’t work for them. Their sys admins are super busy. And the data is too important to put at risk.

Contact us learn more. You can also visit our LinkedIn page or sign up for our monthly newsletter.