PRTG Manual: WMI Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Sensor

User Connections

Number of user connections. Because each user connection consumes some memory, configuring overly high numbers of user connections could affect throughput. Set user connections to the maximum expected number of concurrent users.

Logins

Total number of logins started per second.

Logouts

Total number of logout operations started per second.

Full Scans

Number of unrestricted full scans per second. These can be either base-table or full-index scans.

Page Splits

Number of page splits per second that occur as the result of overflowing index pages.

Table Lock Escalations

Number of times that locks on a table were escalated.

Buffer Cache Hit Ratio

Percentage of pages found in the buffer cache without having to read from disk. The ratio is the total number of cache hits divided by the total number of cache lookups since an instance of SQL Server was started. After a long period of time, the ratio moves very little.

Because reading from the cache is much less expensive than reading from disk, you want this ratio to be high. Generally, you can increase the buffer cache hit ratio by increasing the amount of memory available to SQL Server.

Database Pages

Number of pages in the buffer pool with database content.

Stolen Pages

Number of pages used for miscellaneous server purposes (including procedure cache).

Page Life Expectancy

Number of seconds a page stays in the buffer pool without references.

Connection Memory (KB)

Total amount of dynamic memory the server is using for maintaining connections.

Optimizer Memory (KB)

Total amount of dynamic memory the server is using for query optimization.

Total Server Memory (KB)

Total amount of dynamic memory (in kilobytes) that the server is using.

Target Server Memory (KB)

Total amount of dynamic memory the server can consume.

SQL Cache Memory (KB)

Total amount of dynamic memory the server is using for the dynamic SQL cache.

Lock Requests

Number of new locks and lock conversions per second requested from the lock manager.

Deadlocks

Number of lock requests per second that resulted in a deadlock.

Average Wait Time

Average amount of wait time (in milliseconds) for each lock request that resulted in a wait.

Batch Requests

Number of Transact-SQL command batches received per second. This statistic is affected by all constraints (such as input/output (I/O), number of users, cache size, or complexity of requests). High batch requests mean good throughput.

SQL Compilations

Number of SQL compilations per second. Indicates the number of times the compile code path is entered. Includes compiles because of recompiles. After the SQL Server user activity is stable, this value reaches a steady state.

SQL Re-Compilations

Number of SQL recompiles per second. Counts the number of times recompiles are triggered. In general, you want the recompiles to be low.

Server Instances

You see a list with the names of all items that you can monitor. Add check marks in front of the respective lines to select the desired items. You can also use the check box in the table header to select all items or cancel the selection.

PRTG creates one sensor for each selection.

Display name and service name are provided as returned by the SQL Server.

SQL Performance Counters

You see a list of different groups of performance counters that the sensor can monitor for the instances that you selected above. Every sensor that PRTG creates for the server instances monitors the performance counters you select here. Choose from:

• General Statistics: Read general performance counters. This shows the number of user connections and the number of logins and logouts per second.
• Access Methods: Read access method counters. This shows the number of full scans, page splits, and table lock escalations (per second).
• Buffer Manager: Read buffer manager counters. This shows the buffer cache hit ratio in percent and the number of database pages and stolen pages.
• Memory Manager: Read memory manager counters. This shows the connection memory, optimizer memory, total server memory, target server memory, and SQL cache memory (in kb).
• Locks: Read locks counters. This shows the number of lock requests and deadlocks (per second), and the average wait time.
• SQL Statistics: Read SQL statistics. This shows the number of batch requests, SQL compilations, and SQL re-compilations (per second).

Depending on your selection, PRTG creates a sensor with the specified channels.

To monitor more than one of the listed groups of performance counters, add the sensor several times for the respective instances.

Sensor Name

Enter a meaningful name to identify the sensor. By default, PRTG shows this name in the device tree, as well as in alarms, logs, notifications, reports, maps, libraries, and tickets.

Parent Tags

Shows tags that this sensor inherits from its parent device, group, and probe. This setting is shown for your information only and cannot be changed here.

Tags

Enter one or more tags, separated by spaces or commas. You can use tags to group sensors and use tag–filtered views later on. Tags are not case sensitive. We recommend that you use the default value.

