Proactive Monitoring

For SQL Server, we utilise native tools including SQL Server Agent jobs, Extended Events, Policy-Based Management, and Dynamic Management Views, often integrated with enterprise platforms like SQL Sentry or Redgate Monitoring for comprehensive visibility. For PostgreSQL, we employ also use Redgate Monitoring, pg_stat_monitor, pgBadger for log analysis, and visualisation tools like Grafana with Prometheus for metric collection. We also develop custom monitoring scripts tailored to your specific requirements and integrate with your existing monitoring infrastructure including Azure Monitor, CloudWatch, or other enterprise platforms.

Our approach combines proven commercial tools with custom solutions to provide complete coverage of your database environment whilst minimising false positives and ensuring critical issues receive immediate attention.

Yes, customisation is essential to effective monitoring. We establish performance baselines specific to your environment by analysing your normal operational patterns over time, then configure alerts that account for your business cycles, batch processing windows, and expected usage patterns. For example, high CPU during nightly batch processing wouldn't trigger alerts, whilst the same CPU level during business hours would.

We work with your team to understand what constitutes normal behaviour versus concerning trends, setting thresholds that catch genuine issues without overwhelming you with false alarms. Our alerting includes escalation procedures tailored to your organisational structure and severity classifications that help prioritise responses appropriately.

You'll receive regular monitoring reports tailored to your requirements, typically monthly or quarterly, providing insights into database performance trends, capacity utilisation, query performance patterns, and availability metrics. Reports include actionable recommendations for optimisation opportunities, capacity planning guidance based on growth trends, and summaries of any incidents or interventions performed.

We also provide real-time access to monitoring dashboards offering instant visibility into current database health and performance metrics. For clients with managed services agreements, we deliver proactive capacity planning analysis showing projected resource requirements based on your growth trajectory, helping you plan infrastructure investments effectively. Report format and frequency are customised to your needs - some clients prefer detailed technical reports whilst others want executive summaries focused on business impact.