SolarWinds Database Observability Self-Hosted: 2024 Updates
This year, we’ve been hard at work bringing you a lineup of new features and enhancements across our database observability solutions. Each release in 2024 was designed with a clear goal: to make database monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimization easier, faster, and more flexible. Let’s take a look at what each update has brought to the table and how these new features can make a difference for your team.
In early 2024, we launched an updated version of Plan Explorer® (2024.1), bringing a new level of performance insights and tools to streamline troubleshooting. Among the highlights is the Plan Guide Indication feature, a game-changer that visually alerts you when a Plan Guide is active, helping optimize query performance with guided, in-depth insights. For deadlock management, we’ve revamped deadlock investigation with a dedicated Deadlock XML Tab that simplifies the process, allowing users to paste deadlock XML directly into Plan Explorer for faster, centralized analysis and a straightforward path to deadlock issues. This release also includes SQL Server® 2022 compatibility, so users can take advantage of the latest SQL Server features alongside Plan Explorer’s powerful analysis tools.
In April (2024.2), we expanded DPA’s PostgreSQL capabilities to include tools previously available only for SQL Server and Oracle®, bringing Table and Index Advisors and Execution Plan Insights to PostgreSQL. This expansion means PostgreSQL users can now identify tables with costly, inefficient queries, providing users with a clear path to spot optimization opportunities and access the impact of adding an index. SQL Sentry® also got a boost with new Portal improvements, including weekly health scores for proactive monitoring, a Top SQL Percentage Change view to track query shifts, and simplified Deadlock Analysis to help you resolve database conflicts faster than ever.
By July (2024.3), integrations and expanded database support were front and center. Platform Connect now links SQL Sentry and DPA to PagerDuty and ServiceNow, ensuring critical alerts reach teams in real-time, right when they are needed. Once connected via the SolarWinds® Platform, urgent alerts are instantly sent to ServiceNow or PagerDuty, making IT operations more responsive and efficient. DPA also expanded compatibility with support for Oracle 23c, PostgreSQL 16, and MySQL 8.3, staying up-to-date with the latest database versions. SQL Sentry continued its Portal development by adding AlwaysOn monitoring directly to the web console and refining health scoring.
As we rolled into November (2024.4), we introduced exciting new features for SQL Sentry and DPA. SQL Sentry’s Portal added custom charting, tooltip-enabled execution plan data, and improved onboarding, creating a more intuitive experience. Building on previous releases, we brought MySQL users advanced tuning capabilities with Index and Table Tuning Advisors, opening up powerful tuning tools to more databases. Enhanced Oracle CDB monitoring now completes DPA’s Oracle Multitenant support, providing full alerting and visibility for complex Oracle environments.
The 2024 journey for SQL Sentry and Database Performance Analyzer (DPA) hits a major milestone with the launch of our Flexible Database License. This combined license allows customers to choose between SQL Sentry and DPA based on their specific needs, adding flexibility for managing databases across on-premises and cloud environments. With the DBSH (Database Self-hosted) license, users can select either SQL Sentry or DPA. Additionally, the DBSHDS (Database Self-hosted Database as a Service) license is available for those monitoring Azure SQL Databases. This model maximizes resource use, enabling users to monitor, diagnose, and optimize databases within a unified framework.
Together, these 2024 releases reflect our commitment to delivering adaptable, integrated database performance solutions that empower teams to manage, optimize, and protect resources in a dynamic IT landscape. With the Flexible Database License, SQL Sentry and DPA provide the flexibility and power you need to meet the demands of modern database environments.
