Databases overview

When database instances are monitored in SolarWinds Observability, the Databases Overview provides a consolidated view of the health, performance, and activity of all connected database instances.

Open the Databases Overview tab

To access the Databases Overview tab, click Databases in the left pane.

Get an overview of database health

The widgets in the Databases Overview summarize key performance and health metrics across your monitored database environments. Use this information to quickly identify performance bottlenecks, connection issues, and high-latency instances.

The widgets that you see depends on whether you are using the updated or classic layout.

Updated layout

Overall Health

Displays the total number of monitored databases and their current health status:

• Good: Healthy databases with no major performance issues.
• Moderate: Databases showing non-critical performance or configuration warnings.
• Bad: Databases with critical alerts impacting performance.
• Unknown: Databases with incomplete or unavailable telemetry data.

Availability

Shows the average uptime of all monitored databases during the selected time range. A percentage increase or decrease indicator provides insight into recent changes in overall availability.

Latency

Displays the average query latency (ms) across all databases. Lower latency values indicate better performance, while increases may signal resource contention or network issues.

Throughput

Represents the average query processing rate (QPS) across all databases. This metric measures the load and responsiveness of your database systems over time.

Active Alerts

Lists the number of active alerts currently impacting monitored databases, categorized by severity:

• Critical: Immediate attention required.
• Warning: Potential performance degradation detected.
• Info: Informational events or non-critical conditions.

Database Instance Summary

Below the overview widgets, a detailed table lists all monitored database instances along with:

• Health State
• Instance Name
• Database Type (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, SQL Server, etc.)
• Agent Status
• Active Alerts
• Availability
• Throughput
• Latency

Click an instance to open the details page, where you can see detailed metrics, profiler views, and resource usage for that database instance.

Classic layout

Response Time P99

Displays the amount of response time in the 99th percentile value for each of the top selected queries.

Avg. Response Time

Displays the amount of query latency in milliseconds per query execution for the selected time period across all of your monitored databases.

Throughput

Shows the number of queries or statements completed per second. This is a metric of traffic intensity and frequency, showing how many requests your servers are processing.

Errors

Shows the number of recorded errors for all database instances per second.

Top 10 Service Breakdown

Bubble charts and a tabular data breakdown show three dimensions of data by Database, or Top Query, to understand a relationship or trend between the entities. The Database Instances by count is displayed in the bubble chart and tabular data breakdown by default. Select the drop-down menu to adjust the chart selection. Each chart displays the following data for the selected category:

• Database Instances by count: Database instances monitored with SolarWinds Observability SaaS organized by query count.

• Database Instance by Total Exec Time: Database instances monitored with SolarWinds Observability SaaS organized by total query execution time.

• Top Queries by Count: Queries organized by total count across all database instances monitored with SolarWinds Observability SaaS.

• Top Queries by Total Exec Time: Queries organized by total execution time across all database instances monitored with SolarWinds Observability SaaS.
  
  Hover over a bubble in the Bubble Chart representation to display the additional metrics below.

  • Execution Time: Time Spent executing queries.

  • Queries Count: The total number of queries executed in the selected time period.

  • Load: The percentage of total time which this instance contributed to the total execution time.

  • Errors: The total number of errors for this time period.

Workload Overview: Average Response Time

Displays the amount of query latency in milliseconds per query execution for the selected time period across all of your monitored databases.

Workload Overview: Load

Shows the load on your monitored databases, as a number of requests executing simultaneously. Concurrency reveals load (or demand) in a way that is orthogonal to variations in request speed or frequency.

Workload Overview: Throughput

Shows the number of queries or statements completed per second across your monitored databases. This is a metric of traffic intensity and frequency, showing how many requests your servers are processing.

Workload Overview: Error Rate

Shows the total number of errors returned per second across all of your monitored databases. Incorrect database responses may indicate request are failing, while throughput and response time appear healthy.

Response Time by Tag

Displays stacked contributions to total response time for tagged queries.

Database Instances

Displays information about your monitored database instances including health state, database type, agent status, queries executed, throughput, load, error rate, and active alerts for the selected time period. Click a database instance to filter the overview by your database selection.

• Filter by database type using the Database type widget. The widget displays all databases by default. Click a database type to filter your database instances by that type.

• Change your database display name. Click the ellipsis to the right of a database instance name and then select Edit to open the Edit Database instance window. Change the database display name and click save to save your changes.

Filter and search

Use filters or searches to refine the database list.

Apply a filter

Click the funnel icon to open Filters menu. Filter by display name, database type, database health state, or native state. Click the desired drop-down menu, and select a filter option to apply your filter to the Databases Overview.

Perform a search

Use the Filter Managed Database Instances search bar at the top for more granular search results:

• Enter keywords or tags in the search bar and click Search.

• Click the ribbon icon to save frequently used search criteria.

• Click the bullets icon to open your previously saved searches.

• Click the question mark icon to open the Search Syntax Examples box.

View additional information

The Overview tab is displayed by default. The following tabs are also available:

• Use the Inventory tab to review the databases monitored with SolarWinds Observability, and to add any discovered databases that are not monitored yet. 

• Use the Profiler to rank your queries or query tags by varying metrics such as the top 10 queries by total time and gain insight into the most time consuming and frequently executed queries in your database.

• Use the Queries tab to display a list of observed queries with syntax highlighting by total time, allowing you to determine which queries are consuming the most time.

• The Samples tab displays a list of observed query samples with syntax highlighting and their latency. This helps you to quickly identify queries that are consuming more of your server load across all database instances monitored with SolarWinds Observability SaaS.

• Use the Metrics Explorer to display a list of all the database instance metrics collected for all of your observed database instance entities.

• Use the Resources tab to view details about the Database Host and Plugin Host resource utilization.

• Use the Inspector to compare Profiler data directly with system metrics such as MySQL Queries, MySQL Query latency, or MySQL Activity.

• Use the Events tab to view details about your database instance entities health, active alerts, load metrics, number of sessions, and Event Details.

• Use the Alerts Explorer to view details about any alerts related to your database instance entities, including active alerts, historical (inactive) alerts over time, and alert settings.

• Use the Advisors tab to view details about potential problems and optimization opportunities within your databases monitored with SolarWinds Observability SaaS.