There are default tags that are automatically predefined in a sensor's settings when you add a sensor. See section Default Tags below.

You can add additional tags to the sensor if you like. Other tags are automatically inherited from objects further up in the device tree. These are visible above as Parent Tags.

It is not possible to enter tags with a leading plus (+) or minus (-) sign, nor tags with parentheses (()) or angle brackets (<>).

Priority

Select a priority for the sensor. This setting determines where the sensor is placed in sensor lists. A sensor with a top priority is at the top of a list. Choose from one star (low priority) to five stars (top priority).

Service

Shows the service that this sensor monitors. Once you have created the sensor, you cannot change this value. It is shown for reference purposes only. If you need to change this value, add the sensor anew.

Name

Shows the name of the server instance that this sensor monitors. Once you have created the sensor, you cannot change this value. It is shown for reference purposes only. If you need to change this value, add the sensor anew.

WMI Class Name

Select whether PRTG automatically selects the name of the WMI class used for monitoring:

• Automatic: Automatically select WMI class. We recommend this setting.
• Manual: Manually enter a WMI class name. Select this option if your server instance returns an error code in automatic mode.

WMI Class

This field is only visible if you enable Manual above. This setting is intended for experienced users only. Enter the WMI class name that the sensor uses for monitoring your server instance.

Sensor Result

Define what PRTG does with the sensor results:

• Discard sensor result: Do not store the sensor result.
• Write sensor result to disk (file name: Result of Sensor [ID].txt): Store the last result received from the sensor to the \Logs\sensors subfolder of the PRTG data directory on the probe system (master node, if in a cluster). File names: Result of Sensor [ID].txt and Result of Sensor [ID].Data.txt. This is for debugging purposes. PRTG overwrites these files with each scanning interval.

This option is not available when the sensor runs on the hosted probe of a PRTG hosted by Paessler instance.

SQL Performance Counters

Shows the performance counter that this sensor monitors. Once you have created the sensor, you cannot change this value. It is shown for reference purposes only. If you need to change this value, add the sensor anew.

Primary Channel

Select a channel from the list to define it as the primary channel. In the device tree, the last value of the primary channel is always displayed below the sensor's name. The available options depend on what channels are available for this sensor.

You can set a different primary channel later by clicking the pin symbol of a channel on the sensor's Overview tab.

Graph Type

Define how different channels are shown for this sensor:

• Show channels independently (default): Show a graph for each channel.
• Stack channels on top of each other: Stack channels on top of each other to create a multi-channel graph. This generates a graph that visualizes the different components of your total traffic.
  This option cannot be used in combination with manual Vertical Axis Scaling (available in the channel settings).

Stack Unit

This field is only visible if you enable Stack channels on top of each other as Graph Type. Select a unit from the list. All channels with this unit are stacked on top of each other. By default, you cannot exclude single channels from stacking if they use the selected unit. However, there is an advanced procedure to do so.

Click to interrupt the inheritance. See section Inheritance of Settings for more information.

Scanning Interval

Select a scanning interval (seconds, minutes, or hours). The scanning interval determines the amount of time that the sensor waits between two scans. You can change the available intervals in the system administration on PRTG on premises installations.

If a Sensor Query Fails

Define the number of scanning intervals that the sensor has time to reach and check a device again in case a sensor query fails. Depending on the option that you select, the sensor can try to reach and check a device again several times before the sensor shows a Down status. This can avoid false alarms if the monitored device only has temporary issues. For previous scanning intervals with failed requests, the sensor shows a Warning status. Choose from:

• Set sensor to down immediately: Set the sensor to a Down status immediately after the first failed request.
• Set sensor to warning for 1 interval, then set to down (recommended): Set the sensor to a Warning status after the first failed request. If the following request also fails, the sensor shows an error.
• Set sensor to warning for 2 intervals, then set to down: Set the sensor to a Down status only after three consecutively failed requests.
• Set sensor to warning for 3 intervals, then set to down: Set the sensor to a Down status only after four consecutively failed requests.
• Set sensor to warning for 4 intervals, then set to down: Set the sensor to a Down status only after five consecutively failed requests.
• Set sensor to warning for 5 intervals, then set to down: Set the sensor to a Down status only after six consecutively failed requests.

