TABLE OF CONTENTS
- •Outcomes, not tools: databases watched 24/7
- •Tool Groups at a Glance
- •Evaluation Criteria
- •Commercial Tools Built for SQL Server
- •Multi-Platform and General Monitoring Tools
- •Open Source and Built-In Options
- •Which Option for Which Situation?
- •Monitoring Versus a Health Check
- •24/7 Monitoring with Aryasoft
- •Frequently Asked Questions
- •Sources
- •Not a monitoring tool, but real response
SQL Server monitoring tools fall into three groups: commercial tools built for SQL Server (Redgate Monitor, SolarWinds SQL Sentry, Idera SQL Diagnostic Manager, Quest Spotlight), general observability tools that watch several platforms (SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer, Datadog Database Monitoring), and open source or built-in options (Zabbix, Prometheus and Grafana, Query Store, Extended Events). The right choice depends on how many servers you watch, how varied your platforms are, your team’s skills and your budget. Whichever tool you pick, the value doesn’t come from the tool but from who handles the alerts and how.
This guide is for IT managers and DBAs choosing a monitoring tool for SQL Server environments. Prices and features change often, so check the vendors’ current pages before you decide.
Outcomes, not tools: databases watched 24/7
Under Aryasoft's SLA model, alerts open tickets automatically, the on-call engineer resolves them and every event appears in the monthly report.
Tool Groups at a Glance
| Group | Examples | Strength | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial tools built for SQL Server | Redgate Monitor, SolarWinds SQL Sentry, Idera SQL Diagnostic Manager, Quest Spotlight on SQL Server | Deep SQL Server knowledge: wait analysis, blocking, deadlocks, query plans, ready-made alerts | License cost; may need a separate monitoring database and server |
| Multi-platform database monitoring | SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer, Datadog Database Monitoring | Different database platforms on one screen; combined with application and infrastructure metrics | SQL Server-specific depth varies by tool; data location for cloud-based products |
| Open source and general monitoring | Zabbix, Prometheus and Grafana | No license fee; on the same platform as infrastructure monitoring | Setup and defining SQL Server-specific metrics take team effort. |
| SQL Server’s built-in features | Query Store, Extended Events, system_health, DMVs, SQL Server Agent alerts | No extra cost; the most detailed source data | A central dashboard, historical trends and alert management need extra work. |
Evaluation Criteria
Clarify your needs before comparing tools. These criteria frame the questions to ask in demo meetings.
| Criterion | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Coverage | How many instances will be watched? Are Always On, failover clusters and Azure SQL supported? |
| Platform variety | Will Oracle, PostgreSQL or MySQL be watched alongside SQL Server? |
| Diagnostic depth | Can you look back at wait statistics, blocking chains, deadlock graphs and query plans? |
| Alert management | Can thresholds be customized? Are there duration conditions, maintenance windows and notification channels (email, Teams, ticketing system)? |
| Impact on the system | How much load does it put on the monitored servers? Does it need an agent? |
| Data location | Where is the monitoring data stored? If it’s SaaS, in which region? Query text can contain personal data. |
| Reporting | Can it produce trend reports to show management and auditors? |
| Total cost | License model (per instance, per core or subscription), maintenance fee, monitoring server and setup effort |
Note
Query text and parameters can contain personal data such as customer names or ID numbers. If you choose a cloud-based (SaaS) monitoring product, include the country where monitoring data is stored in your data protection assessment.
Commercial Tools Built for SQL Server
| Tool | Highlights |
|---|---|
| Redgate Monitor | Formerly SQL Monitor. Web-based interface, ready-made alert templates, query and wait analysis, overview screens for large estates. Supports other platforms alongside SQL Server; check the current list with the vendor. |
| SolarWinds SQL Sentry | Formerly SentryOne SQL Sentry. Detailed performance dashboard, blocking and deadlock analysis, a calendar view for SQL Server Agent jobs. |
| Idera SQL Diagnostic Manager | Real-time and historical performance monitoring, query analysis, alerting and reporting. |
| Quest Spotlight on SQL Server | Visual diagnostic screens, alert management and performance analysis. |
What these tools share is that they present SQL Server-specific knowledge out of the box: they put the wait statistics, blocking chains and plan changes a DBA would otherwise gather by hand onto a timeline. The choice usually comes down to interface preference, license model and fit with your existing ecosystem. Before deciding, we recommend running a trial in your own environment for at least two weeks.
