SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings

Applies to: SQL Server, Windows/Hyper-V, SSAS, VMware, Azure SQL Database, Azure Synapse Data Pool, and APS target types.

Introduction

The SQL Sentry monitoring service is a Windows service installed on one or more servers in your enterprise. All settings are stored in the SQL Sentry database. The SQL Sentry monitoring service does the following for each watched instance

  • Collects event history
  • Collects event status
  • Collects event performance information
  • Sends notifications
  • Performs various other tasks related to event management

Note:  The various event metadata and history information collected by the SQL Sentry monitoring service is stored in a SQL Server database. The number of instances that can be watched in your environment is controlled by the number of licenses you have purchased.

The SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings can be accessed by selecting Global Settings from the Navigator pane. By default, the monitoring service settings open to the SMTP Configuration tab.

Navigator Pane Global Settings
SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings

The SQL Sentry monitoring service settings are global in nature, applying to the entire SQL Sentry installation. They control the behavior and function of all installed SQL Sentry monitoring services connected to the active SQL Sentry database. 

Note:  Make changes to any desired setting, and then selectSQL Sentry Save toolbar button from the toolbar to save your setting globally.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Alerting

Email SMTP Configuration

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Alerting

Additional Information: For information about configuring an SMTP server, see the SMTP Configuration topic.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Alerting Email FormatYou have the option to have email alerts formatted as HTML instead of Plain Text

SNMP Configuration

SQL Sentry Montoring Service Settings Alerting SNMP

Configure SNMP settings by selecting Global Settings > Alerting tab > SNMP settings.

SNMP Settings

SettingDescription
Hostname

Determines where the SNMP trap is sent. The default setting (BROADCAST) sends the trap to all managers. Individual managers can be sent the traps using the individual hostname or IP address.

Note:  Managers included in the BROADCAST group and who are also listed individually receive two messages for each occurrence.

PortThe port used for transmission of the traps (Default 162).
SNMP MIBS

SNMP MIBS defaults are found in a folder called SNMP MIBs

C:\Program Files\SentryOne\18.0\SNMP MIBs
SNMP VersionThe version of SNMP to be used (1, 2C, or 3)
EnabledThis checkbox determines whether or not the trap is enabled.

SNMP v1/2C Configuration

SettingDescription
CommunityEnter the community.

SNMP v3 Configuration

SettingDescription
Engine IDEnter the Engine ID.

Note:  You can also use Generate button to get this value.

UsernameEnter the username
Privacy AlgorithmSelect the appropriate privacy algorithm
Privacy PasswordEnter the privacy password
Hash AlgorithmSelect the appropriate hash algorithm (MD5, SHA, or None).
Hash PasswordEnter the password.

Note:  You can configure SQL Sentry to send SNMP traps to Splunk. 

Splunk is an important tool that aggregates logs and events efficiently and allows you to aggregate disparate data sources into a comprehensive overview of your environment. SQL Sentry utilizes its conditions and actions system where conditions represent the expert knowledge required to determine if something is actionable, and actions provide the flexibility to act on that event. Set up SQL Sentry and Splunk to complement one another’s functionality within your enterprise.

Configure SQL Sentry to send SNMP traps to Splunk by completing the following:

  1. Configure devices to send SNMP traps.
  2. Write the traps to a file for Splunk to index.
  3. Monitor the file with Splunk.

Additional Information: For more information about SQL Sentry's functionality with Splunk, see Enterprise Integration: SQL Sentry, Splunk, and SNMP.

Maintenance Window

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Alerting Maintenance Window

Maintenance window settings allow you to specify a time frame where Failsafe notifications are disabled while daily maintenance activity takes place. This prevents excessive notifications that may occur if a watched instance is temporarily inaccessible during these activities. Log actions are still enabled during this window, but any execute or send actions won't fire inside the maintenance window. The maintenance window specified in this view, under the SQL Sentry monitoring service node, applies to activity on the SQL Sentry database itself. 

Note:  To specify a maintenance window for watched instances / target(s), select Settings tab from the Settings pane for that instance / target.

