Databases are the collective information sources of companies and are stored on a dedicated server or in the cloud. A database management system (DBMS) is software that stores, retrieves, and updates this data and processes the database so that it can be used effectively by many people at once. These systems are also known as relational database management systems (RDMS) for SQL-based databases (Oracle, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server) or NoSQL for schema-free databases (Cassandra, MongoDB).
Companies must not rely on their DBMS alone. With a SQL database management tool, you can ensure that the DBMS is working as expected. With a monitoring and management tool for your database, you can analyze, monitor and optimize your DBMS. Below you will find the complete list.
SolarWinds software is my personal recommendation for database managers. I use Database Performance Analyzer in my work, mainly because I appreciate its versatility in database management. This solution is extremely popular with administrators and developers who want to optimize the performance of their databases. Features include:
· Tools to monitor the most important aspects for database performance.
· Analysis of anomalies in database operation regardless of the time period (from minutes or seconds to continuous analysis over many months)
· Continuous reporting and alerting capabilities that can be customized to meet the needs of administrators.
SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer
The optimal SQL database management tool for your company must adapt to your specific requirements. However, this does not mean that complete solutions do not make sense. I recommend SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer (DPA) for database administrators who want a full-featured tool and value ease of use. With DPA, you can monitor a variety of databases - SQL, Oracle, DB2 and many more - from a single platform. The user interface is practical and intuitive, and you can complete the vast majority of tasks with just a few clicks. Since DPA is part of the SolarWinds ecosystem, its features also integrate seamlessly with other tools to reduce your overall database management workload.
The outstanding database and SQL query optimization advisors set this solution apart from all other SQL database management programs. If you manage a large database, you often don't have the time to sift through countless rows of data to find the one causing performance problems. With DPA, you can accurately locate your worst-performing queries, tables and applications in seconds and fix errors in record time.
Other key features:
· Real-time 24/7 hybrid monitoring for virtualized, physical, and cloud-based database instances, as well as history analysis.
· Anomaly detection that gets smarter over time thanks to machine learning
· Detailed lock and deadlock analysis for your database
· Visualization of waiting times
It didn't take long at all for us to start using DPA in my business. I really liked the ability to customize the dashboard and set up alerts and reports, not only for functionality but also for data readability. You can download a free trial from the official website.
SolarWinds Server & Anwendungsmonitor
SAM is another excellent SQL database management program that I recommend to database administrators looking for a more streamlined database management solution. With SAM, you can monitor all applications and their supporting infrastructure - more than 1,200 application, system and infrastructure monitoring templates make this task easier - but also get database administration support.
SAM lets you monitor the integrity and performance of your SQL servers with intelligent performance baselines. The AppStack™ management dashboard includes an overview of the performance of your entire environment and shows how specific applications are impacting infrastructure performance. For example, if your SQL Server database is experiencing an issue such as high read latency, this may indicate an issue related to storage performance. With SAM, you can connect these dots and speed up your troubleshooting. SAM also helps you identify blocked SQL queries and notifies you when log files grow too large, so you can manage your resources effectively. When you integrate SAM with DPA, you get a powerful and comprehensive SQL database management system.
This software is designed to monitor physical devices such as servers, available storage and network device performance. Therefore, I use SAM to monitor the complete environment in which the databases are running. If you want to organize the performance analysis of your environment, I recommend a combination of DPA and SAM. These solutions are customized for collaboration, data sharing and viewing performance metrics. With SAM's comprehensive feature set, you can diagnose software, database and hardware problems on a large scale.
SolarWinds® SQL Sentry
SQL Sentry is a monitoring tool that gives DBAs a more comprehensive view of SQL Server and Azure SQL, including physical, virtual and cloud-based SQL Server environments. With quick views of past and real-time events and performance data, SQL Sentry supports features such as execution plan diagrams, query history, and more, so you can quickly find and fix database management system performance issues.
Without easy access to necessary information, you could waste valuable time looking in the wrong places for the answers to your performance problems. SQL Sentry provides accurate, relevant, and detailed performance metrics to help you identify and fix SQL Server database problems faster, which goes far beyond the capabilities available in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).
SQL Sentry also simplifies the following:
- Identify and troubleshoot resource-intensive SQL queries.
- Plan more effective index management and maintenance strategies
- Quickly determine the cause of SQL Server blockages
ManageEngine Applications Manager
ManageEngine Applications Manager takes second place, just behind SolarWinds. This SQL database management software provides comprehensive insight into your application performance, including all Microsoft SQL databases.
