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Database Performance Analyzer
Users say the application is slow. The database knows which query is waiting, and on what — Database Performance Analyzer shows where every query spends its time across eight database engines — agentless, self-hosted on servers you choose, and licensed per monitored instance.
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Same software. Better outcome — at a lower cost.
How it’s rated
Full scoreboard ↓Quick answer
The SolarWinds platform family
This page covers Database Performance Analyzer — including how it differs from SQL Sentry, SolarWinds’ SQL-Server-only sibling. The rest:
Quick facts
30-second orientation- Product
- Cross-engine database performance analysis
- Method
- Agentless wait-time analysis, per query
- Engines
- SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, MariaDB, Postgres, Db2, ASE, HANA
- Runs on
- Your Windows or Linux server, Azure or AWS
- Licence
- Per monitored instance, subscription, by quote
- Scale
- Up to 250 instances per DPA server
- Sibling
- SQL Sentry — SQL Server and Azure SQL only
- Analysts
- No database-monitoring placement published
- India
- Self-hosted — data stays on servers you choose
- In India via
- TechBag — INR/GST, sizing and support
Understand database performance analysis before you buy a tool for it
Most product pages skip this. We start here — so you buy a capability, not a buzzword.
What is database performance analysis?
Finding out where a database spends its time — which queries wait, on what, and for how long — rather than just whether the server is up.
A console per engine and slow-query hunts vs one wait-time analyser — the honest table
What consolidation actually replaces, dimension by dimension.
| Dimension | A console per engine, ad hoc scripts | Database Performance Analyzer |
|---|---|---|
| Finding the slow query | Someone runs scripts after users complain | Wait time ranked by statement, kept as history |
| A mixed estate | A different vendor console per engine | Eight engine families in one DPA console |
| Knowing what normal is | Static thresholds nobody trusts | A learned baseline that flags real departures |
| Tuning advice | Whoever has time reads execution plans | Query and table advisors with impact estimates |
| Where monitoring data lives | Spreadsheets and ad hoc exports | A repository database on your own servers |
| What it is NOT | — | Not APM — it will not trace a request across services |
The cheapest test is the free trial: register your three slowest instances, let a week of waits build up, and see what DPA ranks first.
The five pieces of the platform
Vendors love diagrams; buyers need to know what they’re actually operating. Here’s the whole platform, demystified.
DPA server
A Java application on a Windows or Linux server — physical, virtual, or in your own Azure or AWS account — that polls each database and serves the browser console.
Repository
Collected data lands in a repository you provide on SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle or Azure SQL Database; SolarWinds warns against placing it on an instance you monitor.
Targets
Each instance is reached over the network with no agent installed, and each needs its own licence; one DPA server handles up to 250 of them before a second is due.
Links
DPA Central links several DPA servers into one view; DPAIM shows DPA data inside the SolarWinds Platform; Platform Connect feeds Observability SaaS.
One DPA server polls every database agentlessly — history in a repository you run, links out to the SolarWinds Platform.
Nine capabilities. Collect, diagnose, act.
Database Performance Analyzer tells you which queries are slow, what they wait on and why, across every engine you run.
Nothing installed on the database
DPA connects to each instance over the network; SolarWinds puts its footprint at less than 1% of the monitored system’s resources.
Eight engine families in one console
SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Db2, SAP ASE and SAP HANA — on premises or as RDS, Azure and Cloud SQL services.
DPA Central past 250 instances
One server covers up to 250 instances; beyond that SolarWinds advises more DPA servers joined under DPA Central for a single view.
Response time split into waits
Each statement’s time is divided by wait type, so the chart shows whether it sat on I/O, locks or CPU and which queries cost the most.
A learned baseline of normal
Machine learning studies patterns over days, weeks and months and flags departures; SolarWinds lists this for DPA, not SQL Sentry.
Query time tied to the VM
On a Database Self-Hosted licence DPA also reads VMware guest and host metrics, so a slow query can be traced to a busy host.
Query and table tuning advisors
Flags inefficient SQL, missing or unused indexes and table design faults, with an estimate of the gain before anything is changed.
AI Query Assist rewrites
Suggests rewrites for SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL and MySQL queries — on DBSH licences only, capped at four requests per instance a day.
Alerts that open the right ticket
Since June 2026 each alert occurrence carries a lifecycle key, so PagerDuty or ServiceNow opens one ticket per incident, not duplicates.
Watch Database Performance Analyzer in action
A short DPA overview, wait-time analysis on a SQL Server estate, and asking AI Query Assist to suggest a faster rewrite.
Database Performance Analyzer Overview
The product in about a minute and a half.
Database Performance Analyzer for Microsoft SQL Server Overview
Wait-time analysis on a SQL Server estate.
AI Query Assist for SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer
Asking DPA to suggest a query rewrite.
Want a live, India-context walkthrough for your environment?