PowerShell

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Alerting PowerShell

Configure PowerShell Execution settings by selecting Global Settings > Alerting tab > PowerShell.

PowerShell Execution Account

SettingDescription
UsernameThe global account that the Execute PowerShell Command can be run with.
PasswordThe password for the Execute PowerShell global account.

Additional Information: For more information about PowerShell, see the PowerShell topic.

Additional Information: For information about setting up a PowerShell account, the benefits of PowerShell, and PowerShell Security, see the PowerShell MSDN article.

Webhooks

SQL Sentry Global Alerting settings can be configured to send a POST request with a JSON payload of alert information to your configured destination URL.

SQL Sentry Global Settings Alerting Webhooks section

Configure Webhook settings by selecting Global Settings > Alerting tab > Webhooks.

OptionDescription
Endpoint NameThe name of your integration that is used to differentiate it from other integrations.
Note:  The Endpoint Name can be a maximum of 50 characters.
Endpoint URLThe endpoint where you want your alert request to be sent.

Note:  The Endpoint URL must begin with https:// and can be a maximum of 150 characters.
Secret TokenAn optional field that's used to compute a unique SQLSentry-webhook-signature header to verify request origins.

Note:  The secret token is optional. The signature is calculated by hex-encoding the SHA-256 hash of the payload and token concatenated together. The token can be a maximum of 108 characters. 
Verify and AddAfter entering your connection properties, select Verify and Add to add your webhook endpoint connection. Select Save to save your global settings.

Important:  If you can't connect to your entered endpoint, you will see the following message:

SQL Sentry Verify and Add Webhook message prompt

Select Yes to continue adding the connection.

The following attributes are sent as a part of the JSON POST request:

AttributeDescriptionTypeExample
SeverityThe severity level of the triggered event. For more information about Severity levels, see Environment Health Overview.StringInfo
ContentThe overall content of the webhook message.StringSee the example request below. 
Timestamp_UTCThe time that the event occurred in  UTC.DateTime2021-08-18T15:09:19.1091532Z
MessageThe description of the advisory condition event.StringJob 'FailedJob' Failed
Condition_NameThe name of the condition that was triggered.StringSQL Server Agent Job: Failure
Condition_DescriptionThe description of the condition that was triggered.StringSQL Server Agent Job failed.
Monitor_TypeThe internal monitoring process type.StringEventHistoryMonitor
Monitor_NameThe internal monitoring process name. The friendly named version of
Monitor_Type.
StringEvent History Monitor
Monitor_Server_NameThe name of the monitored sever where the event occurred.StringTARGET72
Monitor_DescriptionThe description for
Monitor_Type.
StringProcesses SQL Sentry Client message queue messages.
Monitor_Object_NameThe monitored object type that triggered the event.StringFailedJob
Monitor_Object
_Description
The description of the monitored object type that triggered the event.StringProcesses SQL Sentry Client message queue messages.
Monitor_Object_
Parent_Name
The monitored object parent name. StringJDOE-HP: SQL Server Agent Jobs
Generated_ByThe SQL Sentry client name, version, and target that generated the event.StringSolarWinds SQL Sentry 2021.18 Server [TARGET72]
VersionThe version of the condition that was triggered.Number2021.13.0.29403
FilterThe Condition Settings Filter applied to the triggered condition.StringFilter1
Response_RulesetThe response ruleset for the advisory condition event.StringNotify Every Time (default)
Configured_Object_NameThe name of the target that triggered the event. StringTARGET72
Configured_Object_TypeThe type of target that triggered the event.StringWindows Computer
Message_RecipientsThe recipients that will be notified of the event.
Note:  This option will always display as null.
Stringnull
LinksThe deep linking to open the Target where the event was triggered in the SQL Sentry Client.Stringurl:sqlsentry:
TARGET72
-HP/SentryOne
Debug/
em/eventview/
?c=2&id=250
Timestamp_LocalThe local time when the alert was collected by monitoring service.DateTime10/25/2021 11:09:19 AM
Event_TimeThe date and time the event occurred.DateTime8/18/2021 11:09:19 AM
End_TimeThe date and time the event ended (if applicable).DateTime8/18/2021 11:09:19 AM
DurationThe duration of the event.String15 seconds
Debugging_InformationDetails debugging information if the Monitoring Service is set to Verbose logging mode.String[Response Ruleset Definition]:\r\nStart Sending Notifications After 1 occurrence within 00:00:01]
Server_Health_StatusThe environmental health overview score for the monitored target where the event occurred.Stringnull
Modified_ByThe user account that made modifications to the advisory condition.StringJDOE
Host_NameThe name of the host server.StringJDOE(fe80::3093:70b0
:2c1c:e748%26)
Database_LoginThe user account used to login to the SQL Sentry database.StringJDOE
Action_ObjectThe action associated to the StringGlobal
Action_ConditionThe name of the advisory condition associated to the captured event.StringAudit: Notes Changed
ActionThe response action associated to the advisory condition.StringLog To Database
TimeSentThe time the webhook alert message sent.DateTime2021-08-18T11:09:40.8606519-04:00

