Category: Blog

  • Monday Monitor Tips: Virtual Machine Usage and Cost

    One of the things I’ve been requesting for a number of years is cost information. I could see this coming in 2015 with the move to the cloud and need to justify the resources provisioned along with sizes. Doing that effectively needs cost information.

    Redgate Monitor has added a bit of cost information, and the virtual machine section in the Estate tab contains this. This post looks at what is available (as of June 2026).

    This is part of a series of posts on Redgate Monitor. Click to see the other posts.

    Virtual Machines

    When I first started managing VMs and moving database loads to them, one of the things that I was concerned about was the CPU and RAM usage. CFOs and lots of admins wanted these are 100% to get the most out of their investments.

    I wanted something less to prevent my phone from ringing constantly.

    When you pick select the Estate tab, you see a number of items, but since v143.0.2906, there is a Virtual Machines item.

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    If you select that, then you see all your virtual machines, along with the resource name, group, and various metrics. This is a quick overview of what’s running.

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    If you look at the list, some are local and some are in the cloud. In addition, to the right, I see the metrics that help me understand average usage in a few ways: CPU, memory, storage allocated and used, and costs.

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    There aren’t any costs above as we filter that on the demo site, but if you provide cloud credentials, we use this to get some cost information. Here’s a shot from the doc site, which shows the costs in local currency (pounds Sterling for RG) and USD, which helps normalize the costs. You can read more about this on the doc page.

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    If you select a machine, a blade slides out with more details on usage. Here you can see the primary SSC server. This helps me decide if this is over or under provisioned based on data. I see CPU usage across a month, along with memory and storage (not shown).

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    If I click the “compare with” toggle, I see the last two months overlaid, which is useful info. This helps me decide if last month was normal or an outlier. It does seem like June was a busier month than May, which is good. My boss likes busier.

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    As far as data, I have choices for the period, going from the last day to 6 months.

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    It’s up to me to keep this data, and I have an entry as well in the Data Retention settings for this data.

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    There’s more coming, and I know there are plans to add PaaS data as well, but if there are things you’re interested in, please contact your account rep and let them know what needs you have and why. I think this is an important aspect of monitoring that will grow over time.

    Summary

    This post showed the first slice of work on costing information, with an emphasis on virtual machines. There is performance as well as cost data, so you can evaluate whether you are appropriately sized for your systems.

    I’m looking forward to more information, including custom costs being added for on-premises machines, as well as PaaS services.

    Redgate Monitor is a world-class monitoring solution for your database estate. Download a trial today and see how it can help you manage your estate more efficiently.

  • Advice I Like: Respect

    “Don’t aim to have others like you; aim to have them respect you.” – from Excellent Advice for Living

    This is an interesting piece of advice. It’s easy to look at this and think, no, that’s not what I want, but remember that these two things are not mutually exclusive. People can respect and like you. However, for many things in life, you really want respect more than link.

    When I coach, respect is more important. At work, respect is more important. In relationships, they’re probably equal.

    Respect means that people listen to you, treat you well, give weight and consideration to your words, actions, and feelings.

    I like some people, but don’t respect them. I might enjoy spending time with them, but our relationship is more for leisure and fun. We don’t really have anything of significance between us. We can just enjoy time.

    Your goal is respect.

    I’ve been posting New Words on Fridays from a book I was reading, however, a friend thought they were a little depressing. They should be as they are obscure sorrows. I like them because they make me think.

    To counter-balance those, I’m adding in thoughts on advice, mostly from Kevin Kelley’s book. You can read all these posts under the advice tag.

  • Fun at Epic Systems

    Epic is a software developer that focuses on medical records and information. They were founded in 1979 and have grown since then to be a dominant company in their space. They remain privately held, and have a campus outside Madison, WI.

    I recently went there to discuss Redgate partnering with them and while there got to tour part of the campus. This is a bit of a dump of a number of photos, because it’s a cool campus.

    When we walked up to the first building, it was reminiscent of Falling Water. I visited that house years ago, and our host confirmed that was the inspiration for this building.

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    Connecting to that building was one that had quite a bit of a wilderness/safari/African theme. Art on the walls

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    Images around elevators.

