
Classification: Confidential • Your Eyes Only
Synopsis: Somewhere between a rogue query and a “harmless” configuration tweak, your database went sideways. You’re the detective. Your job: comb the clues, build the timeline, and unmask the culprit behind the slowdown—before they strike again.
The Story
During the 14:30 – 14:35 incident window, Tailwind Traders users started yelling. Threads piled up, and waits peaked at 14:32. Someone—or something—committed a performance crime. Over four weeks, you’ll sweep the scene across the Tailwind Traders hybrid stack, interrogate the suspects, and piece together the truth. Follow the evidence, not your hunches.
SEPTEMBER MISSION
Use the mission’s resources to complete the tasks and answer the questions for a chance to win!
Answer each question correctly during the week and you'll be entered for a chance to win the weekly prize.
Answer all 20 questions correctly over the course of the month and you'll be entered for a chance to win the grand prize.
150 points are being awarded for each correctly answered question. There are 20 questions, which means you can earn a maximum of 3,000 points for this mission.
Weekly Prize:
PLEASE NOTE: All mission prizes will be drawn on September 29, 2025.
MISSION SHORTCUT
Complete the steps below between Sept 1 and Sept 28 to be entered to win a Anker Laptop Power Bank.
Shortcut steps:
- 1. Go to hco.demo.solarwinds.com
- 2. Follow this path: My Dashboards → Home → Performance Analysis
- 3. Click Load in the upper right of the window, then choose TailwindTraders—SQL Timeout Issue
- 4. Open the left panel (Metric Palette) in PERFSTACK analysis; if it’s collapsed, click on the arrow
- 5. Expand Database Instance in the Metric Palette
- 6. Note the DPA server shown in parentheses next to the TailwindTraders database instance
- 7. Submit that server name as your answer
SUBMIT RESPONSE
MISSION RULES
A new question will open every day (Monday - Friday) starting on September 1, 2025. Once a question has opened, it will remain open until September 28, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. CT.
Mission Terms & Conditions: US, UK, and Canada | Germany
Mission Shortcut Terms & Conditions: US, UK, and Canada | Germany