Example Request 

{
   "Severity":"Info",
   "Content":{
      "Timestamp_UTC":"2021-09-30T19:01:45.1710284Z",
      "Message":"Global: Actions Changed",
      "Condition_Name":"Audit: Actions Changed",
      "Condition_Description":"A configured Action was changed for an object.",
      "Monitor_Type":"ConsoleMessageQueueProcessor",
      "Monitor_Name":"SQL Sentry Client Message Queue Processor",
      "Monitor_Server_Name":"JDOE-HP",
      "Monitor_Description":"Processes SQL Sentry Client message queue messages.",
      "Monitor_Object_Name":"Global",
      "Monitor_Object_Description":"Global",
      "Monitor_Object_Parent_Name":null,
      "Generated_By":"SolarWinds SQL Sentry 2021.18 Server [JDOE-HP]",
      "Version":"0.0.0.0",
      "Filter":null,
      "Response_Ruleset":"Notify Every Time (default)",
      "Configured_Object_Name":"Global",
      "Configured_Object_Type":"Global",
      "Message_Recipients":null,
      "Links":null,
      "Timestamp_Local":"9/30/2021 3:01:45 PM",
      "Event_Time":"9/30/2021 3:01:45 PM",
      "End_Time":"9/30/2021 3:01:45 PM",
      "Duration":null,
      "Debugging_Information":null,
      "Server_Health_Status":null
   },
   "TimeSent":"2021-09-30T15:01:51.9995617-04:00"
}

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Storage 

There are monitoring service settings that control the retention of certain types of data within the SQL Sentry database. Access these settings by selecting Global Settings > Storage tab.

Storage SettingDescriptionImage
Keep Event History For

Controls the retention of Event Manager data (Event History data). 

Note:  The default value is 30 days.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Storage Keep Event History For
Keep Performance History For

Specifies how long Performance Advisor Top SQL, Blocking SQL, and Deadlock data is retained in the SQL Sentry database. This settings also applies to Event Manager General Performance Monitoring data.

Note:  The default value is 15 days.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Storage Keep Performance History For
Keep SolarWinds SQL Sentry Message History For

This setting determines how many days worth of Action Log information is stored. 

Note:  The default value is 365 days.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Storage Keep SQL Sentry Message History For
Keep Index Usage History For

Controls the retention of Index Usage statistics counter data in Fragmentation Manager. 

Note:  The default value is 365 days, the minimum permitted value is one, and the maximum permitted value is 396.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Storage Keep Index Usage History For

Note:  Top SQL, Blocking SQL, and Deadlocks data is also converted to the native Event Calendar format and then is retained according to the Global Settings > Storage tab>  Keep Event History For setting.

