Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Less time finding, more time fixing! Enterprise Monitor 2.1, Updated Query Analyzer Now GA!

I just wanted to tip my hat to the MySQL Enterprise Tools Engineering team for another great release of the Enterprise Monitor. Not to name names, but I want to give a special thanks to a team that always over delivers on a collective commitment to producing quality software. So, a mega thanks to:

Andy Bang, Sloan Childers, Darren Oldag, Eric Herman, Jan Kneschke, Kay Roepke, Mark Matthews, Bill Weber, Diego Medina, Marcos Palacios, Carsten "Pino" Segieth, Josh Sled, Keith Russell, Mark Leith, Heidi Bergh-Hoff, and Gary Whizin (and also welcome Michael Schuster!)

Yet another great job guys!

The new version, 2.1, was posted as GA early on Tuesday and it is quite possibly the best release of the Enterprise Monitor to date.

For those not familiar with the Enterprise Monitor, it is included in a MySQL Enterprise subscription and is a distributed web-based app that users deploy in their environment to monitor and tune the security, performance and availability of their dev, QA and production MySQL servers. It is comprised of :

  • An agent, written in C, that is installed on each monitored data source, which collects MySQL and OS metrics, SQL code and exec results
  • A central server (aka "service manager"), written in Java, that collects, monitors and alerts on the data collected by each agent. The service manager uses MySQL Best Practice Advisors to measure the collected data against user-defined thresholds and to proactively notify DBAs of problems or tuning opportunities. Alerts are sent to a central console or via SMTP or SNMP notifications.
  • A repository that holds the data collected by each agent. The service manager monitors the data stored in repository vs maintaining a persistent connection to each MySQL server.
The Enterprise Monitor also provides MySQL specific monitoring features. There is a Replication Monitor that proactively monitors replication topologies for synch and performance issues and a new Query Analyzer that made its debut in release 2.0 in late 2008. The Query Analyzer is designed to save DBAs/Devs time in finding the most expensive queries (by total exec time, exec count, amount of data returned, etc) running across all dev, QA and prod MySQL servers without any dependence on the MySQL logs or things like SHOW PROCESSLIST. You can learn more about the Query Analyzer here.

Based on customer interviews and years spent in the field, we understand the pain associated with finding bottlenecks rooted in poorly written or inefficient SQL code (this is consistently the #1 problem we hear when talking with MySQL DBAs and devs.) This new release helps a DBA/Dev spend less time "finding" and more time "fixing" poorly performing queries. The key new features in the Query Analyzer include:

  • Clickable MySQL and OS graphs that visual correlation system and query activity. Mouse-over a spike in any graph and drill into the queries that were running at the same time. Big time saver.
  • Drill down capability for query specific executions – drill into any query and see execution specific graphs for exec time, count, data returned. Helps you see the "normal" exec pattern for a query and identify outliers that may occur during specific windows or time or for specific variable combinations.
  • Counts for SQL errors/warnings - help you quickly identify queries that may have never finished or that finished in error. These routinely go undetected by the MySQL logs, etc.
  • UI support for EXPLAIN generation threshold - gone are the days of hacking the quan.lua script to set this value!
We have also added new Advisor Rules and Graphs around connections, stale table statistics, tables without indexes, PKS and locked and long running processes.

The new release also includes an updated "What's New" page that allows you to optionally subscribe to live feeds for your open support issues (nice, especially for the issues with a status of "waiting on customer") and for MySQL product updates and alerts. Nice time saver, especially for getting updates on new releases of the Enterprise Server and for Monitor Advisors and graphs.

So how do you get it? Glad you asked...if you are an Enterprise subscriber you can grab the new release and all of the updated docs from the Enterprise Customer download page. If you are interested in learning more or want to try the new Monitor and Query Analyzer for yourself, you can register for a 30 day trial subscription which includes a fully functioning version of the Monitor and Query Analyzer. You also learn everything about MySQL Enterprise by visiting the MySQL web site.

Look forward to hearing about your experience with the new release!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Update on MySQL Enterprise Monitor and "Quan"

Just a quick update that the new MySQL Enterprise Monitor has reached RC readiness and is set for official launch in the next few weeks. This is version 2.1 and features:
  • Enhanced Query Analyzer with correlation graphs so you can highlight and drill into spikes in key system resources to see the queries that were running at the same time
  • Query specific execution graphs so you can track the "normal" behavior of your queries over time
  • GUI support for Query Analyzer EXPLAIN generation
  • Live feeds for MySQL product updates and alerts
  • Live feeds for your open support issues
  • New Advisor Rules and Graphs
  • and some other things...
Here's a screenshot of the Query Analyzer and correlation graphs...


Enterprise subscribers can grab the RC here. If you aren't a subscriber but want to try it for yourself, you can get it here.

Look for the official announcement on GA availability early next week. Another great job by the MySQL Enterprise Tools Engineering team!