Quest Spotlight vs SolarWinds Database Observability
Quest Spotlight
quest.comSolarWinds Database Observability
solarwinds.comSide by side
| Figure | Quest Spotlight | SolarWinds Database Observability |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $142/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Database Monitoring | 7.3 (#24) | 8.0 (#11) |
| Founded | 1987 | 1999 |
| Intended users | Quest describes Spotlight as a tool for database professionals managing SQL Server environments and improving application service quality. | SolarWinds describes Database Observability as built for database administrators and teams responsible for critical databases across on-premises, cloud, or hybrid environments. |
| Monitoring | Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise provides agentless monitoring from a centralized diagnostic server, with alarms for performance deviations. | The product provides a real-time standardized view of database resource usage and wait times. |
| Purpose | Spotlight monitors, diagnoses, and helps optimize SQL Server performance in on-premises or cloud environments. | Database Observability is presented as a way to monitor, alert, triage, remediate, and prevent database issues. |
| Support | Quest provides product support resources including knowledge articles, video tutorials, downloads, and technical documentation. | SolarWinds lists technical support, documentation, training, and a user community with over 200,000 registered members. |
| Trial | Quest offers an on-premises trial and lists Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise as a free trial product; the pages opened do not state a trial duration. | Database Performance Analyzer is offered as a fully functional 14-day free trial. |
Plans
SolarWinds Database Observability
- Database Observability$142 a month
In their own words
Quest Spotlight
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.
SolarWinds Database Observability
SolarWinds Database Observability has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.