What is Datadog Agent Agent not collecting database metrics

Resolving Datadog Agent Database Metrics Collection Issues

Understanding Datadog Agent

Datadog is a powerful monitoring and analytics tool designed to provide comprehensive insights into your infrastructure and applications. It collects metrics, traces, and logs, offering a unified view of your systems' performance. The Datadog Agent is a lightweight piece of software installed on your servers to collect these metrics and send them to the Datadog platform.

Identifying the Symptom

One common issue users encounter is the Datadog Agent not collecting database metrics. This symptom is observed when expected database metrics are missing from the Datadog dashboard, leading to incomplete monitoring data.

What You Might See

In the Datadog dashboard, you may notice that graphs or widgets related to database performance are empty or not displaying any data. Additionally, logs may not show any database-related entries.

Exploring the Issue

The primary cause of this issue is often that database metrics collection is not enabled, or the Datadog Agent does not have the necessary permissions to access the database. Without proper configuration, the agent cannot gather the required data.

Common Root Causes

Database integration is not enabled in the Datadog Agent configuration. Insufficient permissions for the Datadog Agent to access the database. Network issues preventing the agent from connecting to the database.

Steps to Fix the Issue

To resolve this issue, follow these steps to ensure that database metrics collection is properly configured and the Datadog Agent has the necessary access.

Step 1: Enable Database Metrics Collection

First, ensure that the database integration is enabled in your Datadog Agent configuration. You can do this by editing the configuration file located at /etc/datadog-agent/conf.d/<database>.d/conf.yaml. For example, for a PostgreSQL database, the file would be /etc/datadog-agent/conf.d/postgres.d/conf.yaml.

init_config:instances: - host: <database_host> port: <database_port> username: <your_username> password: <your_password> dbname: <your_database>

Ensure that the configuration file is correctly set up with the appropriate database credentials and connection details.

Step 2: Verify Database Access

Check that the Datadog Agent has the necessary permissions to access the database. This may involve creating a dedicated user for Datadog with read-only access to the necessary tables and views. Refer to the Datadog Integrations Documentation for specific instructions on setting up database access for your database type.

Step 3: Restart the Datadog Agent

After making changes to the configuration, restart the Datadog Agent to apply the new settings. Use the following command:

sudo systemctl restart datadog-agent

Alternatively, if you are using a different init system, refer to the Datadog Agent Commands Guide for the appropriate restart command.

Step 4: Check for Errors

After restarting the agent, check the agent logs for any errors or warnings that might indicate further issues. Logs can be found at /var/log/datadog/agent.log. Look for entries related to database connections or configuration errors.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve issues with the Datadog Agent not collecting database metrics. Ensuring that the database integration is enabled and the agent has the necessary access will allow you to fully leverage Datadog's monitoring capabilities. For further assistance, consult the Datadog Help Center.