Database activity monitoring records who accessed or changed data, what they did, and when. It helps investigators connect an event to a user or application.
Which events deserve attention first?
Start with failed sign-ins, changes to privileged roles, schema changes and access to sensitive tables. Include the account, target object, timestamp and outcome. Collect only the detail needed for the investigation and protect the audit store itself.
How is this different from performance monitoring?
Activity auditing can show who read a table or granted a permission. Performance monitoring explains slow queries, blocking and resource pressure. Use both when an unusual access pattern also affects the application.
Where can I learn more about database activity monitoring?
Further reading: Microsoft’s SQL Server Audit documentation.
Related Solvaria FAQ: What does database activity monitoring measure?
Where can I find documentation and support for database activity monitoring?
Consult Microsoft SQL Server Audit documentation for product behavior and implementation guidance. Match the documentation to your deployed version and test changes before production use.
For help applying this to your environment, explore Solvaria’s database activity monitoring support resources or contact our team.
Related FAQ: How often should you audit your database?.