I particularly like this tool's robust troubleshooting and performance analysis capabilities. You can monitor your SQL servers' KPIs in real time and drill down to analyze queries with differentiated data. With intelligent error management, you can pinpoint causes of performance degradation and set automatic corrective actions to run whenever a specific problem is detected. ManageEngine Applications Manager also includes more than 500 pre-built reports that let you analyze trends and performance history to improve your resource allocation and capacity planning, and plan for future growth.
With this tool, you get everything in one: database monitoring, application performance monitoring, multi-cloud monitoring, website monitoring, container monitoring and more.
DBVisualizer
DBVisualizer is also known as "universal SQL database manager" and is recommended by numerous developers, analysts and database administrators. This multi-database tool is intuitive, cost-effective and can run on all major operating systems - Windows, Linux and Mac - so you and your team only need to get used to one tool. I recommend DBVisualizer for DBAs who are visual learners or need a tool that focuses specifically on query optimization, as DBVisualizer includes numerous features to help you optimize your SQL queries.
Key features:
· Flexible SQL script execution with parameter support
· Visual query builder
· Easy-to-understand explanation of query optimization
· Visual representation of primary and foreign keys
· Support for command line interfaces
Certain limitations apply to DBVisualizer, especially with regard to its management functions. For example, the tool does not include performance analysis features, does not support virtualization, and does not provide support for multiple programming languages. If you want to deal mainly with SQL queries, you can try DBVisualizer. However, if you need a full SQL database management system, I would consider one of the other tools listed.
dbWatch
dbWatch is a complete solution for your SQL database monitoring and provides everything you need to not only passively monitor your databases and take control. This tool is specifically designed to proactively manage databases, minimize risks and save time with automated actions. I recommend this tool for medium to large organizations that want to scale their environment, save money and maximize productivity.
dbWatch enables the following:
· Monitor and manage SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Sybase and Azure with a single, unified dashboard.
· Automate repetitive aspects of database maintenance
· Discover and install database servers automatically and en masse
· Simplify reporting with templates, and much more
Choosing the right SQL database management system for your business
Databases are essential to businesses today, but they need to be managed, monitored and optimized to provide full value. With a SQL database management system, you can improve the performance of your database and troubleshoot more effectively, which in turn improves the reliability and performance of your applications.
All of the tools in this list have their pros and cons, but I prefer SolarWinds' SQL database management tools. Try a free 14-day trial of Database Performance Analyzer (DPA) or a free 30-day trial of Server & Application Monitor (SAM). Both solutions are easy to use, easy to learn, and provide everything you need to excel at managing your databases.
Companies must not rely on their DBMS alone. With a SQL database management tool, you can ensure that the DBMS is working as expected. With a monitoring and management tool for your database, you can analyze, monitor and optimize your DBMS. Below you will find the complete list.
SolarWinds software is my personal recommendation for database managers. I use Database Performance Analyzer in my work, mainly because I appreciate its versatility in database management. This solution is extremely popular with administrators and developers who want to optimize the performance of their databases. Features include:
· Tools to monitor the most important aspects for database performance.
· Analysis of anomalies in database operation regardless of the time period (from minutes or seconds to continuous analysis over many months)
· Continuous reporting and alerting capabilities that can be customized to meet the needs of administrators.
SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer
The optimal SQL database management tool for your company must adapt to your specific requirements. However, this does not mean that complete solutions do not make sense. I recommend SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer (DPA) for database administrators who want a full-featured tool and value ease of use. With DPA, you can monitor a variety of databases - SQL, Oracle, DB2 and many more - from a single platform. The user interface is practical and intuitive, and you can complete the vast majority of tasks with just a few clicks. Since DPA is part of the SolarWinds ecosystem, its features also integrate seamlessly with other tools to reduce your overall database management workload.
The outstanding database and SQL query optimization advisors set this solution apart from all other SQL database management programs. If you manage a large database, you often don't have the time to sift through countless rows of data to find the one causing performance problems. With DPA, you can accurately locate your worst-performing queries, tables and applications in seconds and fix errors in record time.
Other key features:
· Real-time 24/7 hybrid monitoring for virtualized, physical, and cloud-based database instances, as well as history analysis.
· Anomaly detection that gets smarter over time thanks to machine learning
· Detailed lock and deadlock analysis for your database
· Visualization of waiting times
It didn't take long at all for us to start using DPA in my business. I really liked the ability to customize the dashboard and set up alerts and reports, not only for functionality but also for data readability. You can download a free trial from the official website.
SolarWinds Server & Anwendungsmonitor
SAM is another excellent SQL database management program that I recommend to database administrators looking for a more streamlined database management solution. With SAM, you can monitor all applications and their supporting infrastructure - more than 1,200 application, system and infrastructure monitoring templates make this task easier - but also get database administration support.
