Managing Monitoring of SQL Backups
Stay in control of your SQL Server database backups with Nodinite's advanced monitoring capabilities. This feature empowers you to:
- ✅ Instantly detect outdated or missing SQL Server database backups
- ✅ Automate alerts for backup failures or unavailability
- ✅ Take remote actions to resolve issues directly from Nodinite
- ✅ Ensure compliance with disaster recovery policies
- ✅ Visualize backup status across all monitored SQL Server instances
Info
This monitoring feature helps you get alerted when your SQL Databases backups in SQL Server are outdated and/or the database is unavailable.
The Database Monitoring Agent actively monitors backups for all databases on your configured SQL Database Instances. Each monitored database appears in Nodinite as a unique Resource, providing real-time state evaluation. You can monitor backup status using Monitor Views and trigger external alerts through any installed Alarm Plugins.
Size checks for SQL Databases are grouped by the Category SQL Backup.
Here's an example of a Monitor View filtered by the 'SQL Backup' category.
- Your SQL Backups within the SQL databases(s) are listed in Nodinite as resources where the name of the SQL Database becomes the Resource name.
This diagram illustrates how each SQL Database is mapped to a monitored Resource in Nodinite for backup tracking.
What are the key features for Monitoring SQL Database Size Checks?
- State Evaluation – Instantly monitors and evaluates the backup status of each SQL database
- Remote Actions – Execute Remote Actions to resolve backup issues directly from Nodinite
- Automated Alerts – Receive notifications for outdated, missing, or failed backups
- Customizable Thresholds – Set global or specific backup age thresholds for warnings and errors
- Centralized Visibility – View all backup states in a single dashboard for rapid response
What is evaluated for SQL Database Backup?
The different possible evaluated states for your SQL Backup are provided in the table below:
State | Status | Description | Actions | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Unavailable | Resource not available | Evaluation of the 'Last backup' is not possible either due to network or security-related problems | Review prerequisites | |
Error | Error state raised | The database backup is over (older) than the error threshold value | Edit | |
Warning | Warning state raised | The database backup is over (older) than the warning threshold valueBackup has never been taken (Missing backup) | Edit | |
OK | Online | The last backup taken is below threshold values | Edit |
Tip
The System Administrator can override the Monitoring state using the Expected State feature on the Resource within Nodinite.
How do I configure the thresholds for SQL Backups?
Monitoring of SQL Backups is enabled when the checkbox Enable feature Monitoring of SQL backups is checked from within the Remote Configuration dialogue for the Database Monitoring Agent. When checked,
all databases for the SQL instance provided by the ConnectionString are monitored.
There are two different ways to configure thresholds for the category SQL Backup:
Global configuration
From the SQL databases tab the global settings are configured. You then need to click on the Backup tab.
Here's an example of the Backups tab with global monitoring thresholds for backup related checks.
You can then edit the available properties.
- Enable Monitoring of SQL Backups – When checked, Monitor for SQL Server backups is enabled, otherwise it is not
- Warning Time Span – The longest allowed timespan for warning on last backup
- Error Time Span – The longest allowed timespan for error on last backup
- Description – user-friendly description for resource
Info
Timespan format is (days.hours.minutes.seconds)
Actions
The Database Monitoring Agent categories SQL Backups and SQL Backups - Specific have support for remote actions. The following Actions exist:
Edit thresholds
The following dialogue is on display after clicking the action button menu item Edit thresholds.
Here's an example of dialogue changing global thresholds to specific thresholds.
The Default values are set using Remote Configuration. Review the Global configuration section of this document for further details.
Note
Category is changed to 'SQL Backups - Specific' when the threshold values are modified.
The time of the last backup taken presents if it exists, else the text will be Missing backup.
The same properties as described in the Global configuration are available and in addition the following can be managed:
- Application – a way of grouping resources (by default the Application used for the SQL Instance is re-used)
- Description – Short description for this specific size check
Save
You must click 'Save' or 'Save and close' for changes to persist. The new settings/thresholds are evaluated on the next synchronization.
Here's an example of the Save options.
Note
Depending on the synchronization interval set for the agent, there might be a delay before the Web Client reflects upon the change. You can force the agent to synchronize the Configuration for all Nodinite Monitoring Agents.
Save and close, save, and close the dialogue.
Cancel, closes the dialogue without saving any changes.
Next Step
Related Topics
Database Monitoring Agent
Monitoring Agents
Monitor Views
Resources
SQL Categories