Book a guided demo →Slow queries hide across several engines. DPA shows where each one’s time goes — on servers you run.
Here’s what genuinely sets it apart — and exactly where it stops.
One console for a mixed estate
Most monitors are built around one engine. DPA covers SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Db2, SAP ASE and — since the June 2026 release — SAP HANA, including RDS, Azure and Cloud SQL variants. Licences float: register every instance, then point the licences at the ones that matter this quarter.
It runs where you put it — India included
DPA is software you install: the server on Windows or Linux, the repository on your own SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle or Azure SQL Database. Both can sit in an Indian data centre or an Indian cloud region you choose. Only optional Platform Connect features, AI Query Assist among them, send data out.
It answers where the time went
Wait-time analysis is the reason DBAs buy it: a slow screen becomes a ranked list of statements and the waits behind them. On top sit a learned baseline for anomalies, query and table tuning advisors, and VMware correlation that shows when the host, not the SQL, is to blame.
Where it stops
No DPA price is published, so budgets wait on a quote. MongoDB is not on the supported list. Self-hosted means you patch it — DPA 2026.2 fixed a stored XSS flaw. And for a pure SQL Server shop, SQL Sentry adds storage forecasting and deadlock tools that SolarWinds does not list for DPA.
The numbers behind the platform
What your Database Performance Analyzer rollout looks like
Count instances and engines
List every production instance by engine and edition, mark the ones users complain about, and note which run on VMware.
Stand up the server and repository
Install DPA on Windows or Linux and give it a repository on a separate SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle or Azure SQL database.
Trial on the painful instances
Register the worst offenders in the 14-day trial, let a week of waits build up, and compare the findings with DBA hunches.
Decide on the cloud features
Agree with security whether Platform Connect and AI Query Assist may send sanitised query text out, then set sign-in.
License, alert and hand over
Allocate licences to the instances that matter, route alerts to your ticketing tool, and name who applies each DPA release.
The review scoreboard
Modelled on Gartner Peer Insights structure. *Counts and breakdowns are illustrative pending verified review collection.
Quick poll — what’s driving your evaluation?
Talk to an advisor“We run Oracle for core banking and SQL Server for everything around it. DPA is the first tool both DBA teams open each morning.”
“The wait chart ended a month of blaming the network. Two statements waiting on locks explained almost the whole slowdown.”
“The VM view showed our billing database sharing a host with a backup job. Moving the job fixed what no index could.”
“Floating licences suit our quarterly reporting peak — we move them to the warehouse instances for March and back again after.”
“Our security team made us sign off AI Query Assist separately, because query text leaves the building even after masking.”
“Waiting weeks for a quote was frustrating, and the repository server needed more cores than our sizing guess allowed.”
Where everyone sits — the grids
Analyst firms bury this view behind paywalls, and G2 retired its Grid. So here’s TechBag’s synthesis of the database performance monitoring market — tap any vendor to see why it sits where it does.
TechBag Database Monitoring Grid
Execution strength vs product vision — the classic market map, minus the paywall.
Cross-engine wait analysis; quote per instance.
Engine Coverage × Diagnostic Depth
The grid nobody publishes — how many database engines one console covers vs how deep it goes into each query’s waits, plans and tuning advice.
Eight engines; waits, advisors, AI rewrites.
Positions are TechBag’s illustrative synthesis of public review-platform data and vendor documentation — not a reproduction of any analyst graphic. Verify before relying on it.
Database Performance Analyzer vs the database monitoring field
Against Redgate Monitor, Idera SQL Diagnostic Manager, Quest Foglight for Databases, Datadog Database Monitoring and ManageEngine Applications Manager — on engines, hosting, price, limits, depth and India.
| Dimension | SolarWinds DPA | Redgate Monitor | Idera SQL Diagnostic Manager | Quest Foglight for Databases | Datadog Database Monitoring | ManageEngine Applications Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Cross-engine wait tool | Estate health monitor | SQL Server specialist | Broad DB observability | DBM inside a SaaS stack | App and server monitor |
| Deployment | Self-hosted, Azure, AWS | Self-hosted or SaaS | Self-hosted only | On-prem or SaaS | SaaS, agent required | On-prem only |
| Engines covered | 8 engine families | 5 engines incl. MongoDB | SQL Server, MySQL SKU | 14+ engines | 8 engines, ClickHouse | Databases among apps |
| Pricing model | Per instance, by quote | Per server, per year | Per instance, annual | Per instance, quoted | Per host, per month | Per monitor bundle |
| Published entry price | No DPA list price | Not captured | $1,247 per instance/year | Spotlight $1,323/year | $70/host/month | $395/year for 10 |
| Included vs add-on | AI needs a DBSH licence | Flyway links built in | Tuning tools on Pro | SQL PI is an add-on | APM and logs extra | Agents and RUM extra |
| Scale and limits | 250 instances a server | 20+ servers via sales | No cap published | No cap published | SaaS-scaled | Up to 10,000 monitors |
| Diagnostic depth | Waits, ML, advisors | Queries plus alerting | Deep on SQL Server | Deep with SQL PI | Queries beside traces | Breadth over depth |
| Integrations | SolarWinds, PagerDuty | Flyway, webhooks | Not listed on store | Foglight Evolve context | Whole Datadog platform | ManageEngine family |
| Governance and SSO | AD, LDAP and SAML | OpenID Connect SSO | Not captured | Not captured | SAML SSO | SAML supported |
| India storage region | Your servers, anywhere | SaaS in US or EU | Your servers | Self-host; SaaS unclear | No India site | Your servers |
| Support | Support in subscription | Not captured | 1 year support included | Not captured | Not on the price page | Phone support on annual |
| Lock-in and exit | History kept on lapse | Annual per server | 12-month term | Term licences | Annual or on-demand | Perpetual available |
| Best fit | Mixed-engine DBA teams | Redgate shops | SQL Server estates | Widest-engine estates | Datadog users | Budget all-rounders |
Which approach fits you?