Sensors that monitor via Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) always wait at least one scanning interval before they show a Down status. It is not possible to immediately set a WMI sensor to a Down status, so the first option does not apply to these sensors. All other options can apply.

If you define error limits for a sensor's channels, the sensor immediately shows a Down status. No "wait" option applies.

If a channel uses lookup values, the sensor immediately shows a Down status. No "wait" options apply.

You cannot interrupt the inheritance for schedules, dependencies, and maintenance windows. The corresponding settings from the parent objects are always active. However, you can define additional settings here. They are active at the same time as the parent objects' settings.

Schedule

Select a schedule from the list. Schedules can be used to monitor for a certain time span (days or hours) every week.

You can create schedules, edit schedules, or pause monitoring for a specific time span. For more information, see section Account Settings—Schedules.

Schedules are generally inherited. New schedules are added to schedules that you already set up, so all schedules are active at the same time.

Maintenance Window

Specify if you want to set up a one-time maintenance window. During a maintenance window, the selected object and all child objects are not monitored. They are in a Paused status instead. Choose between:

• Not set (monitor continuously): No maintenance window is set and monitoring is always active.
• Set up a one-time maintenance window: Pause monitoring within a maintenance window. You can define a time span for a monitoring pause below and change it even for an active maintenance window.

To terminate an active maintenance window before the defined end date, change the time entry in Maintenance Ends to a date in the past.

Maintenance Begins

This field is only visible if you enable Set up a one-time maintenance window above. Use the date time picker to enter the start date and time of the maintenance window.

Maintenance Ends

This field is only visible if you enable Set up a one-time maintenance window above. Use the date time picker to enter the end date and time of the maintenance window.

Dependency Type

Define a dependency type. You can use dependencies to pause monitoring for an object depending on the status of a different object. You can choose from:

• Use parent: Use the dependency type of the parent object.
• Select a sensor: Use the dependency type of the parent object. Additionally, pause the current object if a specific sensor is in a Down status or in a Paused status caused by another dependency.

• Master sensor for parent: Make this sensor the master object for its parent device. The sensor influences the behavior of its parent device: If the sensor is in a Down status, the device is paused. For example, it is a good idea to make a Ping sensor the master object for its parent device to pause monitoring for all other sensors on the device in case the device cannot even be pinged. Additionally, the sensor is paused if the parent group is paused by another dependency.

To test your dependencies, select Simulate Error Status from the context menu of an object that other objects depend on. A few seconds later, all dependent objects are paused. You can check all dependencies under Devices | Dependencies in the main menu bar.

Dependency

This field is only visible if you enable Select a sensor above. Click the Search button and use the object selector to select a sensor on which the current object will depend.

Dependency Delay (Sec.)

This field is only visible if you enable Select a sensor above. Define a time span in seconds for dependency delay.

After the master sensor for this dependency comes back to an Up status, monitoring of the dependent objects is additionally delayed by the defined time span. This can prevent false alarms, for example, after a server restart, by giving systems more time for all services to start up. Enter an integer value.

This setting is not available if you set this sensor to Use parent or to be the Master sensor for parent. In this case, define delays in the parent device settings or in its parent group settings.

Click to interrupt the inheritance. See section Inheritance of Settings for more information.

User Group Access

Define the user groups that have access to the sensor. You see a table with user groups and group access rights. The table contains all user groups in your setup. For each user group, you can choose from the following group access rights:

• Inherited: Inherit the access rights settings of the parent object.
• No access: Users in this user group cannot see or edit the sensor. The sensor neither shows up in lists nor in the device tree.
• Read access: Users in this group can see the sensor and view its monitoring results. They cannot edit any settings.
• Write access: Users in this group can see the sensor, view its monitoring results, and edit its settings. They cannot edit its access rights settings.
• Full access: Users in this group can see the sensor, view its monitoring results, edit its settings, and edit its access rights settings.

For more details on access rights, see section Access Rights Management.