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Foglight for SQL Server (Cartridge) 7.3.0 - User Guide

Introduction to this Guide Using Foglight for SQL Server
Viewing the Databases Dashboard Overview Dashboard Advisories Dashboard Monitoring Data Replication Monitoring SQL Performance Reviewing Memory Usage Reviewing the Instance Activity Reviewing Database Usage Reviewing the Services Using the HADR Drilldown Using the Logs Drilldown Reviewing Configuration Settings Viewing User-defined Performance Counters and Collections
Monitoring Business Intelligence Services Administering Foglight for SQL Server
Configuration Settings Managing Foglight for SQL Server Agent Settings Reviewing Foglight for SQL Server Alarms Generating Reports Monitoring SQL Server instances on VMware servers
Reference
SQL Performance Investigator Metrics
Active Time All SQL Agents CPU Usage All SQL Agents Resident Memory Usage Availability Average Physical I/O Operations Average SQL Response Time Backup Recovery Wait Blocked Lock Requests Checkpoint Pages CLR Wait CPU Usage CPU Wait Cursor Synchronization Wait Database Replication Wait Deferred Task Worker Wait Degree of Parallelism Disk Utilization DTC CPU Usage DTC Resident Memory Usage Distributed Transaction Wait Executions Ended Executions Started External Procedures Wait Full Scans Full Text Search CPU Usage Full Text Search Resident Memory Usage Full Text Search Wait Free Buffer Wait Hosted Components Wait IO Bulk Load Wait IO Completion Wait IO Data Page Wait IO Wait Latch Buffer Wait Latch Wait Latch Savepoint Wait Lazy Writes Lock Wait Lock Bulk Update Wait Lock Exclusive Wait Lock Intent Wait Lock Requests Lock Schema Wait Lock Shared Wait Lock Update Wait Lock Wait Log Buffer Wait Log Flushes Log Other Wait Log Synchronization Wait Log Wait Log Write Wait Memory Wait Network IO Wait Network IPC Wait Network Mirror Wait Network Wait Non SQL Server CPU Usage Non SQL Resident Memory Usage OLAP CPU Usage OLAP Resident Memory Usage OLEDB Provider Full Text Wait Other CPU Usage Other Miscellaneous Wait Other Wait Overall CPU Page Life Expectancy Page Splits Parallel Coordination Wait Physical I/O Physical Memory Used Physical Page Reads Physical Page Writes Probe Scans Plan Cache Hit Rate Range Scans Rec Ended Duration Remote Provider Wait Run Queue Length Samples Service Broker Wait Session Logons Session Logoffs SQL Agent CPU Usage SQL Agent Resident Memory Usage SQL Executions SQL Mail CPU Usage SQL Mail Resident Memory Usage SQL Recompilations SQL Response Time SQL Server Background CPU Usage SQL Server Cache Memory SQL Server Connections Memory SQL Server Connections Summary SQL Server Foreground CPU Usage SQL Server Resident Memory Usage SQL Server Swap Memory Usage Synchronous Task Wait Table Lock Escalation Target Instance Memory Total CPU Usage Total Instance Memory Virtual Memory Used
Rules Collections and Metrics
SQL Server Agent's Default Collections Access Methods Agent Alert List Agent Job List Always On Availability Groups Backup Locations Blocking History Blocking List Buffer Cache List Buffer Manager CLR Assemblies Cluster Summary Configuration Database Index Density Vectors Database Index Details Database Index Fragmentation Info Database Index Histogram Database Index List Database Information Database Properties Database Sessions (Session List) Database Summary Database Tables List Databases Deadlock DTC Information Error Log Error Log List Error Log Scan File Groups File Data Flow Statistics File Groups Files Files Drive Total Files Instance Summary Full Text Catalog InMemory OLTP (XTP) Instance Wait Categories Instance Wait Events Job Messages Latches and Locks Lock Statistics Locks List Log Shipping Log Shipping Error Logical Disks Long Running Session Memory Manager Mirroring Mirroring Performance Counters Missing Indexes Plan Cache Distribution Plan Cache List Replication Agents Replication Agent Session Actions Replication Agent Session Merge Articles Replication Agent Sessions Replication Agent Sessions by Type Replication Available Replication Publications Replication Subscriptions Reporting Services Resource Pool Session Data Session Trace SQL PI Instance Statistics SQL Server Connections Summary SQL Server Global Variables SQL Server Host SQL Server Load SQL Server Services SQL Server Throughput SQL Server Version Info SSIS OS Statistics SSIS Summary Statistics Top SQLs Top SQL Batch Text Top SQL Long Text Top SQL Plan Top SQL Short Text Top SQL Summary Traced SQL PA Usability User-defined Performance Counters User-defined Queries Virtualization XTP Session Transactions Statistics
Glossary
A
Access methods Adhoc SQL Plans Alarm Alert Allow updates Anonymous subscription Authentication AutoClose AutoGrow Automatic Discovery AutoShrink B Batch BCP (Bulk Copy Program) Blocking Books Online Bound trees Buffer Buffer cache Buffer pool Bulk copy Bulkinsert Bulk load C Cache CAL Calibration Cardinality Cartridge Chart Checkpoint process Client network utility CLR Compile Connect Connection Connectivity software CPU Usage Cursors D Data access components Data file Data storage engine Database Database object DataFlow DBCC DBID DBO Deadlock Disk queue length Disk transfer time Disk utilization DiskPerf Distributing instance Distributor DMO Drilldown DTC DTS E Error log Event alert Execution contexts Extended stored procedures Extent External procedures F File Filegroup File cache Foglight Agent Manager Foglight Management Server Foreign key Forwarded records Free buffers Free list Free pages Free potential Free space Freespace scans Full text search G GAM Ghosted records Growth increment GUID H Hash buckets Hashing Heap Hit rate Hit ratio Host name Host process I I/O Index Indid Integrated security Intent Locks J Job K Kernel memory Kernel mode Kill L Latch Lazy writer Licensing Lightweight pooling Lock Lock area Lock escalation Lock mode Log Log cache Log writer Logical I/O LRU LSN M Master MaxSize MDAC Metric Misc.normalized trees Model Monitor page file N Named pipes Net library NIC Null O OBID Object plans OLAP OLAP service OLTP Optimizer Optimizer cache osql P Page life expectancy Paging Panel Parse Parser Per seat licensing Per server licensing Performance alert Physical I/O Physical read Physical write PID Pinned Plan Plan cache Potential growth Prepared SQL plans Primary key Privileged mode Procedure cache Procedure plans Process Profiler Publication database Publisher Publisher databases Publishing server Pull subscription Pulse Push subscription Q Query plan R RAID Random I/O Read ahead Recompile Referential integrity Relational data engine Replication procedure plans Role Rollback S sa Schema locks Sequential I/O Session Severity SGAM Shared locks Show advanced options SMP Sort, Hash, Index Area SPID Spike Spinner SQL Agent Mail SQL Mail SQL Plans SQL Server Agent SQL Server authentication SQL Server books online Standard deviation Stolen pages Stored procedure Support service SYSADMIN role T TDS TempDB Temporary tables and table variables Threshold Torn page detection Transaction Trigger Trigger plans Truncate Trusted U UMS Unused space User connection area User mode V Virtual log file VLF W Waitfor Windows authentication mode Working set
Technical support resources

