The SQLBench Agent connects to each SQL Server instance, collecting the following performance data, to be sent to our cloud servers for analysis:
Expensive query events (captured via SQL Trace API or Extended Event log files)
Windows O/S Perfmon counters (using Windows Perfmon API)
SQL Server Perfmon counters (using SQL Server DMVs)
SQL Server Database Virtual File Statistics (via SQL Server DMVs)
SQL Agent Job execution statistics (via SQL commands)
The SQLBench agent must be installed locally on a host within your environment.
With sufficient resources, a single SQLBench Agent can be used to monitor all of your SQL Servers.
The following system requirements are recommended for the host machine:
| # of Instances to monitor | # of CPUs | RAM (GB) | Disk (GB) (Data, excl OS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 2 | 2 | 8 GB | 30 GB |
| 3 - 10 | 4 | 10 GB | 40 GB |
| 11 - 20 | 6 | 12 GB | 50 GB |
| 21 - 30 | 8 | 14 GB | 60 GB |
| +10 | +2 | +2 GB | +10 GB |
The SQLBench Agent can be run on either an x86 or x64 windows host (desktop or server), though it is generally recommended to run on a x64 host. RAM constraints of using an x86 host should be considered depending on how many SQL Server Instances you need to monitor (refer to Hardware Requirements above).
The SQLBenchmarkPro Agent installation also includes a configuration utility which enables you to:
Add, edit and remove target SQL Server instances to monitor
Test connections and permissions
The SQLBench Agent Service must have the correct level of security and permissions in order to connect to, collect and send critical performance data.
It is recommended that the SQLBench Agent Service run as a domain user account with the following required permissions:
external https://*.sqlbench.com (To post performance data to the SQLBench Agent API Network)
See for detailed information about permisisons requirements and configuration