SAM lets you monitor the integrity and performance of your SQL servers with intelligent performance baselines. The AppStack™ management dashboard includes an overview of the performance of your entire environment and shows how specific applications are impacting infrastructure performance. For example, if your SQL Server database is experiencing an issue such as high read latency, this may indicate an issue related to storage performance. With SAM, you can connect these dots and speed up your troubleshooting. SAM also helps you identify blocked SQL queries and notifies you when log files grow too large, so you can manage your resources effectively. When you integrate SAM with DPA, you get a powerful and comprehensive SQL database management system.
This software is designed to monitor physical devices such as servers, available storage and network device performance. Therefore, I use SAM to monitor the complete environment in which the databases are running. If you want to organize the performance analysis of your environment, I recommend a combination of DPA and SAM. These solutions are customized for collaboration, data sharing and viewing performance metrics. With SAM's comprehensive feature set, you can diagnose software, database and hardware problems on a large scale.
SolarWinds® SQL Sentry
SQL Sentry is a monitoring tool that gives DBAs a more comprehensive view of SQL Server and Azure SQL, including physical, virtual and cloud-based SQL Server environments. With quick views of past and real-time events and performance data, SQL Sentry supports features such as execution plan diagrams, query history, and more, so you can quickly find and fix database management system performance issues.
Without easy access to necessary information, you could waste valuable time looking in the wrong places for the answers to your performance problems. SQL Sentry provides accurate, relevant, and detailed performance metrics to help you identify and fix SQL Server database problems faster, which goes far beyond the capabilities available in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).
SQL Sentry also simplifies the following:
- Identify and troubleshoot resource-intensive SQL queries.
- Plan more effective index management and maintenance strategies
- Quickly determine the cause of SQL Server blockages
ManageEngine Applications Manager
ManageEngine Applications Manager takes second place, just behind SolarWinds. This SQL database management software provides comprehensive insight into your application performance, including all Microsoft SQL databases.
I particularly like this tool's robust troubleshooting and performance analysis capabilities. You can monitor your SQL servers' KPIs in real time and drill down to analyze queries with differentiated data. With intelligent error management, you can pinpoint causes of performance degradation and set automatic corrective actions to run whenever a specific problem is detected. ManageEngine Applications Manager also includes more than 500 pre-built reports that let you analyze trends and performance history to improve your resource allocation and capacity planning, and plan for future growth.
With this tool, you get everything in one: database monitoring, application performance monitoring, multi-cloud monitoring, website monitoring, container monitoring and more.
DBVisualizer
DBVisualizer is also known as "universal SQL database manager" and is recommended by numerous developers, analysts and database administrators. This multi-database tool is intuitive, cost-effective and can run on all major operating systems - Windows, Linux and Mac - so you and your team only need to get used to one tool. I recommend DBVisualizer for DBAs who are visual learners or need a tool that focuses specifically on query optimization, as DBVisualizer includes numerous features to help you optimize your SQL queries.
Key features:
· Flexible SQL script execution with parameter support
· Visual query builder
· Easy-to-understand explanation of query optimization
· Visual representation of primary and foreign keys
· Support for command line interfaces
Certain limitations apply to DBVisualizer, especially with regard to its management functions. For example, the tool does not include performance analysis features, does not support virtualization, and does not provide support for multiple programming languages. If you want to deal mainly with SQL queries, you can try DBVisualizer. However, if you need a full SQL database management system, I would consider one of the other tools listed.
dbWatch
dbWatch is a complete solution for your SQL database monitoring and provides everything you need to not only passively monitor your databases and take control. This tool is specifically designed to proactively manage databases, minimize risks and save time with automated actions. I recommend this tool for medium to large organizations that want to scale their environment, save money and maximize productivity.
dbWatch enables the following:
· Monitor and manage SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Sybase and Azure with a single, unified dashboard.
· Automate repetitive aspects of database maintenance
· Discover and install database servers automatically and en masse
· Simplify reporting with templates, and much more
Choosing the right SQL database management system for your business
Databases are essential to businesses today, but they need to be managed, monitored and optimized to provide full value. With a SQL database management system, you can improve the performance of your database and troubleshoot more effectively, which in turn improves the reliability and performance of your applications.
All of the tools in this list have their pros and cons, but I prefer SolarWinds' SQL database management tools. Try a free 14-day trial of Database Performance Analyzer (DPA) or a free 30-day trial of Server & Application Monitor (SAM). Both solutions are easy to use, easy to learn, and provide everything you need to excel at managing your databases.