dbWatch engine alert

Job details

Name:	dbWatch engine alert
Platform:	Postgres
Category:	Internal
Description:	Collects database uptime statistics.
Long description:
Version:	1
Default schedule:	15m
Requires engine install:	No
Compatibility tag:

Parameters

Name	Default value	Description
ignore_databases	4	List of databases (separated by comma) which will be ignored.
multi_engine_status	4	Return status value (ALARM – 2, WARNING – 1, or OK – 0) when there are more than one dbWatch engine installed.
active_engine_status	4	Return status value (ALARM – 2, WARNING – 1, or OK – 0) when there are more than one active dbWatch engines (tasks executed within last 30 minutes), or if the dbWatch engine is not active (tasks not executed within last 30 minutes).

Job Summary

Purpose: The purpose of this job is to monitor the installation and activity status of dbWatch engines on PostgreSQL instances. It alerts if there are multiple dbWatch engines installed or if the engines are not actively running tasks as expected.
Why: This job is crucial for maintaining the efficiency and uniqueness of dbWatch operations within an environment. Multiple or inactive dbWatch engines can lead to redundant resource usage and potential confusion in operational monitoring which could affect performance tracking and issue diagnostics in PostgreSQL databases.
Manual checking: You can manually check the installation and activity status of dbWatch engines in the PostgreSQL database by issuing these SQL commands:

SELECT schemaname FROM pg_tables WHERE tablename = 'dbw_tasks';

SELECT relfilenode FROM pg_class WHERE relname = 'dbw_tasks';

SELECT pg_relation_filepath(relfilenode);

SELECT creation FROM pg_stat_file('./'+relfilenodedir);

SELECT case when max(LAST_RUN) is null then now()-cast(999||'days' as interval) else max(LAST_RUN) end, case when max(LAST_RUN) is null then 99999 else DATE_PART('minute', now() - max(LAST_RUN)) + DATE_PART('hour', now() - max(LAST_RUN)) * 60 + DATE_PART('day', now() - max(LAST_RUN)) * (60 * 24) end FROM schemaName.dbw_tasks;

Detailed Reporting

Report Overview: The dbWatch Control Center job includes a detailed dbWatch report template that provides information about the installed dbWatch engines. This data includes the count of engines, active status, and specific details about when the dbWatch engines were created and when their tasks were last executed.
Presentation Details: The presentation of data is structured into multiple sections including:
- Instance Info: Shows the total count of dbWatch engines per instance and how many are actively running tasks.
- Activity Details: Provides insights into the specific dbWatch engines showing their creation dates, the last time tasks were executed, and their respective active status.

Column Title	Description
Instance	The identifier for the PostgreSQL instance
dbWatch engines count	The total number of dbWatch engines installed
Active dbWatch engines	Number of dbWatch engines that are currently active and executing tasks
Details	Descriptive information about each dbWatch engine, such as creation date and last task execution status

Compatibility and Schedule

Compatibility: The monitoring job is set to run on PostgreSQL instances that are version 9.2 and newer, ensuring that it is compatible with most modern installations of PostgreSQL.
Default Schedule: The job is scheduled to run every 15 minutes, allowing for frequent checks and immediate alerting on any critical changes or status updates related to dbWatch engine installations.

Importance of Monitoring dbWatch Engines

Monitoring the dbWatch engines is crucial in a PostgreSQL environment to ensure that:

There is no unnecessary duplication of dbWatch installations.
The dbWatch engines are actively monitoring and running tasks as expected.
Database administration and performance monitoring tasks executed by dbWatch engines remain efficient and effective, thereby ensuring optimal database operation and maintenance.