Documentation forSQL Sentry

SQL Sentry Settings Pane

Introduction

The Settings pane is where settings are configured for instances, sources, and objects. This tab is also where performance counter thresholds are configured when a counter is selected. Settings can be configured globally, at the instance level, or at the object level, and just like conditions, they work on the principle of inheritance. The scope is determined by items selected in the Navigator pane. For more information, see the Conditions pane topic.

Opening the Settings Pane

The Settings pane and Navigator pane are docked on the Start Page of the SQL Sentry client by default. Select the Settings tab to display the settings pane.Start Page open Settings pane

Note:  If the Settings pane does not open on your default installation, select View > Settings on the toolbar to display it. Select the desired site, group, target, or instance to begin configuring your settings.

View Settings toolbar option

Amazon RDS for SQL Server

The following settings are configurable for Amazon RDS for SQL Server:

Amazon RDS for SQL Server

Amazon RDS for SQL Server Settings Global

Miscellaneous Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Auto-enable SQL Server Agent Tokens Whether or not to enable SQL Server Agent Tokens on SQL Server 2005 instances.
  • Global
Auto-recycle large SQL Server Agent Logs Whether or not to automatically recycle large agent log files in SQL Server 2005 or greater.
  • Global
Collect Session TempDB Usage Set to True to turn on data collection for TempDB Usage and populate the TempDB Session Usage table.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect TempDB Object Stats Set to True to turn on data collection for TempDB Usage and populate the TempDB Object Stats charts.

See the Troubleshooting article for more guidance on this setting.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Maximum Queue Length The maximum number of objects that can be queued at one time. This setting always applies to the connection level.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit from Parent (Global) Specifies whether miscellaneous settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Synchronization

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Max User Databases to Synchronize (largest first) The maximum number of databases to synchronize, ordered by total size. This includes system databases.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Max User Database Files to Synchronize ( most active & largest first) The maximum number of user database files to synchronize (most active & largest first).
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit from Parent (Global) Specifies whether Synchronization settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Maintenance Window

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maintenance Window The maintenance window for watched instances. Only Log actions will be triggered for Failsafe conditions inside the maintenance window. Send, Execute, and other actions will not be triggered.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit from Parent (Global) Specifies whether Maintenance Window settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Databases Source

Amazon RDS for SQL Server Databases Source Settings Global

General Settings

Setting  Definition Level Configurable
Enable Table/ Index Data Collection Specifies whether table and index collection is enabled. If disabled no index management functions will be performed.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Max Partitions to Collect Per Database The maximum partitions to collect.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Min Index Size (MB) to Collect Fragmentation Data The minimum size of the index in MB to be considered for defrag.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Max Index Size (MB) to Collect Fragmentation Data The maximum size of the index in MB to be considered for defrag.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Buffer Data when Buffer >8GB

Collecting detailed buffer information is inherently a low overhead process. However, since it takes approximately 1 second per GB of buffer, on larger buffers the associated query can take some time to complete, which may cause it to appear in Top SQL and or generate associated alerts. It is generally safe to enable this setting, since SQL Sentry ensures that the total time spent per day collecting buffer data will be roughly the same regardless of buffer size, and that collection only occurs when the buffer has changed.

  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent Specifies whether the general database source settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Deadlocks Source

Amazon RDS for SQL Server Deadlocks Source Settings Global

Synchronization

Setting Definition Level Configurable
History Filter The filter used for history synchronization. Only events that meet the filter will be written to the database.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit from Parent (Global) Specifies whether the maximum row count settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Collection Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Collect Deadlock Events Specifies whether the deadlock statement collection is enabled.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit from Parent (Global) Specifies whether the deadlock settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Index Defragmentation

Amazon RDS for SQL Server Index Defragmentation Settings Global

General Defrag Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Primary Schedule The schedule on which index analysis and or defrag will be performed, according to the configured reorg and rebuild thresholds.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Operation Type Options for Analyze Only and Analyze & Defrag.

