Overview

The SQL Server integration tracks the performance of your SQL Server instances. It collects metrics for number of user connections, rate of SQL compilations, and more.

Enable Database Monitoring (DBM) for enhanced insight into query performance and database health. In addition to the standard integration, Datadog DBM provides query-level metrics, live and historical query snapshots, wait event analysis, database load, query explain plans, and blocking query insights.

SQL Server 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2022 are supported.

Setup

Installation

The SQL Server check is included in the Datadog Agent package. No additional installation is necessary on your SQL Server instances.

Make sure that your SQL Server instance supports SQL Server authentication by enabling “SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode” in the server properties:

Server Properties -> Security -> SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode

Prerequisite

Note: To install Database Monitoring for SQL Server, select your hosting solution on the documentation site for instructions.

Supported versions of SQL Server for the SQL Server check are the same as for Database Monitoring. Visit the Setting up SQL Server page to see the currently supported versions under the Self-hosted heading.

Proceed with the following steps in this guide only if you are installing the standard integration alone.

1. Create a read-only login to connect to your server:

       CREATE LOGIN datadog WITH PASSWORD = '<PASSWORD>';
       USE master;
       CREATE USER datadog FOR LOGIN datadog;
       GRANT SELECT on sys.dm_os_performance_counters to datadog;
       GRANT VIEW SERVER STATE to datadog;
   

   To collect file size metrics per database, ensure the user you created (datadog) has connect permission access to your databases by running:

       GRANT CONNECT ANY DATABASE to datadog; 
   

2. (Required for AlwaysOn and sys.master_files metrics) To gather AlwaysOn and sys.master_files metrics, grant the following additional permission:

       GRANT VIEW ANY DEFINITION to datadog;
   

Configuration

Validation

Run the Agent’s status subcommand and look for sqlserver under the Checks section.

Data Collected

Metrics

Most of these metrics come from your SQL Server’s sys.dm_os_performance_counters table.

Events

The SQL server check does not include any events.

Service Checks

sqlserver.can_connect
Returns CRITICAL if the Agent is unable to connect to the monitored SQL Server instance. Returns OK otherwise.
Statuses: ok, critical

sqlserver.database.can_connect
Returns CRITICAL if the Agent is unable to connect to the autodiscovered SQL Server Database. Returns OK otherwise.
Statuses: ok, critical

Troubleshooting

Need help? Contact Datadog support.

If you are running the Agent on an ARM aarch64 processor, there is a known issue starting in version 14.0.0 of this check, which is bundled with Agent version 7.48.0. A Python dependency fails to load, and you’ll see the following message when running the Agent’s status subcommand:

Loading Errors
  ==============
    sqlserver
    ---------
      Core Check Loader:
        Check sqlserver not found in Catalog
      JMX Check Loader:
        check is not a jmx check, or unable to determine if it's so
      Python Check Loader:
        unable to import module 'sqlserver': No module named 'sqlserver'

This is fixed in version 15.2.0 of the check and in Agent versions 7.49.1 and above.

Further Reading

• Monitor your Azure SQL Databases with Datadog
• Key metrics for SQL Server monitoring
• SQL Server monitoring tools
• Monitor SQL Server performance with Datadog
• Custom SQL Server metrics for detailed monitoring
• Strategize your Azure migration for SQL workloads with Datadog
• Optimize SQL Server performance with Datadog Database Monitoring