Note:  All other performance data, including data displayed on the performance analysis Dashboard, isn't affected by Monitoring Service settings. This data is subject to a high performance storage scheme and internal rollup structure. For more information, see the Dashboard Resolutions/Retention and Data Capacity Planning topics.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Forecasts

See the Monitoring Service Settings section of the Forecasting article for details and instructions.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Privacy

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Privacy

The following settings are available in Global Settings > Privacy tab:

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings View End User License AgreementDisplays the End User License Agreement.
SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Privacy Telemetry SettingsAllows SQL Sentry to collect anonymous information about how you use our software. Un-check the box to stop telemetry. For more information about telemetry, see the telemetry topic.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Advanced

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Advanced

SQL Sentry Global Settings > Advanced tab is where you configure settings for the process that polls watched instances for an active event status.

SettingDescription
Live Event Monitor Polling Interval

Controls how often the SQL Sentry monitoring service polls each watched instance for event status information. The polling operations used are lightweight; however, the value can be increased to reduce network activity associated with the SQL Sentry monitoring service. 

Note:  The default Polling Interval is 15 seconds.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Advanced Live Event Monitor Polling Interval
History Polling Interval

Controls how often the SQL Sentry Monitoring Service polls each watched instance for event history information.

Note:  The default value is 30 seconds. 

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Advanced History Polling Interval
SolarWinds SQL Sentry Message Polling Interval

Controls how often the SQL Sentry Monitoring Service’s internal message queue is checked and messages are processed. Increasing this setting effectively lengthens the time between when a condition is met and any associated actions are triggered. 

Important:  Adjusting the setting up or down affects overhead on the SQL Sentry Monitoring Service only, and won’t affect network or monitoring overhead for watched instances.

Note:  The default value is five seconds.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Advanced SQL Sentry Message Polling Interval
TempDB Session Usage Polling IntervalControls how often the SQL Sentry Monitoring service polls each watched instances for tempdb session usage information. The polling operations are lightweight, however, the value can be increased to reduce network activity associated with the SQL Sentry Monitoring Service.

Note:  The default value is 20 seconds.
Event Chains are Only Affected by History Within

Tells chaining how far back in the history to look when determining whether history entries should affect chain status. This setting is used as a fail safe measure if for some reason you were unable to synchronize with a server for a specified period of time. Whenever the server comes back online and SQL Sentry is able to re-synchronize history information, any history that's older than the time specified by this setting won’t be used to impact chain execution status. 

Note:  The default value is one day and the minimum value is ten minutes.

Note:  It's recommended to contact support.sentryone.combefore changing the default value.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Advanced Event Chains are Only Affected by History Within
Do Not Fire Actions for History Older Than

If messages were unable to be collected for some time this setting keeps actions from being fired for these older message.

Note:  The default value is two hours.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Advanced Do Not Fire Actions for History Older Than
Trigger Run Missed Condition When Scheduling Agent is Offline

Used to specify whether or not to execute the Run Missed Condition when the instance is offline. 

Note:  This setting is enabled by default.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Advanced Trigger Run Missed Condition
Minimum Block Duration Required to Trigger SQL Server Agent Job: Block Condition

Used to specify the minimum time a SQL Agent Job must be part of a blocking chain before triggering the SQL Server Agent Job: Block Condition.

Note:  The default value is 15 seconds.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Advanced Minimum Block Duration
Enable AlwaysOn Health Collection

Used to enable AlwaysOn health collection. 

Note:  This setting is disabled by default.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Advanced Enable AlwaysOn Health Collection
Query Collection Maximum Text Length

Change the maximum length of textdata captured for Top SQL and Top Command events. 

Note:  The default value is 10,000 characters.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Advanced Query Collection Maximum Text Length
Top SQL XE Ring Buffer SizeThe maximum number of events stored in the ring buffer used for Top SQL Extended Events (XE) collection. This buffer is polled every 10 seconds by default, so it should be large enough to hold the number of queries that will be captured over that interval to avoid data loss.

Important:  All monitoring services must be restarted for changes to this setting to take effect.

Note:  The default value is 25.
Normalization Engine

With the release of version 8.2, there have been improvements made to the Normalization Engine. Users upgrading from a prior build will need to select the Advanced option to see the enhancements. 

Note:  The default value is Advanced, and the default value for Basic (Legacy) is 4000 characters.

SQL Sentry Monitoring Service Settings Advanced Normalization Engine