Monitoring database performance with VIP APM

The Databases view in VIP Application Performance Monitoring (VIP APM) provides query volume and timing for the database operations recorded in an environment’s sampled traces. It ranks operations by the time they consume, shows how each one performs over time, and links every recorded query to the full transaction trace that ran it.

Prerequisites

To use the Databases view, VIP APM must be enabled for the environment, and the user must open the diagnostic interface from the VIP Dashboard. See VIP Application Performance Monitoring for the steps.

Limitations

• Metrics are based on sampled traces. They represent recorded queries, not every query run on the environment.
• Metrics include only queries recorded after database collection began for the environment. Earlier activity is not backfilled.
• The Databases view covers the last 7 days, back to midnight UTC six days ago. A range that starts earlier is shortened to that date.
• Literal values in SQL statements are replaced with ? before they are stored, and lists of values in IN (…) become a single ?. Queries that differ only by their values are grouped into one operation. SQL comments are removed, and very long statements are shortened.

Opening the Databases view

1. Open the diagnostic interface by selecting View in VIP APM in the VIP Dashboard.
2. Select Databases in the top navigation.
3. Select a time range.
4. Optionally, select a SQL operation (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE) to limit the view to one statement type.

Reviewing the summary

Metric	What it shows
Avg query time	Mean recorded query duration.
Throughput	Recorded queries per minute.
Slow queries (>200 ms)	Number of recorded queries that took longer than 200 ms.
Distinct operations	Number of distinct database operations within the selected range.

Investigating a database operation

1. Review Top Database Operations, which ranks the top five operations by recorded query time and shows each operation’s share.
2. Select an operation to preview its average query time, P95 query time, slowest query, and number of calls, with Query time and Throughput charts over the selected range.
3. Select View Full Query to see the complete statement.
4. Select View Operation Details to open the operation’s page.
5. Review Related Transactions , which groups the operation’s recorded runs by transaction. Each row shows the number of runs, the number of traces, the average queries per trace, the total query time, and the slowest run.
6. Expand a transaction to see each run with its time, path, query duration, transaction duration, and code owner. Select View trace span to open the full transaction trace at that query, or View slowest trace to open the trace with the slowest run..

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A high Avg queries per trace, or a max much higher than the average, can mean the same query runs in a loop. The Owner column shows which plugin, must-use plugin, or theme ran it.

Finding slow queries

The tables below the charts summarize recorded queries.

• Slow queries lists one row per query, with its number of slow runs, number of traces, total query time, and slowest run. Expand a query to see each slow run and open its trace.
• All operations list every recorded database operation in the selected range, with calls, throughput, and average, P95, and maximum query time.

Use Minimum Duration (any duration, or ≥ 50 ms, 100 ms, 200 ms, 500 ms, or 1 s)to filter the runs shown in Slow queries and Related Transactions. Slow queries starts at ≥ 200 ms.The filter applies to the table only; the summary totals and rankings do not change.

To reduce the cost of slow queries once they are identified, review the guidance to identify slow queries and optimize queries.

Troubleshooting

The Databases view shows no data

Database metrics include only queries recorded after collection began. Select a more recent time range, or confirm that VIP APM is enabled for the environment.

Total query time is higher than the transaction duration

Total query time adds up the operation’s recorded runs across every trace in the selected range. In Slow queries, it includes only runs that meet Minimum Duration. To compare a single run with its transaction, expand the row and compare Query duration with Transaction duration.