Defining SQL Server Error Log Filtering (4308264)

How does the SQL Server Error Log filter function?

The Error Log Filtering view allows selecting which error logs generated by the SQL Server database are to be displayed in the Logs drilldown. The error log alarm increments the error log count for each error log entry that matches one of the strings listed in this view.

Foglight for SQL Server provides a default list of error logs enabled in the scanning, and allows adding, modifying, or disabling error logs from the list.

The settings defined using the Error Log Filtering view affect the following alarms: SQL Agent Error Log Summary, SQL Server Error Log Summary, SQL Agent Log Informational Error, and SQL Server Log Informational Error.

For details, see the Alarms chapter of the Foglight for SQL Server Reference Guide.

The Error Log Filtering view allows defining the following settings:

• Minimal severity for invoking summary alarms — can be either turned off or set to one of the defined severity values, that is: Warning, Critical, or Fatal.
  NOTE: By default, the value of this parameter is Critical.
• Minimal severity for invoking alarms — can be either turned off (the default setting) or set to one of the defined severity values: Warning, Critical, or Fatal.

As well, please ensure that the Sensitivity setting for the Error Log monitoring is set to view the Warning, Critical, and Fatal alarms. This is described in KB 232091

For all SQL Server versions, the Error Log Filtering view allows defining the following settings:

• Display under a pre-defined name in the SQL Agent Error Logs and SQL Server Error Logs panels — using the Match List pane. This pane contains a default list of expressions within the alert logs that are to be retrieved and displayed in the Alert Log panel under a pre-defined name, category, and severity.
• Exclusion from the SQL Agent Error Logs and SQL Server Error Logs panels display — using the Ignore List pane, which contains a default list of alerts that are to be excluded when setting the alert logs display.

IMPORTANT: Only messages that are explicitly defined in the Ignore List will not be displayed. Messages that were not added to either the Match or Ignore lists appear under name Other, type SQL Server errors messages and severity Informational. Therefore, ensure that messages that need not be displayed are added to the Ignore List.

To add an error to the Match List:

1. Click Add.
   The dialog box Add Filter appears.
   Use this dialog box to assign a name to the filter. Alert filters are enabled automatically upon addition. To disable a filter, use the Edit button.
2. Click Add to save your settings.
   Each newly added alert filter is enabled by default. To disable the filter, click Edit and then clear the Enabled check box. 

The entire list of filters displayed on the view can be enabled or disabled by selecting the Enable All or Disable All buttons at the bottom of the screen. Enabling a single filter requires editing it.

To edit a filter:

1. Select the requested filter.
2. Click Edit.
   The Edit Filter dialog box appears. Ensure that the Enable Filter check box is selected (default).
3. To change the filter’s name, edit the text in the Error Log Filter text field.
4. Click Set.
5. If another filter should be edited, repeat Step 1 to Step 4. If no more editing is necessary, or if all additional editing operations were carried out, save the changes before switching to another view. For details, see Reviewing the Administration Settings in the Foglight for SQL Server user guide.