See the Fragmentation Manager article for more details.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Reanalyze Indexes After Defrag Specifies whether to run the fragmentation analysis again after defrag.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Fragmentation Scan Mode The scan mode used when scanning for fragmentation.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Maximum Concurrent Operations The maximum concurrent operations to run on a SQL Server Instance.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Delay Between Defrag Operations When Maximum Concurrent Operations is set to 1, you can specify a delay between defrag operations to prevent send/redo queue overload when availability groups or mirroring are in use.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Maximum Duration The maximum allowed runtime for the defragmentation process.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Partitions (Enterprise Only) Which partitions to include for defragmentation.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the general database settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Index Reorg Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Reorg Threshold % The maximum fragmentation percentage before an index reorg is performed.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Reorg Schedule Dedicated schedule on which reorgs only will be performed, according to the reorg threshold. Rebuilds will not be performed even if the rebuild threshold has been exceeded.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the index reorg settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Index Rebuild Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Rebuild Threshold % The maximum fragmentation percentage before an index rebuild is performed.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Rebuild Schedule Dedicated schedule on which rebuilds only (online or offline) will be performed, according to the rebuild threshold.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Offline Rebuild Window If an offline rebuild will be performed as the result of the primary schedule, then only start the offline rebuild during this window.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Sort in tempdb Specifies whether to use the tempdb for sorting.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Use Online Rebuild (Enterprise Only) Specifies whether to rebuild the index while online (Enterprise Only).
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
MAXDOP (Enterprise Only) The max degree of parallelism to use during the rebuild.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the index reorg settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Top SQL

Amazon RDS for SQL Server Top SQL Settings Global

Runtime Thresholds

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Duration Threshold The maximum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Maximum Duration Threshold Percent The maximum allowed duration percentage for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Duration Threshold The minimum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Duration Threshold Percent The minimum allowed duration percentage for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent Specifies whether the duration thresholds settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Top SQL Source

Amazon RDS for SQL Server Top SQL Source Settings Global

Collection Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Minimum Duration The minimum required duration for a statement to be logged.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum CPU The minimum required CPU for a statement to be logged.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Reads The minimum reads required for a statement to be logged.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Writes The minimum required writes for a statement to be logged.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Trace Events Specifies whether traces events are collected.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Statement Events Specifies whether statement events are collected.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Running Events Polling Interval Specifies how often the service checks for running events.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Execution Plans Specifies whether execution plans are collected. Running queries will not be captured if this is set to false.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Max Plan Size to Collect (MB) Specifies the max plan size to collect in MB.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Query Stats Specifies whether query stats collection is enabled.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Query Stats Sample Interval Specifies how often to sample query stats.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Filter Time Span The Filter Time Span specifies the base length of time over which the collection filters will be applied to Query Stats. See Filter Factor for more details.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Filter Factor The Filter Factor is calculated by dividing the Query Stats Sample Interval by the Filter Time Span. The collection filters such as Minimum Duration are multiplied by this value when applied to Query Stats collection. For example, using the defaults (Query Stats Sample Interval = 60 Seconds, Filter Time Span = 30 Seconds, Minimum Duration = 5 Seconds) the total cumulative duration of all executions of a query over the 60 second sample interval must be greater than 10 seconds.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the Top SQL settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Analytics Platform System Instance

The following settings are configurable for Analytics Platform System instances:

Analytics Platform System

Analytics Platform System Instance Settings Global

Collection Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Monitor Performance Controls whether performance monitoring is enabled. Global Site/Group Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether collection settings are inherited from the parent object. Site/Group Target

Maintenance Window

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maintenance Window

The maintenance window for targets. Only Log actions will be triggered for Failsafe conditions inside the maintenance window. Send, Execute, and other actions will not be triggered.

