Quest introduced monitoring for SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) with Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise 6.0 last November.  Since then we’ve gotten great feedback from new and existing customers on how Spotight gives them the confidence they need to keep tabs on every aspect of their SQL Server environment. 

We recently closed an important case with Microsoft support that resolves an issue where the WMI classes required to monitor default SSAS instances were missing on the host server.  What this means to you is if you want to monitor the SQL Server relational engine, Analysis Services, or just the Windows server hosting the solution,  you really should check out Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise.  We’ve got you covered from Windows and SQL Server 2000 to the latest releases of 2008.

If you’re familiar with Foglight Performance Analysis for SQL Server (PA SQL), you know how useful it can be to spend a couple of hours with a product expert.  Whether you have questions about preparing the installation environment, or about how to make the most of your investment in PA SQL, having someone show you the way instead of reading through the manuals is always a welcome alternative. Well, Quest has just initiated a program in conjunction with LeadThem Consulting to offer 2 fully remote, 2 hour engagements with a seasoned PA SQL expert to cover product scoping and sizing, and product usage training.  The cost for each of the workshops is $350, and you can sign up for these at http://www.quest.com/sql-training-leadthem/.

Following the initial rollout of this program, we will be implementing equivalent offerings for Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise and Foglight for SQL Server.  Stay tuned for updates!

Using Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise, and using it well, can really make a DBAs life easier.  But don’t take our word for it.  Here’s a real DBA using Spotlight Enterprise to make a daunting task doable (http://sqlblog.com/blogs/merrill_aldrich/archive/2009/10/29/using-historical-perf-counters-for-storage-planning.aspx).

The 2009 Redmond Readers’ Choice award for Best SQL Tool has been announced, and the winner of preferred product is Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise!  Thanks to everyone who voted.  It’s always rewarding when customers recognize the effort our incredibly talented staff of architects and developers have put into developing a solution like Spotlight Enterprise.  Stay tuned, we’ve got a lot more things to get excited about in SQL Server land for 2010!

PASS is fast approaching, and as a countdown to the big event where SQL Server performance management will make a big splash with 2 HUGE releases, I’ll be going over what’s hot in Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise and Foglight for SQL Server.

CPU Diagnostics.  Let’s face it, as a DBA it’s not easy when CPU issues arise.  There are all sorts of things that could be to blame, and a plethora of ways to troubleshoot the problem.  Spotlight has built a strong reputation for the way it helps DBAs diagnose performance problems with an intuitive interface and built-in workflows, but in version 6.0 we’ve taken the next step.  Actually, it’s more of a leap.  Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise now automatically diagnoses CPU conditions, and presents a dynamic output defined by what’s been identified as the root cause.  By bringing together SQL Server and Windows metrics, controls, and views in a single dashboard – you’re one click away from “problem solved”.

Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise CPU Diagnostic Drill-down

Hello all, we get questions from time to time asking how alarms in Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise can be configured to match a specific customers need.  Questions such as:

1) As a database administrator, all of my critical data files are on my F and G drives.  I don’t want to monitor those drives with the same thresholds and alerts as I do my C drive.

2) I have different backup policies for different databases on my servers and I don’t want to alarm on every database the same way.

All of these use cases can be met with Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise’s alarm configurations.  Please watch the video below to see how its done.  If anyone has any questions or comments, or you want to be walked through a use case of your own, leave a comment or post in the forums!

Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise has a great feature titled “Custom Counters” that allows you to incorporate your own custom data collections into the Spotlight Enterprise framework for data collection, diagnostics, and reporting.  This post will serve as a getting started guide to assist in adding custom counters to your Spotlight deployment.

First off, a disclaimer.  Due to the “open” nature of custom counters, Quest Software makes no guarantees as to the overhead or accuracy of any custom counter.  Custom Counters should be fully tested and validated in a customer’s environment prior to loading onto a production system.

For documentation on the counter used in this screencast as well as other possible counters, head to the Articles -> Documentation -> Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise section of this site, or click on the link below:

http://sqlserver.quest.com/kbcategory.jspa?categoryID=372

If you have any questions, please post them to the forum.

Honestly, quite a lot. When was the last time you looked through http://sqlserver.quest.com, http://sqlserverpedia.com and http://www.quest.com/sql-server/performance-management.aspx?  

Brent has posted a series on Quest’s SQL Server product management and marketing team, and I wanted to follow that up with some information on how I’m working to ensure that our SQL Server performance management products are evolving to meet your needs. By way of a re-introduction, my name is Ari Weil.  I am currently managing our suite of SQL Server performance products.  My background is pretty varied; I’ve worked as a project manager, database developer and development DBA for a web-based startup company, as a production DBA and WebSphere administrator for an international warranty services organization, as a domain expert in Quest’s Israel development lab, and finally as a Solutions Architect for Quest’s SQL Server business before assuming the role of product manager.  So since I started working with technology, I’ve gone from being in a position where I wished I had some decent performance management tools, to trying to ensure the Quest’s performance management tools are the best available.

What does that have to do with you?  Well, our tools are only as good as you perceive them to be, so we’ve been gathering (and of course will continue to gather) your feedback on what you like, what you don’t, and what you want.  Sure, we’re always studying, always following the latest releases and advances in SQL Server technology to understand where the market is headed and how companies are implementing SQL Server. But we know that the real insight comes from interacting with you, our customers.  Oh, by the way, it bears mentioning that Quest are our own customers as well; our own internal IS department uses Quest products to manage, monitor, and diagnose our own systems so you can be sure that feedback on how we’re doing is never far away! 

We have some very exciting developments coming for the rest of this year, and throughout 2010.  If you’ve ever spoken with me, or with your sales or support representative about our performance management products, I’m confident you won’t be disppointed by the enhancements you’ll see in the near future!  If you have anything to tell us, please email pow@quest.com.