Configuring the SQL Server

As listed in System Requirements for ObserveIT Components, the ObserveIT database requires the availability of Microsoft SQL Server. (See Database Server.)

Installing the SQL Server

The task of installing Microsoft SQL Server is beyond the scope of this guide.

For information about SQL Server installation, refer to the relevant Microsoft Knowledge Base articles.

Backing Up the SQL Server

ObserveIT stores all data inside SQL databases. By utilizing your existing backup solutions, you can easily back up your SQL server, and thus protect your ObserveIT data and configuration.
The task of backing up Microsoft SQL Server is beyond the scope of this guide. Refer to your backup software manual for information on how to back up the SQL server.

You can also refer to the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:

Changing the SQL Server Authentication Mode

Although ObserveIT supports both SQL Server Authentication and Windows Integrated Authentication, using Windows Integrated Authentication requires you to perform additional steps which can complicate the process of installing ObserveIT. It is easier to configure the SQL Server to work in both SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode, also known as "Mixed Mode".

For further details, refer to the relevant Microsoft Knowledge Base articles.

Choose an Authentication Mode

Notes:

If planning to use data encryption, plan for CPU overhead.
If you plan to use the archiving feature of ObserveIT, make sure that you have available at least twice the disk space expected for the archived data.
It is recommended that you use Mixed Authentication instead of Windows Authentication.

Recommendations

From ObserveIT version 7.7, install databases on Microsoft SQL Server 2016 or later. To fully utilize Microsoft SQL Server 2016, run it on Windows Server 2012/R2 or later. Install your OS on an SSD.

SQL Server Express edition is not supported for production environments. It is recommended that you use a regular full-featured version of SQL Server. (SQL Server Express edition has database size limitation and other restrictions that make it unsuitable for production environments.)