  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether maintenance window settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

APS Distributed Queries

Analytics Platform System Instance APS Distributed Queries Settings Global

Runtime Thresholds

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Duration Threshold The maximum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Duration Threshold The minimum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the duration threshold settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

APS Distributed Queries Source

Analytics Platform System Instance APS Distributed Queries Source Settings Global

Queries Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Minimum Duration The minimum required duration for a statement to be logged.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
SQL Request Plan Collection Enabled This will enable collection of compute node level execution plans.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Distributed Queries Errors This will collect and show errors for distributed queries.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the Top SQL Settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

APS Health Alerts Source

Analytics Platform System Instance APS Health Alerts Source Settings Global

Synchronization

Setting Definition Level Configurable
History Filter The filter used for history synchronization. Only events that meet the filter will be written to the database.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the maximum row count settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

APS Loader Backup Run

Analytics Platform System Instance APS Loader Backup Run Settings Global

Runtime Thresholds

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Duration Threshold The maximum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Maximum Duration Threshold Percent The maximum allowed duration percentage for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Duration Threshold The minimum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Duration Threshold Percent The minimum allowed duration percentage for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the duration threshold settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Azure SQL Data Warehouse Instance

The following settings are configurable for Azure SQL Data Warehouse instances:

Azure SQL Data Warehouse

Settings Pane Azure SQL Data Warehouse Global

Collection Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Monitor Performance Controls whether performance monitoring is enabled.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether collection settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Maintenance Window

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maintenance Window The maintenance window for targets. Only Log actions will be triggered for Failsafe conditions inside the maintenance window. Send, Execute, and other actions will not be triggered.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether maintenance window settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Azure SQL Data Warehouse Distributed Queries

Settings Pane Azure SQL Data Warehouse Distributed Queries Global

Runtime Thresholds

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Duration Threshold The maximum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Duration Threshold The minimum allowed duration percentage for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the duration threshold settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Azure SQL Data Warehouse Distributed Queries Source

Settings Pane Azure SQL Data Warehouse Distributed Queries Source Global

Queries Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Minimum Duration The minimum required duration for a statement to be logged.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
SQL Request Plan Collection Enabled This will enable collection of compute node level execution plans.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Distributed Queries Errors This will collect and show errors for distributed queries.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the Top SQL settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Azure SQL Data Warehouse Loader Backup Run

Settings Pane Azure SQL Data Warehouse Loader Backup Run Global

Runtime Thresholds

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Duration Threshold The maximum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Maximum Duration Threshold Percent The maximum allowed duration percentage for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Duration Threshold The minimum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Duration Threshold Percent The minimum allowed duration percentage for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the duration threshold settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Azure SQL Database Instance

The following settings are configurable for Azure SQL Database instances:

Azure SQL Database

Settings Pane Azure SQL Database Global

Miscellaneous

Note:  To provide the best experience, some features of monitoring an Azure SQL database require a few small tables and procedures to be stored in the target database. These objects are created and maintained in a SQL Sentry schema. If you choose not to allow the monitoring objects to be created, the features dependent upon them (e.g., Top SQL collection) are disabled for the target database. This is set to False by default, but it can be changed globally or overridden at the target level.
Setting Definition Level Configurable
Allow SQL Sentry monitoring objects in target In order to provide the best experience, some features of monitoring an Azure SQL Database require a few small tables and procedures to be stored in the target database. These objects will be created and maintained in a SQL Sentry schema. If you choose to not allow the monitoring objects to be created, the features dependent upon them will be disabled for the target database.

Additional Information: See the Watched Target Objects article for a complete list of database objects that are placed on the watched target.

  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Session TempDB Usage Set to True to turn on data collection for TempDB Usage and populate the TempDB Session Usage table.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect TempDB Object Stats Set to True to turn on data collection for TempDB Usage and populate the TempDB Object Stats charts.

