DPA (Database Performance Analyzer)

Last updated: 2026-05-24

DPA is SolarWinds' deep database-performance monitor. It runs separately from the rest of Orion and focuses on wait-time analysis for SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, and Sybase.

What it is

Database Performance Analyzer (DPA) is the SolarWinds module that does deep performance analysis on database servers. While SAM can monitor a database server's OS and basic application response, DPA goes deeper — wait-time analysis, query plan breakdowns, blocked sessions, lock contention, index advice.

Notably, DPA was historically a standalone product (acquired by SolarWinds from Confio in 2013) and runs as its own service that integrates back into the Orion Web Console rather than fully merging into the Orion Platform. It has its own database, its own polling agents, and its own UI tabs.

What it monitors

• Wait-time analysis — which queries / users / programs / objects are causing the database to wait, and what they're waiting on.
• Top SQL — most expensive queries by wait time, executions, or duration.
• Blocking and deadlocks — which session is blocking which, on what locks.
• Query plans — execution plans with stats, plan changes over time.
• Index advice — recommendations for missing or redundant indexes.
• Adaptive baselines — what's normal for this database, this hour, this day.

Supported database engines

• Microsoft SQL Server (all versions, including Azure SQL).
• Oracle Database (all editions and recent versions).
• MySQL and MariaDB.
• PostgreSQL.
• Sybase ASE.

What PocketNOC shows from DPA

PocketNOC's DPA integration is currently lightweight — DPA-related alerts surface in the unified alert stream when DPA is licensed. Deep DPA work (query analysis, plan inspection) is still desktop / web-console territory; the screen real estate alone makes it impractical on a phone.

See also

• SAM — lighter-weight server / application monitoring.
• Orion Platform.