Honest fit signals — because the fastest way to lose your trust is to pretend one product wins every scenario.
Choose DPA if…
- ✓You run more than one database engine and want a single wait-time view across all of them
- ✓Monitoring data must stay on your own servers — in India or anywhere else you choose
- ✓You want licences you can move between instances as priorities change
Compare alternatives if…
- ✓Your estate is SQL Server only — SolarWinds SQL Sentry, Idera SQL DM and Redgate Monitor are built for it
- ✓You need MongoDB or Cassandra covered — Foglight and Datadog list them; DPA does not
- ✓You want a published price before talking to sales — Idera, Datadog and ManageEngine print theirs
Do not expect…
- ✓A DPA list price online — it is quote-only
- ✓AI Query Assist without sending sanitised query text to SolarWinds’ cloud
- ✓Request tracing across services — that is APM’s job
Database Performance Analyzer is one of 25 databases & data tools products TechBag carries. The Databases & Data Tools guide narrows them to a shortlist and shows the reasoning. →
What does hunting slow queries cost you?
Drag the sliders (database instances you run; DBA-hour cost). Estimates model DBA time spent hunting slow queries, switching between engine-specific consoles and proving where a slowdown came from at an assumed 1.5 hours per instance a year, with 70% of it removed by wait-time analysis and tuning advisors. Both figures are assumptions. Illustrative.
Loaded cost = salary + overheads per productive hour. Illustrative only — your TechBag quote models your actual environment and modules.
Three ways to consume it
Not published for DPA itself: SolarWinds sells it by quote as a subscription per monitored database instance, on Database Self-Hosted licences that can also be used in SQL Sentry — or metered per instance-hour through AWS Marketplace. The Database card on SolarWinds’ pricing page reads ‘Starts at $142 per database/month’ on multi-year contracts billed annually, without naming a product. TechBag counts your instances by engine first, then quotes in INR with GST.
DPA subscription
Best for mixed-engine estates
- Quoted per monitored database instance
- Floating licences, usable in SQL Sentry too
- Self-hosted on Windows or Linux; 14-day trial
+ Platform add-ons
Best for a broader rollout
- Scoped to your estate
- Add-on modules as needed
- Phased, right-sized deployment
AWS Marketplace
Best for AWS-first teams
- Metered per instance-hour, billed by Amazon
- Any supported engine, no licence keys
- No VM Option metrics on metered servers
Buy it for less — TechBag pricing beats list
Whatever the list prices above, TechBag negotiates a significantly better deal — with GST-compliant INR invoicing and local support. Ask us for your discounted quote.
Get an India-ready quote
Tell us your requirements and current tools — we’ll model it against what you spend today.
The 8 questions to ask every vendor
Take this into your next vendor call — including ours.
Which engines and editions do you run? DPA covers eight families but not MongoDB; list every instance before the quote.
Is the estate SQL Server only? Then price SQL Sentry too — the same Database Self-Hosted licences work in either product.
Will you buy Database Self-Hosted licences? AI Query Assist and built-in VMware metrics need them; older Category licences don’t.
More than 250 instances? Plan for several DPA servers joined by DPA Central, and size each repository to match.
Where will the repository live? It must be SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle or Azure SQL Database, and not an instance you monitor.
May query text leave your network? AI Query Assist masks it, then sends it to an LLM through SolarWinds Observability SaaS.
Who applies DPA releases? It is self-hosted, so fixes such as the 2026.2 security update are yours to install.
Can finance pay SolarWinds in USD, or do you need INR invoicing with GST through a reseller such as TechBag?
Questions buyers ask
Ready to evaluate Database Performance Analyzer?
Count your instances by engine first, or let a TechBag advisor scope a 14-day trial on the databases your users complain about most.
Stats, ratings, review counts and pricing are illustrative and sourced from public materials; verify before purchase.