See the Troubleshooting article for more guidance on this setting.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent Specifies whether miscellaneous settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Collection Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Monitor Performance Controls whether performance monitoring is enabled.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether collection settings are inherited from the parent object. 
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Maintenance Window

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maintenance Window The maintenance window for targets. Only Log actions will be triggered for Failsafe conditions inside the maintenance window. Send, Execute, and other actions will not be triggered.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether maintenance window settings are inherited from the parent object. 
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Blocking SQL

Settings Pane Azure SQL Database Blocking SQL Global

Runtime Thresholds

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Duration Threshold The maximum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the duration threshold settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Blocking SQL Source

Settings Pane Azure SQL Database Blocking SQL Source Global

Collection Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Minimum Block Duration The time required to trigger a block condition.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the blocking settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Top SQL

Settings Pane Azure SQL Database Top SQL Global

Runtime Thresholds

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Duration Threshold The maximum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Maximum Duration Threshold Percent The maximum allowed duration percentage for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Duration Threshold The minimum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Duration Threshold Percent The minimum allowed duration percentage for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the duration threshold settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Top SQL Source

Settings Pane Azure SQL Database Top SQL Source Global

Collection Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Minimum Duration The minimum duration required for a statement to be logged.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum CPU The minimum CPU required for a statement to be logged.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Reads The minimum required reads for a statement to be logged.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Writes The minimum required writes for a statement to be logged.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Trace Events Specifies whether trace events are collected.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Statement Events Specifies whether statement events are collected.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Running Events Polling Interval Specifies how often the service checks for running events.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Execution Plans Specifies whether execution plans are collected. Running queries will not be captured if set to false.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Max Plan Size to Collect (MB) Specifies the max plan size to collect in MB.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Query Stats Specifies whether query stats collection is enabled.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Query Stats Sample Interval Specifies how often to sample query stats.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Filter Time Span Specifies the base length of time over which the collection filters will be applied to Query Stats. See Filter Factor for more details.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Filter Factor The Filter Factor is calculated by dividing the Query Stats Sample Interval by the Filter Time Span. The collection filters such as Minimum Duration are multiplied by this value when applied to Query Stats collection.

For example, using the defaults (Query Stats Sample Interval = 60 Seconds, Filter Time Span = 30 Seconds, Minimum Duration = 5 Seconds) the total cumulative duration of all executions of a query over the 60 second sample interval must be greater than 10 seconds.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Azure DB) Specifies whether the Top SQL settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Event Chain

The following settings are configurable for Event Chains:

Event Chain

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Runtime Threshold The maximum allowed runtime for the chain.
  • Global
Minimum Runtime Threshold The minimum allowed runtime for the chain.
  • Global

Event Chain Node

The following settings are configurable for Event Chain Nodes:

Event Chain Node

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Runtime Threshold The maximum allowed runtime for the chain node.
  • Global
Minimum Runtime Threshold The minimum allowed runtime for the chain node.
  • Global

SQL Server

The following settings are configurable for SQL Server:

SQL Server

Settings Pane SQL Server Global

Miscellaneous

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Auto-enable SQL Server Agent Tokens Whether or not to enable SQL Server Agent Tokens on SQL Server 2005 instances.

Important:  On SQL Server 2005 and above, SQL Server Agent tokens are disabled as a security measure. They must be enabled to allow SQL Sentry to watch alerts on these servers. Selecting True allows SQL Sentry to automatically enable these tokens when an alert is watched on a 2005 and above server.

Additional Information: For more information about SQL Server Agent Tokens, see SQL Server Books Online.

  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Auto-recycle large SQL Server Agent Logs Whether or not to automatically recycle large agent log files in SQL Server 2005 or greater.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Session TempDB Usage Set to True to turn on data collection for TempDB Usage and populate the TempDB Session Usage table.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect TempDB Object Stats Set to True to turn on data collection for TempDB Usage and populate the TempDB Object Stats charts.

See the Troubleshooting article for more guidance on this setting.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Maximum Queue Length

This setting specifies the maximum number of jobs that can be queued at one time on this server. For more information, see the Job Queuing topic.

This setting is used to provide more detail than the basic cleaner memory data, but it is higher overhead to collect. Use caution when enabling this setting to ensure it doesn't impact performance. The default value for this setting is False.