Multi-Platform and General Monitoring Tools
SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer uses a wait-based analysis approach to watch different platforms such as SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL and MySQL in one interface. It gives organizations with several database platforms a consistent view.
Datadog Database Monitoring combines database metrics with application performance and infrastructure metrics on one platform. If your application teams already use Datadog, seeing on the same screen whether a slowdown comes from the application or the database is a real advantage. Because it’s a SaaS product, data location needs a separate assessment.
Open Source and Built-In Options
| Option | What it gives you | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Zabbix | Core metrics and alerts for SQL Server with ready-made templates, on the same platform as infrastructure monitoring | Already installed in many organizations; deep SQL Server diagnostics need extra work. |
| Prometheus and Grafana | Metric collection and flexible dashboards; exporters for SQL Server | Flexible, but setup and maintenance effort is high |
| Query Store | A durable history of query performance and plan changes | Turned on per database; the strongest built-in tool for finding plan regressions |
| Extended Events and system_health | Deadlocks, long-running queries, errors | Lightweight and detailed; analysis needs T-SQL skills. |
| SQL Server Agent alerts | Notifications for critical errors (823, 824, 825, high severities) | A basic safeguard every environment should have from day one |
| sp_WhoIsActive | A detailed view of currently running queries and blocking | A free, widely used community tool |
We explain how to use the built-in features in our Query Store, Extended Events and SQL Server alerts guides.
Which Option for Which Situation?
| Situation | Our recommendation |
|---|---|
| A few SQL Server instances, a limited budget | Built-in features (Query Store, Agent alerts, Extended Events) plus your existing infrastructure monitoring tool |
| Dozens of SQL Server instances, a dedicated DBA team | A commercial tool built for SQL Server |
| SQL Server, Oracle and PostgreSQL together | A multi-platform database monitoring tool, or a specialist tool per platform |
| Application teams already use an observability platform | That platform’s database monitoring module; assess its SQL Server-specific depth separately |
| A need for 24/7 monitoring and response with no in-house on-call team | A managed monitoring and response service |
Warning
Even the most expensive monitoring tool is useless if nobody looks at the alerts. Before choosing a tool, answer this: “Who handles a critical alert at 3 a.m., and within how many minutes?” If there’s no answer, the priority is the process, not the tool.
Monitoring Versus a Health Check
Monitoring tools show today’s problems: high CPU, blocking, a filling disk. They usually don’t show structural risks: poor configuration, untested backups, unnecessary elevated permissions, versions past end of support. Those risks need a periodic health check. HELT360, the tool Aryasoft uses for SQL Server health checks, runs read-only and performs configuration checks only; it sits next to monitoring tools rather than replacing them. For details, see our database health check guide.
24/7 Monitoring with Aryasoft
Aryasoft works with its customers’ existing monitoring infrastructure; changing tools isn’t required. What matters is defining the right alerts and giving every alert an owner. Under our SLA model, monitoring runs 24/7/365: alerts open tickets automatically, an engineer from the on-call team resolves them and every event appears in the monthly report. You’ll find which alerts to define in our DBA alert matrix post, and the service models on our managed database services page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
Product information was compiled from the vendors’ pages in November 2026. Product names, features and license models can change; confirm the current details with the vendors.
- Redgate Monitor
- SolarWinds SQL Sentry
- SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer
- Idera SQL Diagnostic Manager
- Quest Spotlight on SQL Server
- Datadog Database Monitoring
- Zabbix: MSSQL monitoring
- Microsoft Learn: Query Store
- Microsoft Learn: Use the system_health session
Database Monitoring
Not a monitoring tool, but real response
Aryasoft works with your existing monitoring, defines the right alerts and responds 24/7 under the SLA model.
