With SQL Server instances at multiple physical locations and in the cloud, it's critical for us to know immediately when there are performance issues or outages. The Redgate SQL Monitor allows for detailed monitoring, with easily-customized alerts and reporting thresholds. It's simple to set up and performs exactly as needed.
Pros
Providing detailed resource monitoring.
Providing instant alerts.
Easily customizable.
Cons
I don't love the subscription model, but that's the way everything is going.
N/A
N/A
Likelihood to Recommend
With mission-critical SQL Server instances at multiple physical locations and in the cloud, it's critical for us to know immediately when there are performance issues or outages. The Redgate SQL Monitor provides an intuitive dashboard that allows for detailed resource monitoring. Perhaps not as useful in a 100% managed SQL environment.
VU
Verified User
Director in Information Technology (11-50 employees)
We are using Redgate SQL Monitor to raise performance issues of stored procedures and resource pressures. It identifies the under-performing stored procedures and from that we can leverage any missing index or SQL performance information caught by SQL server.
Pros
Missing index
RAM usage
CPU usage
Cons
Provide a dedicated section of code for missing index
Automation layer
Likelihood to Recommend
An appropriate scenario for Redgate SQL Monitor would be, collecting internal execution metrics of production and mission-critical SQL server. So from a technical release perspective, we can use it as a baseline. <div>
</div><div>If I could suggest an optimization it would be to be able to insert events (feedback loop) of monitored SQL server major and minor changes (OS, SQL, or others).</div>
VU
Verified User
Manager in Information Technology (1001-5000 employees)
We have implemented Redgate SQL Monitor to proactively monitor one of customer's SQL servers used by their CRM software. It helped us find the main cause of their CRM software's bad performance following a P2V migration and change in the number of virtual CPUs. We have used it since for alerting and reporting.
Pros
It is easy to use and provides very good reporting on the SQL servers being monitored. These reports are used in our monthly customer reports.
Redgate does a very good job at improving the product, fixing bugs and adding new features compared to other products I have researched.
The insights provided makes it an ideal tool for database administrators and software developers.
Cons
It is a great tool for helping DBAs with their work but a bit expensive for MSPs to use for their day to day monitoring.
Likelihood to Recommend
Redgate SQL Monitor is well suited for database administrators or companies who implement software that relies on SQL servers. It will help them test new changes and ensure this will not impact the performance of their software. It is a last resort for MSPs to use to get to the bottom of an ongoing performance issue with their SQL server.
VU
Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology (1-10 employees)
I used to use <i>SQL Monitor</i> because I could not afford <i>AppInsight for SQL from Solarwinds.
</i>However they offer different benefits. A feature that Redgate offers is an indication if your server is under attack and where from, a simple extension would allow further action to be drawn from this, eg looking up the IP in a an IP Black list, which could advise you to block further access from that IP address in China. Redgate reports it as a fault, not an attack; they don't look at the bigger picture.
This is the fundamental flaw with all Redgate products, they are too precious about their intellectual property to the detriment of usability. This is often found with installation and upgrades failing, hence they have written but not publicised sanitization tools to remove all traces of Redgate from your system, so once it is installed don't touch it, and I am a fan of Redgate toolbelt. If they had only offered a scripting/WebHook interface to SQL Monitor then an eco system could emerge around it for the benefit of all. Redgate products typically have a UI which is a hosted Chromium UI, so the UI is actually a web page, which has some advantages, speed not being one of them.
So should you get SQL Monitor - well yes (unless you have <i>Solarwinds </i>and thus <i>AppInsight for SQL</i>)
Pros
It will tell you if your server is under attack.
You can quickly see how your server is performing and which queries are taking the longest
I gives you the feeling that you are in control of your database, that you know what is going on for when they users ring up and tell you that the server is slow
Cons
Openness - They are too attached to their Intellectual Property to the detriment of usability, stability and reliability. So once its is installed and working leave it alone. Best run it on a VM as that can be restored quickly for when it breaks.
If they exposed an API/SDK that allowed you to leaver their products life would be far sweeter, it would feel less of a battle.
Add WebHooks to SQL Monitor to enhance integration to other subsystems.
Make it easy to install in default mode. So you are not forced to use TomCat Use as ASP.Core Selfl Hosting options.
Likelihood to Recommend
Well suited when you have one SQL server and you don't have a dedicated DBA.
We use Redgate SQL Monitor as our primary SQL Server monitoring application. It's main tasks are to alert the DBAs of any problems with SQL server, such as failed jobs, long running queries, SQL errors, or host-level issues like high CPU or filled disks. We also use it for aggregating performance metrics and troubleshooting performance issues using wait statistics
Pros
Provides a quick dashboard to identify what servers have issues, and the priority of them
Allows for granular control over thresholds and alerting which can be set at multiple levels
Let you easily go back in time to see what was going on in the past
Cons
Incremental releases can be buggy
Isn't the best for pinpointing performance issues
Web interface can be sluggish
Likelihood to Recommend
Redgate is great for getting a feel of the general health across all your SQL instances, and for aggregating performance metrics to trend over time. It isn't the best tool when you are trying to drill into specific performance issues or for specific performance tuning.
VU
Verified User
Administrator in Information Technology (201-500 employees)