Note:  The default value for this setting is 5.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent Specifies whether miscellaneous settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Synchronization

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Max User Databases to Synchronize (largest first) The maximum number of databases to synchronize, ordered by total size. This includes system databases.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Max User Database Files to Synchronize (most active & largest first) The maximum number of user database files to synchronize (most active & largest first).
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether synchronization settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Maintenance Window

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maintenance Window The maintenance window for targets. Only Log actions will be triggered for Failsafe conditions inside the maintenance window. Send, Execute, and other actions will not be triggered.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether maintenance window settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Blocking SQL

Settings Pane SQL Server Blocking SQL Global

Runtime Thresholds

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Duration Threshold The maximum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent Specifies whether the duration threshold settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Blocking SQL Source

Settings Pane SQL Server Blocking SQL Source Global

Runtime Thresholds

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Minimum Block Duration The time required to trigger a block condition.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent Specifies whether the blocking settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Databases Source

Settings Pane SQL Server Databases Source Global

General Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Enable Table/ Index Data Collection Specifies whether table and index collection is enabled. If disabled no index management functions will be performed.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Max Partitions to Collect per Database The maximum partitions to collect.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Min Index Size (MB) to Collect Fragmentation Data The minimum size of the index in MB to be considered for defrag.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Max Index Size (MB) to Collect Fragmentation Data The maximum size of the index in MB to be considered for defrag.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Buffer Data when Buffer > 8GB Collecting detailed buffer information is inherently a low overhead process. However, since it takes approximately 1 second per GB of buffer, on larger buffers the associated query can take some time to complete, which may cause it to appear in Top SQL and or generate associated alerts. It is generally safe to enable this setting, since SQL Sentry ensures that the total time spent per day collecting buffer data will be roughly the same regardless of buffer size, and that collection only occurs when the buffer has changed.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent Specifies whether the general database source settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Deadlocks Source

Settings Pane SQL Server Deadlocks Source Global

Synchronization

Setting Definition Level Configurable
History Filter The filter used for history synchronization. Only events that meet the filter will be written to the database.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the maximum row count settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Collection Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Collect Deadlock Events Specifies whether the deadlock statement collection is enabled.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the deadlock settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Index Defragmentation

Settings Pane SQL Server Index Defragmentation Global

General Defrag Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Primary Schedule The schedule on which index analysis and/or defrag will be performed, according to the configured reorg and rebuild thresholds.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Operation Type Options for Analyze Only and Analyze & Defrag.

See the Fragmentation Manager article for more details.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Reanalyze Indexes After Defrag Specifies whether to run the fragmentation analysis after defrag.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Fragmentation Scan Mode The scan mode used when scanning for fragmentation.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Maximum Concurrent Operations The maximum concurrent operations to run on a SQL Server Instance.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Delay Between Defrag Operations When Maximum Concurrent Operations is set to 1, you can specify a delay between defrag operations to prevent send/redo queue overload when availability groups or mirroring are in use.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Maximum Duration The maximum allowed runtime for the defragmentation process.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Partitions (Enterprise Only) Which partitions to include for defragmentation.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent Specifies whether the general database settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Index Reorg Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Reorg Threshold % The maximum fragmentation percentage before an index reorg is performed. Global Site/Group Target
Reorg Schedule Dedicated schedule on which reorgs only will be performed, according to the reorg threshold. Rebuilds will not be performed even if the rebuild threshold has been exceeded. Global Site/Group Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the index reorg setting are inherited from the parent object. Site/Group Target

Index Rebuild Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Rebuild Threshold % The maximum fragmentation percentage before an index rebuild is performed.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Rebuild Schedule Dedicated schedule on which rebuilds only (online or offline) will be performed, according to the rebuild threshold.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Offline Rebuild Window If an offline rebuild will be performed as the result of the primary schedule, then only start the offline rebuild during this window.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Sort in tempdb Specifies whether to use tempdb for sorting.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Use Online Rebuild (Enterprise Only) Specifies whether to rebuild the index while online (Enterprise Only).
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
MAXDOP (Enterprise Only) The max degree of parallelism to use during the rebuild.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the index reorg settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Maintenance Plans Source