Collections and Metrics

The Foglight for SQL Server’s agent collects and stores data at all times, even when the browser window that displays the data is not active. The Collection Frequencies view in the Databases Administration dashboard includes a number of predefined collections that are sampled and stored, as well as the data collection values when sampling is carried out in online, offline, and real-time frequency modes.

For more information about working with collections, see the Foglight Administration and Configuration Guide.

* 
NOTE: All of the information collected according to the definitions described in this section is displayed on Foglight for SQL Server. For details, see the Foglight for SQL Server User Guide.
* 
NOTE: Several collections contain metrics whose name ends with Rate (for example: Physical Writes Rate and Physical Disks Rate). Such metrics, which are not documented in this guide, are used for plotting the original metric (usually called by the same name without the “Rate” suffix) on a graph for the selected time range.

SQL Server Agent's Default Collections

SQL Server Agent’s Default Collections
 

 
Column
Description
Collection Name

The collection name, as retrieved by the agent.

Display Name

The collection name, as displayed in the application’s sections to which the collection retrieves information.

Description

The name of the collection. This list is sorted in alphabetical order.

Offline Frequency

Allows defining the collection interval, in seconds, in low frequency mode (for example: 300).

Low frequency mode refers to the frequency at which the agent collects data when no user is currently connected to the monitored instance.