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    Some fun spaces to sit and work or chat.

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    Walking from that building to the next, since most are connected, we came upon a mini recreation of Raiders of the Lost Ark. When I pulled on the idol, we got a soundtrack of the boulder rolling playing in the background. Very fun.

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    The basement of the next building had a recreation of a New York city deli and subway. I caught a shot of the space, where people can hang out with lunch.

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    I loved this piece of art overlaid on the iconic skyscraper worker photo.

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    In another building, there was a Hobbit theme. The entrance to one conference room looks like the Shire.

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    Inside there’s fake grass around the table.

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    And a space where you can get refreshments or sit outside of the main room,

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    Even the place where catering or refreshments might be set out continues the theme.

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    Walking further, this space has a outdoor feeling around the staircase from one floor to the next.

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    Just past that, there’s a few walls with the handprints of employees who have been there ten years. How cool is that?

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    We left the outdoors, heading for space. This was a very cool hallway.

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    And between two buildings, there was a Heaven theme, and a Hell one. If you press the buttons, the elevator doesn’t work, but it does remind me of Dante with some lights and sound.

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    Our presentation was in the Mos Eisley cantina.

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    With some statues and reproductions at one end of the room,

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    Around the conference room, there were various window spaces in the rock, each showing a different galaxy and the distance from Earth.

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    There was even an audience for my presentation.

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    Outside, it looked like the spacers were hanging out.

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    With plenty of art everywhere.

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    One thing I love is that Epic has maintained a lot of values over the years, and these are posted in every bathroom. I assume elsewhere, but I’d heard this and I saw these three items: commandments, principles, and principles of community.

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    Our meeting was protected with a notice, and a guard.

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    Epic has one of the largest, or maybe largest, underground event facilities. It was build into the ground on a former farm.

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    The elevator and stairs take you down.

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    Hallways have themes

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    And there are 11,000 seats. I’ve spoken in a few large venues, but never this large.

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    Different sides of the facility have different themes.

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    Do you recognize this?

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    Or this? In the entrance from above ground, this is near one of the escalators.

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    This was a fabulous visit, and I wish we had more time to tour other spaces. They have a new Star Wars and (I think) Harry Potter building under construction. Hopefully I’ll get to go back.

    If you want to just go and visit, you can.

  • Prime Day Recommendations

    It’s Prime Day. A few of my recommendations, since I want to do some shopping myself (yes, these are commissioned referrals). These are things I’ve ordered and used this year. It’s a random list, but maybe you’ll have fun with something here.

    Reshuffle – https://amzn.to/44qe1xz

    A great book to get you to think about things changing in the AI world. I’m about 70% through and keep stopping to think.

    Trademaster work gloves – https://amzn.to/4uUIU8h

    I keep losing the right ones (or the dog takes them), but I’ve gotten 4-5 pairs over the years.

    Cuppa muchroom coffee – https://amzn.to/44r1Hx2

    Tastes a little funny to me, but my wife loves it and says it gives her energy. I’m skeptical, but I’ve used it.

    Magsafe Phone holder for travel-https://amzn.to/4ezAe0Q

    I got this on a lark, but I’ve really enjoyed this on planes and even places where I can clip it to a table. It holds really well with a magnetic case.

    Charmast power bank with cables – https://amzn.to/4fWzsxk

    We have 3 of these. I’ve tried a few others, but this has been a bargain and reliable. Charges quickly, don’t have to hunt for cables, and it’s survived many trips. I have 2 because I leave one in my personal carry on and one in the work bag. My wife grabbed one as well.

    We Are Legion – https://amzn.to/4aRJNHp

    I grabbed this for free on Kindle Unlimited to try and loved it. I read all 5 (2, 3, 4, 5). It’s a software guy killed in a hit and run, awakened in the future as he’s uploaded into hardware to be the “AI” for a probe searching the galaxy for places to populate. It’s a fun, wild ride.

    Wrangler Jeans – https://amzn.to/4oGXIpk

    With a flex waistband, which is nice as I age and travel, but I’ve liked these and my wife likes the way they look. I’ll get another pair today.