Settings Pane SQL Server Maintenance Plans Source Global

General

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Auto-watch New Objects Whether or not new objects will be set to watched when they are discovered.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether general settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Synchronization

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Rows to Synchronize The maximum rows of historical event data to collect from this source. This settings is most applicable to the initial loading process, since subsequent synchronizations will only include new records. Use care when increasing this value – If it is set too high database content can result.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the maximum row count settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Reporting Services Report

Settings Pane SQL Server Reporting Services Report Global

Runtime Thresholds

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Runtime Threshold The maximum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Maximum Runtime Threshold Percent The maximum allowed duration percentage for the object. See the warning below.

Note:  The default value is 250. This means that any time a job runs for less than 10 (default Minimum Runtime Threshold  Percent) or longer than 250 percent of its average runtime, a notification is sent. If too many messages are being received, these settings can be adjusted as needed.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Runtime Threshold The minimum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Runtime Threshold Percent The minimum allowed duration percentage for the object.

Note:  The default value is 10.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the runtime threshold settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Important:  For the Maximum Runtime Threshold Percent setting, in cases where the average runtime for a job is less than 30 seconds, a maximum allowed runtime value of two minutes is used regardless of the Maximum Runtime Threshold Percent setting value.

If you wish to avoid this, you can do either of the following:

  1. Use the Maximum Runtime Threshold setting rather than Maximum Runtime Threshold Percent setting.
  2. Use a Response Ruleset for the SQL Server Agent Job: Runtime Threshold Max condition that delays alerting until the jobs have run for a duration the user defines.
    Response Ruleset Example

    Explicit time-based thresholds can also be specified. Any time an explicit time-based threshold is specified it overrides the percentage-based thresholds for that object. Time-based thresholds are usually less valuable at the global level, particularly the Minimum Runtime Threshold that doesn't have much value globally. Explicit runtime thresholds tend to be more applicable at the actual instance or object level for overriding the global percentage thresholds on a case-by-case basis.

Note:  Runtime threshold messages for Reporting Services Reports completing in less than two minutes aren't processed until they are complete.

Reporting Services Reports Source

Settings Pane SQL Server Reporting Services Report Source Global

General

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Auto-watch New Objects Whether or not new objects will be set to watched when they are discovered.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether general settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Synchronization

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Rows to Synchronize The maximum rows of historical event data to collect from this source. This settings is most applicable to the initial loading process, since subsequent synchronizations will only include new records. Use care when increasing this value – If it is set too high database content can result.

Note:  The default is 5000.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
History Filter The filter used for history synchronization. Only events that meet the filter will be written to the database.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the maximum row count settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

SQL Agent Alerts Source

Settings Pane SQL Server SQL Agent Alerts Source Global

General

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Auto-watch New Objects Whether or not new objects will be set to watched when they are discovered.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether general settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Synchronization

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Rows to Synchronize The maximum rows of historical event data to collect from this source. This settings is most applicable to the initial loading process, since subsequent synchronizations will only include new records. Use care when increasing this value – If it is set too high database content can result.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
History Filter The filter used for history synchronization. Only events that meet the filter will be written to the database.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent Specifies whether the maximum row count settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

SQL Server Agent Job

Settings Pane SQL Server SQL Server Agent Job Global

Runtime Thresholds

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Duration Threshold The maximum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Maximum Duration Threshold Percent The maximum allowed duration percentage for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Duration Threshold The minimum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Duration Threshold Percent The minimum allowed duration percentage for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the runtime threshold settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Behavior when Queuing Other Jobs

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Queue Other For Up To The maximum length of time this job will queue other jobs.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Auto-Start Threshold Any job whose next scheduled run time is beyond the specified threshold will be started automatically upon leaving the queue. If a job’s next scheduled run time is before the threshold it will not auto-start.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the queuing behavior is inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Behavior When This Job is Queued

