Free, open-source SQL Server performance monitoring that aims to replace costly commercial solutions. It offers comprehensive data collection, real-time alerting, and integrated AI analysis, ensuring data privacy by keeping all information on-premises. The tool targets DBAs and engineers seeking deep performance insights without vendor lock-in or recurring fees.

How It Works

The project offers two editions: Full and Lite. The Full Edition installs a PerformanceMonitor database on the target SQL Server, utilizing SQL Agent jobs to run over 30 T-SQL collectors. A separate dashboard application connects to this database for visualization. The Lite Edition is a portable desktop application that monitors SQL Servers remotely, storing collected data locally in DuckDB and Parquet files, requiring no installation on the monitored server. Both editions leverage DMVs, Extended Events, and a built-in Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for AI integration.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Full Edition Install: Execute PerformanceMonitorInstaller.exe YourServerName [USERNAME PASSWORD | --entra user@domain.com]. Requires SQL Server Agent running.
• Lite Edition Install: Download and extract PerformanceMonitorLite, then run PerformanceMonitorLite.exe. Requires .NET 8 Desktop Runtime.
• Supported Platforms: SQL Server 2016–2025, Azure SQL Managed Instance, AWS RDS for SQL Server, Azure SQL Database (Lite only).
• Setup Time: Data flows within 1-5 minutes for the Lite Edition.
• Links: Installation commands and configuration files are detailed in the README.

Highlighted Details

• Features 32 specialized T-SQL collectors for metrics like wait stats, query performance, blocking, deadlocks, and resource utilization.
• Provides real-time alerts via system tray notifications and styled HTML emails for critical events.
• Includes a built-in MCP server enabling AI-powered analysis with LLMs like Claude and Cursor.
• Offers a graphical plan viewer with a 30-rule PlanAnalyzer and standalone .sqlplan file support.
• Integrates essential community tools such as sp_WhoIsActive, sp_BlitzLock, and sp_HealthParser.
• Guarantees data privacy with no telemetry or cloud dependency; credentials are OS-encrypted.

Maintenance & Community

The project is maintained by Erik Darling of DarlingData, LLC. Commercial support tiers are available for organizations requiring formal vendor relationships, with options for email support and priority response. Sponsorship is encouraged via GitHub Sponsors to fund ongoing development and new feature support.

Licensing & Compatibility

Licensed under the MIT License, permitting commercial use and integration into closed-source applications. It supports a wide range of SQL Server versions and managed instances, including Azure SQL MI and AWS RDS.

Limitations & Caveats

The Full Edition requires installation on the target server and SQL Agent. Certain collectors are automatically disabled on Azure SQL MI and AWS RDS due to platform restrictions (e.g., file system access, sp_configure). AWS RDS requires manual configuration of the "blocked process threshold" via parameter groups. Azure SQL Database is only supported by the Lite Edition. Initial installation of the Full Edition requires sysadmin privileges, though collectors can be configured to run under a least-privilege login post-installation.