Online Frequency

Allows defining the collection interval, in seconds, in high frequency mode (for example: 60).

High frequency mode refers to the frequency at which the agent collects data when none of the currently logged-on users are in focus on a screen, which displays any of the metrics sampled by this collection.

Real-time Frequency

Allows defining the collection interval, in seconds, in real-time frequency mode (for example: 20).

Fast frequency mode refers to the frequency at which the agent collects data when one or more of the currently logged-on users are in focus on a screen, which displays any of the metrics sampled by this collection.

Access Methods

Purpose

This collection provides the methods used for accessing and updating logical data within an instance.

Type
 

 
Frequency Mode
Collection Interval (In Seconds)

Real-time

20

Online

60

Offline

300

Collection Metrics
 

 
Display Name
Description

Forwarded Records

The total number of records that were retrieved by SQL Server during the specified time range.

When a row in a table that does not have a clustering index is updated, and if the modified row no longer fits on the old page, SQL Server moves the row to a new page and leaves a forwarding pointer in the old page. As a result, the non-clustered indexes do not have to be modified to reflect the new row location, but will cause subsequent retrieval of this row, by means of non-clustered indexes to require an extra I/O.

A high Forwarded Records rate can indicate a need for reorganizing tables (unloading/reloading) or defining clustered indexes.

Free Space Scans

The number of scans initiated to search for free space to insert a new record.

Full Scans

The number of unrestricted full scans per second (either base-table or full-index scans).

Index Searches

The number of index searches per second. These searches are used to start a range scan, reposition a range scan, revalidate a scan point, fetch a single index record, and search down the index to locate where to insert a new row.

Page Allocations

The total number of pages that were allocated to tables or indexes during the specified time range. This metric indicates how fast tables are expanding.

Page Allocations Rate

The rate per second at which pages are allocated to tables or indexes.

Page Deallocations

The total number of pages that were deallocated from tables or indexes during the specified time range. This metric indicates how fast tables are shrinking.

Page Deallocations Rate

The rate per second at which pages are deallocated from tables or indexes.

Page Splits

The number of page splits that took place within the defined time range.

Page splitting occurs when an index or data page becomes full and then is split between the existing page and a newly allocated page.

Excess page splitting can lead to I/O performance issues.

High and increasing values may indicate that either the indexes needs to be rebuilt and / or the indexes fill factor should be increased.

Page Splits vs Page Writes

The ratio of page splits per writes.

When an index or data page becomes full during an insert operation, data is split between the current page and a newly allocated page.

Excessive page splitting can result in excessive disk I/O, thereby contributing to performance degradation. Higher values of this metric indicate that page splitting affects the monitored application's I/O performance.

To resolve this issue, check your database file configuration, the selected index fill factor, and the rate at which your transactions are committed.

Probe Scans

The number of probe scans. A probe scan is used to directly look up rows in an index or base table.

Range Scans

The number of qualified range scans through indexes.

Skipped Ghosted Records

The total number of ghosted records that were encountered by SQL Server during scans over the specified time range.

When a record is deleted from a table, SQL Server improves concurrency by not physically removing the row from index leaf levels, but marking it instead as deleted (ghosted).

At some later point, a housekeeping process asynchronously removes these rows from the leaf level. Until the records are removed, SQL Server must skip the ghosted records during leaf-level scans.

Skipped Ghosted Records Rate

The rate per second at which SQL Server encounters ghosted records during scans.

Table Lock Escalations

The number of times a lock on a table has been escalated during the specified time range.

Lock escalation is not necessarily a problem by itself; however, it can cause concurrency issues and lock conflicts, and can be a major contributor to blocking problems and deadlocks.

Agent Alert List

Purpose

This collection provides a list of all SQL Server Agent's alerts, including the type of event that triggered the alert (performance or alert event) and the number of occurrences for each alert.

Type

SQL Server.

Collection Sampling Intervals
 

 
Frequency Mode
Collection Interval (In Seconds)

Real-time

60

Online

300

Offline

3600

Collection Metrics
 

 
Display Name
Description

Alert Name

The name of the alert that was raised.

Alert Type

The type of alert.

Database

The name of the database where the alert was raised.

Definition

A brief description of the specified alert.

Enabled

The status of the alert.

Last Occurred

The previous time the alert was raised.

Occurrences

The number of the alert’s occurrences.

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