Monitoring tool - Red Gate SQL Monitor vs. SCOM (SQL MP)

blazdax

Hello,

At the moment we're using Red Gate SQL Monitor to monitor our SQL servers, but are about to try out SCOM (SQL Server Management pack) aswell, since we'll be using it for other areas anyway (potential monitoring software consolidation). I have no experience with the latter. How would you compare the two products?:

- pluses and minuses on different areas of monitoring - interface - out-of-the-box ready monitoring, tool usage learning curve - ...

Any insights would be appreciated.

For the sake of discussion, consider this:

- Monitoring 5-10 instances. - Let's ignore the tool price issue.

I already checked with Red Gate sales, but I'm interested in the community opinion aswell .

Thanks!

GFritchey

I do work for Red Gate, but I just recently left a company that was running SCOM and a database monitoring software, both.

The strengths of SCOM are that you have a single source of monitoring for your enterprise, regardless of the type of server you're dealing with. You also have a very good degree of customizability. There are standard reports. The SQL Server Management Pack includes all kinds of specialized server monitoring and alerts built in, right out of the box. The alerting is extremely good in SCOM.

The weaknesses of SCOM can be expressed around SQL Server in particular very well. SCOM is good at monitoring the server and databases, but it's a very bad tool for monitoring real time behavior of the system. You really can't track long running queries, blocking, and that sort of behavior well in SCOM. That's where a tool like SQL Monitor stands out. It goes directly into the more tactical monitoring and alerting at a lower level, more specific to SQL Server than SCOM gets.

Personally, I was very happy to have had two tools, one for the server and the other for SQL Server. I really don't see it as a choice between the two, but a decision to use both because they both bring stuff to the table.

mishel123

hi m new here..