pganalyze vs Quest Spotlight

pganalyze monitors PostgreSQL production workloads and supports performance tuning. It tracks query slowdowns over time and collects execution plans for slow queries. The Index Advisor identifies missing indexes and provides information about unused ones. Its VACUUM Advisor offers workload-aware autovacuum guidance, while Alerts & Check-Up detects common database problems and can notify teams through email, Slack, or PagerDuty. The service is available through API, Linux, web, and self-hosted deployments. Installation guidance covers AWS RDS and Aurora, Azure Flexible Server, Google Cloud SQL and AlloyDB, self-managed systems, Heroku Postgres, Crunchy Bridge, Aiven, Supabase, and Neon. An open-source collector sends metrics and metadata snapshots periodically. In its recommended setup, a restricted role reads statistics and metadata without reading user data or modifying the database. pganalyze says sensitive query information is filtered, offers Docker-based on-premise deployment, and is SOC 2 Type 2 certified. Production costs $149 a month.

Quest Spotlight is a self-hosted database monitoring and diagnostics product for professionals managing SQL Server environments. Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise uses agentless monitoring from a centralized diagnostic server and raises alarms for performance deviations. Its tools include incident playback, health checks, workload analysis, deadlock detection, root cause analysis, query profiling, wait and lock analysis, and execution plans. SQL Optimizer integration identifies long-running queries and suboptimal code for further tuning. Users can define thresholds, create counters, and configure rule-based actions to run once or repeatedly. One screen can monitor SQL Server, Windows, and virtualization infrastructure. Supported databases listed are Microsoft SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Oracle Database, and IBM DB2; SQL Azure is specifically supported by Spotlight on SQL Server. The Diagnostic Server requires a SQL Server account with the sysadmin role, while Windows performance counters use WMI queries. Windows is a listed platform, deployment is self-hosted, and pricing is available on request. Quest offers an on-premises trial, but no duration is stated. Spotlight Cloud reached end of life on December 31, 2024.