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Queue Type The behavior when this job is queued.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Queue For Up To The maximum length of time this job can be queued.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Auto-Start Type Controls the auto-start behavior for the job when it leaves the queue. “Use default setting” will cause the queuing job’s “Auto-Start Threshold” setting to be used.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the behavior when queued is inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

SQL Server Agent Jobs Source

Settings Pane SQL Server SQL Server Agent Jobs Source Global

General

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Auto-watch New Objects Whether or not new objects will be set to watched when they are discovered.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Missed Run Threshold The length of time that must pass before an object run is considered to be missed.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether general settings are inherited from the parent object. 
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Synchronization

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Rows to Synchronize The maximum rows of historical event data to collect from this source. This settings is most applicable to the initial loading process, since subsequent synchronizations will only include new records. Use care when increasing this value – If it is set too high database content can result.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the maximum row count settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

SQL Server Agent Log Source

Settings Pane SQL Server SQL Server Agent Log Source Global

General

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Auto-watch New Objects Whether or not new objects will be set to watched when they are discovered. Global Site/Group Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether general settings are inherited from the parent object. Site/Group Target

Synchronization

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Rows to Synchronize The maximum rows of historical event data to collect from this source. This settings is most applicable to the initial loading process, since subsequent synchronizations will only include new records. Use care when increasing this value – If it is set too high database content can result.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
History Filter The filter used for history synchronization. Only events that meet the filter will be written to the database.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the maximum row count settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Top SQL

Settings Pane SQL Server Top SQL Global

Runtime Thresholds

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Duration Threshold The maximum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Maximum Duration Threshold Percent The maximum allowed duration percentage for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Duration Threshold The minimum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Duration Threshold Percent The minimum allowed duration percentage for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent  Specifies whether the duration threshold settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Top SQL Source

Settings Pane SQL Server Top SQL Source Global

Collection Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Minimum Duration The minimum required duration for a statement to be logged.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum CPU The minimum required CPU for a statement to be logged.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Reads The minimum required reads for a statement to be logged.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Writes The minimum required writes for a statement to be logged.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Trace Events Specifies whether trace events are collected.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Statement Events Specifies whether statement events are collected.

Warning:  On systems with very high transaction volumes that also make extensive use of scalar functions, enabling Collect Statement Events may cause a negative impact on the performance of the monitored target, regardless of the effective Top SQL Filter settings or the number of events actually collected. For more information, see Improve SQL Sever Scalar UDF Performance in SQL Server 2019, and Four Ways to improve Scalar function performance in SQL Server.

  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Running Events Polling Interval Specifies how often the service checks for running events.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Execution Plans Specifies whether execution plans are collected. Running queries will not be captured if this setting is set to false.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Max Plan Size to Collect (MB) Specifies the max plan size to collect in MB.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect Query Stats Specifies whether query stats collection is enabled.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Query Stats Sample Interval Specifies how often to sample query stats.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Filter Time Span Specifies the base length of time over which the collection filters will be applied to Query Stats. See Filter Factor for more details.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Filter Factor The Filter Factor is calculated by dividing the Query Stats Sample Interval by the Filter Time Span. The collection filters such as Minimum Duration are multiplied by this value when applied to Query Stats collection. For example, using the defaults (Query Stats Sample Interval = 60 Seconds, Filter Time Span = 30 Seconds, Minimum Duration = 5 Seconds) the total cumulative duration of all executions of a query over the 60 second sample interval must be greater than 10 seconds.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent Specifies whether Top SQL Settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

SQL Server Analysis Services

The following settings are configurable for SQL Server Analysis services:

Analysis Services

Settings Pane SQL Server Analysis Services Global

Miscellaneous

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Collect Memory by Category Data Memory by Category data provides more detail than the basic Cleaner memory data, but is higher overhead to collect. Use caution when enabling to ensure it does not impact performance.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent Specifies whether miscellaneous settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Maintenance Window

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maintenance Window The maintenance window for watched instances. Only Log actions will be triggered for Failsafe conditions inside the maintenance window. Send, Execute, and other actions will not be triggered.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether maintenance window settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Top Commands

