SQL Server monitoring tools help database administrators track performance, identify bottlenecks, and ensure optimal database health. In 2025, the top SQL Server monitoring tools include Microsoft's SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), the open-source options DBA Dash and SQLWATCH, Stack Overflow's Opserver, and commercial solutions like Redgate SQL Monitor and Datadog Database Monitoring.
Built-in Tools within SSMS
SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is primarily a tool for managing and administering SQL Server instances, databases, and their associated objects. While SSMS itself is not a dedicated monitoring tool, it does provide some features and integrations that allow DBAs to monitor SQL Server performance and activity:
The Activity Monitor
The Activity Monitor provides real-time insights into SQL Server database performance and health, aiding in troubleshooting, resource monitoring, and ensuring smooth server operation.
Reports
Reports offer disk usage data, performance dashboards, and top queries by CPU, duration, and IO, helping identify resource-intensive queries.
SQL Server Profiler
SQL Server Profiler, though deprecated, is available in older SSMS versions for tracing SQL Server events. Extended Events is recommended as a modern alternative.
Extended Events
Extended Events is the replacement for SQL Server Profiler. It's a lightweight, customizable monitoring system for capturing detailed performance and troubleshooting data.
Open Source Tools
DBA Dash
DBA Dash is a free, open source monitoring tool for SQL Server. It provides DBAs with insights into the health, performance, and activity of SQL Server instances.
It is particularly useful for small to medium-sized environments where a full-fledged enterprise monitoring solution might be overkill.
Key Features
- Daily DBA Checks: Backups, corruption, memory dumps, DBCC, availability groups, log shipping, mirroring, agent jobs, disk space, query store, identity columns, and more.
- Performance Monitoring: CPU, IO, blocking, running queries, slow queries, stored procedures, performance counters, memory, and more.
- Track Configuration: Configuration settings, trace flags, hardware, patching, and tempdb across all servers, with automatic change tracking.
SQLWATCH
SQLWATCH is decentralized, real to near-real time SQL Server monitoring solution. It is designed to provide comprehensive monitoring out of the box and to serve as a monitoring framework for your own projects or applications. It collects performance data in a local database with an option for centralised reporting for convenience.
Key Features
- 5-second granularity for capturing workload spikes.
- Grafana for real-time dashboards and Power BI for in-depth analysis.
- Extensive configuration options.
- Zero maintenance and unlimited scalability.
Opserver
Opserver by Stack Exchange monitors multiple systems, including SQL Server, Redis, and Elasticsearch, providing an "all servers" view for CPU, memory, network, and hardware stats.
Commercial Tools
Redgate SQL Monitor
Redgate SQL Monitor is a comprehensive, enterprise-grade SQL Server monitoring and performance tuning tool developed by Redgate Software. Optimize performance, ensure security, and mitigate potential risks with fast deep-dive analysis and customizable alerting.
Datadog Database Monitoring
Datadog Database Monitoring provides deep visibility into databases across all of your hosts. Dig into historical query performance metrics, explain plans, and host-level metrics all in one place, to understand the health and performance of your databases and troubleshoot issues as they arise.
Conclusion
Built-in tools within SSMS provide essential monitoring capabilities for immediate insights. Open source solutions like DBA Dash, SQLWATCH, and Opserver offer flexibility and cost-effectiveness, making them ideal for smaller setups or those seeking customizable options. For enterprises requiring comprehensive monitoring and performance tuning, commercial tools like Redgate SQL Monitor and Datadog Database Monitoring deliver robust features and advanced analytics.
