Troubleshooting

Where to look for errors#

DBA Dash logs errors in the dbo.CollectionErrorLog table in the repository database and also the Logs folder.

CollectionErrorLog table#

The errors logged in the database can be viewed in the GUI on the DBA Dash ErrorLog tab under the Checks node of the tree.

The DBA Dash ErrorLog tab tends to be the most convenient place to look for errors. It contains only errors and warnings. It can be searched and filtered for a specific instance. It might not contain all errors - if there is a problem writing to the repository database for example.

Logs folder#

The View Service Log button on the service config tool can be used to view the logs.

Or you can access the logs in the Logs folder and open them with your favorite text editor.

These logs contain detailed information about what the service is doing in addition to errors. You can look for [ERR] and [WRN].

Event Viewer#

The last place to look is the Windows event log (Start\Run\eventvwr). DBA Dash doesn’t log any errors here, but in the case of a total application failure, there might be some information here.

Common Issues#

The service won’t start#

• Check the logs folder for errors.
• Critical errors might be reported in the Application Event Log. (Start+R to open run dialog. Type eventvwr and click enter.)
• Ensure the service account user has logon as a service

• Ensure the service account has permissions to connect to the repository database. Use the Permissions Helper button on the service config tool and click Grant Access to repository database. The account should be db_owner.

Issues after changing service account or moving DBA Dash to a new instance#

• If you encrypted the config file, the service account will need access to decrypt the file. Open the service config tool & click the Configure Encryption button on the Options tab. Click the Update button to create a temporary key. (Note: You should now be prompted to create a temporary key when starting the service using the config tool)
• The new service account user will need permissions to the repository database and monitored instance.

See:

• Change Service Account
• Move Service

Instance is not visible in the tree / no data#

• Check that the instance exists in the config.
• Ensure that the service has been restarted since adding the instance.
• Check the Recycle Bin folder in the GUI - it’s possible the instance has been deleted.
• Check the DBA Dash ErrorLog tab for any errors relating to the instance.
• Check the Logs folder for any errors relating to the instance.
• Ensure that the service account has permissions to connect to the monitored instance. See the security doc
• Ensure the service account has permissions to write to the repository database.

A collection isn’t working#

• Check the DBA Dash ErrorLog tab and/or Logs folder for errors relating to the collection.
• Check the collection schedule. Note: Schedule can be configured at service level and instance level.
• If the issue is related to WMI, see WMI related errors
• If the collection is failing due to a timeout, see here
• Ensure the service account has the required permissions.
• If there is a bug, please log an issue

WMI related errors#

• Check the WMI doc.
• WMI is optional & most functionality is available without it. Check the No WMI option in the service config tool to disable it.
• If you want to use WMI, ensure the service account is local admin on the monitored instance.

You get a ‘Operation will cause database event session memory to exceed allowed limit.’ error on AzureDB#

You will typically run into this issue when using elastic pools. You might need to be selective about which databases you enable slow query capture for. See here for more info.

The stored procedure names are not showing#

Object names might display as {object_id:1234567}. This can occur if the DBA Dash service account doesn’t have permissions to collect the object name. Review the permissions assigned to the service account.

The Slow Queries tab doesn’t show any data#

• Ensure this collection is enabled in the config for the monitored instance. (Slow Query Threshold is greater than 0. Typically 1000 or higher. *)
• Ensure the service account has permissions to create extended events.
• Try running a query that will be over the set threshold. e.g. WAITFOR DELAY '00:00:30'

I get a ‘Operation will cause database event session memory to exceed allowed limit.’ error on AzureDB#

You will typically run into this issue when using elastic pools. You might need to be selective about which databases you enable slow query capture for. See here for more info.

The stored procedure names are not showing#

Object names might display as {object_id:1234567}. This can occur if the DBA Dash service account doesn’t have permissions to collect the object name. Review the permissions assigned to the service account.

Upgrade failed - Incomplete upgrade of DBA Dash detected#

You might get this error during an upgrade:

System.Exception: Incomplete upgrade of DBA Dash detected. File 'DBADash.Upgrade' found in directory. Upgrade might have failed due to locked files.

The upgrade script creates a file called DBADash.Upgrade in the application directory before expanding the zip file and deletes it upon successful completion. If this file is present when starting the service or GUI, it indicates the upgrade failed or was interrupted during the file extraction process. The application files might be in an inconsistent state with some files from the new version and others from the previous version.

Common causes:

• Locked files preventing file replacement
• Corrupted upgrade zip file
• Insufficient file system permissions for the user running the upgrade

Resolution steps:

1. First attempt: Try re-running the upgrade process.

2. If the problem persists:

   • Stop the DBA Dash service
   • Close all instances of the config tool and GUI (check all user sessions)
   • A reboot might help clear locked files.
   • Verify the user account has write permissions to the DBA Dash application folder
   • Use Process Explorer if required to identify processes that might be locking files

3. Retry the upgrade process

4. Manual upgrade (if automatic upgrade continues to fail):

   • Delete the DBADash.Upgrade file from the application directory
   • Follow the manual upgrade steps

Where to get help#

Please report bugs by logging an issue on GitHub. You can also create a discussion for general questions. The #dbadash channel on SQL Server community slack is also a good place to ask questions.