Settings Pane SQL Server Analysis Services Top Commands Global

Runtime Thresholds

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Duration Threshold The maximum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the duration threshold settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Top Commands Source

Settings Pane SQL Server Analysis Services Top Commands Source Global

Collection Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Minimum Duration The minimum required duration for a statement to be logged.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect MDX/DAX/DMX/XMLA Events Specifies whether the command collection is enabled.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Collect DAX Query Plan Events Specifies whether DAX Query Plan events are captured. Note that collecting query plans for complex DAX queries can have a negative impact on performance and should only be enabled for troubleshooting purposes.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent Specifies whether the SSAS settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Tintri

The following settings are configurable for Tintri:

Tintri VMstore

Settings Pane Tintri VMstore Global

Collection Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Monitor Performance Controls whether performance monitoring is enabled.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Maintenance Window

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maintenance Window The maintenance window for targets. Only Log actions will be triggered for Failsafe conditions inside the maintenance window. Send, Execute, and other actions will not be triggered.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target

VMware

The following settings are configurable for VMware:

VMware Host

Settings Pane VMware Host Global

Collection Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Monitor Performance Controls whether performance monitoring is enabled. Global Site/Group Target

Maintenance Window

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maintenance Window The maintenance window for targets. Only Log actions will be triggered for Failsafe conditions inside the maintenance window. Send, Execute, and other actions will not be triggered. Global Site/Group Target

Windows

The following settings are configurable for Windows:

Windows Computer

Settings Pane Windows Computer Global

Collection Settings

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Monitor Performance Controls whether performance monitoring is enabled.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether collection settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Maintenance Window

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maintenance Window The maintenance window for targets. Only Log actions will be triggered for Failsafe conditions inside the maintenance window. Send, Execute, and other actions will not be triggered.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether maintenance window settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Process Collection

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Collect Processes Specifies whether process collection is enabled.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Uncategorized Process Filter The filter controls which uncategorized processes are collected. Categorized or well-known processes are always collected. Once a process has passed the filter, it will continue to be collected until it completes.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent Specifies whether process collection settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Windows Event Logs Source

Settings Pane Windows Event Logs Source Global

General

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Auto-watch New Objects Whether or not new objects will be set to watched when they are discovered.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether general settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Synchronization

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Rows to Synchronize The maximum rows of historical event data to collect from this source. This setting is most applicable to the initial load process, since subsequent synchronizations will only include new records. Use care when increasing this value – if it is set too high database contention can result.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
History Filter The filter used for history synchronization. Only events that meet the filter will be written to the database.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the maximum row count settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Windows Task

Settings Pane Windows Task Global

Runtime Thresholds

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Runtime Threshold The maximum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Maximum Runtime Threshold Percent The maximum allowed duration percentage for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Runtime Threshold The minimum allowed duration for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Minimum Runtime Threshold Percent The minimum allowed duration percentage for the object.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the runtime threshold settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Windows Task Source

Settings Pane Windows Task Source Global

General

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Auto-watch New Objects Whether or not new objects will be set to watched when they are discovered.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether general settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Synchronization

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Rows to Synchronize The maximum rows of historical event data to collect from this source. This settings is most applicable to the initial load process, since subsequent synchronizations will only include new records. Use care when increasing this value – if it is set too high database contention can result.
  • Global
  • Site/Group
  • Target
Inherit From Parent (Global) Specifies whether the maximum row count settings are inherited from the parent object.
  • Site/Group
  • Target

Performance Counter Settings

The Performance Counter settings screen is used to set the minimum and maximum values for the counter thresholds of that particular counter. These are used to trigger the Performance Counter: Threshold Min and Max conditions if any conditions are enabled for them. This option is only available when selecting a specific performance counter from the Navigator pane. The following settings are configurable for Performance Counters:

Counter Thresholds

Settings Pane Performance Counter Thresholds Global

Setting Definition Level Configurable
Maximum Maximum performance counter threshold.
  • Global

Minimum

Minimum performance counter threshold.
  • Global