The latest October 2024 release (Version 1074) of Database Health Monitor brings exciting new features, enhancements, and important bug fixes to improve your SQL Server monitoring and diagnostic experience. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what’s new and what’s been corrected.
Bug Fixes
- Corrected Icon in Historic Waits Advisor: An outdated icon in the historic waits advisor dialog has been replaced, ensuring a more consistent user experience.
- Fixed Error on Quickscan Check 227: An issue that was causing an error during the Quickscan Check 227 has been resolved, improving the accuracy and reliability of the Quickscan tool.
New Features and Enhancements
1. Expanded Wait Type Documentation: The historic waits advisor now includes additional documentation for several commonly encountered wait types:
- PREEMPTIVE_OS_PIPEOPS: Often related to SQL Server tasks that perform pipe operations.
- PREEMPTIVE_OS_QUERYREGISTRY: Associated with registry operations by SQL Server.
- PAGELATCH_EX: This wait type indicates contention on in-memory pages in SQL Server, typically requiring further investigation.
These additions provide users with more context and insight when diagnosing performance issues involving wait statistics.
2. New Charts on Database Level Real-Time Overview: Two new charts have been added to enhance the database-level Real-Time Overview:
- Blocking Queries Chart: A visual representation of currently blocking queries. Clicking on this chart takes you directly to the database-level Blocking real-time page for more in-depth analysis.Active Queries Chart: This chart shows active queries on the database in real-time, providing an easy-to-understand snapshot of query activity. A click will bring you to the database-level Active Queries real-time page.
These new charts help users quickly identify blocking or active query issues at a glance.
3. Quickscan Report Check 233: A new Quickscan check (Check 233) has been introduced to alert users if a SQL Server Agent job has been configured but not scheduled. This helps identify potential issues with job execution that could otherwise go unnoticed.
4. New Instance Report – “Performance History”: A new “Performance History” report has been added at the instance level, giving you access to a historical view of performance trends on your SQL Server instance. This can be crucial for diagnosing past performance issues and identifying long-term trends.
5. New Server Tree Historic Report – “File Size Over Time”: For users looking to track database file growth, the new “File Size Over Time” report added to the Server Tree provides a historical view of how file sizes have changed. This is particularly useful for managing storage capacity and forecasting future growth needs.
6. Added Color Blind Mode: You can now use a colorblind friendly color scheme by going to Settings > Display > Colorblind Mode. This adjusts all chart color to be more viewable for colorblind accessibility.
Conclusion
The October 2024 release of Database Health Monitor continues to refine the user experience, fix longstanding issues, and introduce new features that enhance SQL Server monitoring and performance diagnostics. With improvements in wait type documentation, real-time query analysis, and new reporting capabilities, this release helps users stay ahead of potential performance issues.
For anyone managing SQL Server, Database Health Monitor is an essential tool, and this update further strengthens its role in providing actionable insights and efficient monitoring.
If you’re interested in more robust SQL Server management solutions, be sure to check out Stedman Solutions’ Managed Services. Our team of experts can provide continuous monitoring, alerting, and expert remediation to keep your SQL Server running smoothly.
Also, if you haven’t yet, download Database Health Monitor from DatabaseHealth.com and start leveraging the latest updates today!
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