IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager vs. Woodler SMT

SQL Server [Business Intelligence] Manager is useful for tracking performance across SSIS, SSRS and SSA and have the data represented in dashboards. It helps improve performance and helps end users. However, several features are redundant for smaller organization that can use the tools that comes with existing Microsoft products. These features also takes time to learn and use.

Incentivized

Woodler SMT is intended to be [a] specialized SQL Server monitoring tool. Unlike other monitoring systems, Woodler SMT does not take care [of] networks, AD, and other stuff along [with] company infrastructures. As for me, at least, this makes the Woodler SMT very strong in its area of expertise. If anybody is looking for [professional,] specialized SQL performance monitoring, the Woodler SMT would be the best choice. For general monitoring, this tool rather will not help.

• SQLdm does a good job of providing information at a high level, but also allows me to drill down to specific queries and events if needed. I don't always need to sift through tons of details to get the information I need. It also gives a very wide range of information from SQL specific metrics, to OS metrics, to VM metrics, all the way up to host server metrics.
• I like how the alert and notification system can be customized. For example, if you know a certain server regularly has long-running queries, you can adjust the alert to not fire unless a query has been running for 30 minutes while the rest of the servers fire after 30 seconds. That is very helpful in not being bombarded at dinner with alerts from a server similar to, "I've been at 90% cpu for 26 milliseconds!!!!!!!...and now it's back down to 30%" Good information to know, but not something you need to literally lose sleep over.
• I like how you can configure different servers to be monitored differently. For example, you can have a group of servers called DEVELOPMENT that you can turn on heavier monitoring on so you can test how changes in applications might affect the SQL environment, but in the PRODUCTION group, you may only want to enable the heavier analysis and logging when performance issues are actively being reported.

Incentivized

• It contains all the diagnostics information that you need for optimization of queries, deep analysis of SQL server state, and much more
• Regular deployment of a new versions with minor fixes but mainly with the new features.
• It helps to make operational decisions, how to improve the performance and also expansion of the whole environment.
• Buying this also contains excellent service from the Woodler support.

• Windows client has some issues. When you have small time intervals for your data collection, it can cause the client to become unresponsive and require you to restart it.
• It takes more time to get the web client running than it does to get the windows client running.
• The visualizations have been the same for the last eight years--could use a little bit of a refresh.

Incentivized

• Sysadmin access to your system.
• Consumes disk capacity on monitored server to store all the data.

IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL, Redgate SQL, and MonitorLogicMonitor are similar products to each other. We decided on IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager for SQL because our experience with locating heavy queries has been very good and it provides real-time monitoring of all servers and databases. It also allows you to have a large volume of historical data which allows you to analyze trends in the databases.

Incentivized

We like Woodler SMT because we can benefit from Woodler Support team to connect to our servers and help us with different issues.

• Allows us to quickly set up ETL processes as soon as we installed SQL Server.
• There's a lot of free/paid resources available online, decreasing development time.
• A tool with plenty of experienced developers.

Incentivized

• It saves the time of troubleshooting
• It increases user's satisfaction with products relaying on SQL Server's performance