Datadog vs SolarWinds DPA

Quick verdict

Datadog Database Monitoring (DBM) is one product within Datadog's SaaS observability platform. The Datadog Agent connects to each database with a read-only user and sends query metrics, query samples, explain plans and database metrics to Datadog. Datadog documents support for self-hosted and managed cloud versions of Postgres, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle, SQL Server, MongoDB, Amazon DocumentDB and ClickHouse. DBM can be correlated with Datadog APM so that a slow query links to the service and trace that issued it.

SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer (DPA) is a self-hosted database performance tool. The DPA server runs on Windows Server or Linux, collects data without installing agents on the monitored servers, and stores it in a separate repository database. Its core idea is wait-time (response time) analysis: showing what each query spent its time waiting on. The current release is DPA 2026.2 (30 June 2026). SolarWinds has been a privately held company since Turn/River Capital completed its acquisition on 16 April 2025; the products continue under the SolarWinds brand. SolarWinds also sells SQL Sentry and a separate SaaS platform, SolarWinds Observability; see SQL Sentry vs SolarWinds DPA.

Side by side

Key differences

Platform add-on versus dedicated database tool

Datadog DBM is designed to sit inside a wider observability estate. Datadog documents that connecting DBM with APM injects trace identifiers into the SQL sent to the database (as SQL comments), so you can see which services drive database load, filter database hosts by calling service and open the sampled APM trace behind a query sample. Datadog lists this for Postgres, MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle and MongoDB, with language support varying by engine (for SQL Server: Go, Java and .NET). If your developers already investigate incidents in Datadog, this is the main reason to choose it.

DPA is a tool for people who look after databases. It does not trace applications. Its screens are organised around database instances and the time queries spend waiting, and it integrates with the wider SolarWinds Platform rather than with application tracing. For the conceptual difference between the two approaches, see Database Monitoring vs APM.

Hosting, data location and the Agent

Datadog is SaaS only. For self-hosted databases the Agent usually runs on the database host; for managed services such as Azure SQL, Datadog states that the Agent must run on a separate host that can reach the database, because Azure does not give host access. The Agent connects with a read-only datadog login (for SQL Server: VIEW SERVER STATE, VIEW ANY DEFINITION and CONNECT ANY DATABASE). Datadog obfuscates query bind parameters before they are sent, but notes that schema elements and SQL comments are not obfuscated by default.

DPA runs entirely on infrastructure you manage. It is agentless: the DPA server polls each monitored instance, and SolarWinds advises that the repository should not be hosted on an instance you plan to monitor. This suits organisations that cannot send query text to a third-party cloud, but it means you provision, patch and back up the DPA server and repository. DPA 2026.2 dropped support for Windows Server 2019, 2016 and 2012 R2 as the DPA server OS.

What each collects, and the built-in baseline

Both tools build on what the engine already exposes. For SQL Server, that means dynamic management views such as sys.dm_exec_query_stats and sys.dm_os_wait_stats. This is the free baseline you can query yourself:

-- T-SQL (SQL Server): top waits since the last restart
SELECT TOP (10) wait_type, waiting_tasks_count, wait_time_ms
FROM sys.dm_os_wait_stats
ORDER BY wait_time_ms DESC;

Datadog collects metrics for the top 200 normalized queries per database host (parameters stripped so identical queries group together), plus query samples, explain plans, active connections, blocking queries and database metrics. Optional SQL Server collection covers SQL Server Agent job metrics, deadlocks, index usage, schemas and, through Extended Events, query completions and errors. DPA records wait time per query continuously and adds anomaly detection, table tuning advisors and AI Query Assist, which DPA 2026.2 extends to PostgreSQL and MySQL in addition to SQL Server and Oracle. To read wait statistics with more context, see our lessons on performance tuning and indexes.

Engine and version coverage

Coverage differs by engine, so check the exact version you run. Datadog lists SQL Server 2012 to 2025, Postgres 9.6 to 18 (self-hosted, RDS, Aurora, Cloud SQL, AlloyDB, Azure, Heroku and Supabase), MySQL 5.6 to 9 and MariaDB 10.5 to 13. It also covers MongoDB, Amazon DocumentDB and ClickHouse, which DPA does not.

DPA's list is narrower in versions but wider in enterprise engines: Oracle 19c to 26ai, Db2 11.5 and 12.1, SAP ASE 16 and, from 2026.2, SAP HANA. For SQL Server, DPA lists only 2022 and 2025 as self-managed versions, plus RDS for SQL Server 2019 and 2022, Cloud SQL for SQL Server 2022 and Azure SQL Database and Managed Instance. Teams still on SQL Server 2019 or older on premises should note that gap. PostgreSQL 14 to 18 and MySQL 8.4 to 9.2 are listed, along with Aurora, Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server and Cloud SQL.

History and retention

Datadog states that DBM query metrics are kept for 15 months and query samples for 15 days. DPA keeps per-second detail for about 30 days, hourly summaries for 90 days and daily summaries for five years, in your repository. For year-on-year capacity questions, DPA's default history is longer; for drilling into a recent incident alongside traces and logs, Datadog's samples and APM links are the stronger fit.

Pricing and licensing

Datadog. Listed on the vendor's pricing page in October 2026 (USD): Database Monitoring is $70 per database host per month billed annually, or $84 billed month-to-month or on demand. Datadog's billing documentation says each database host includes 200 normalized queries, with more billed by the number tracked. DBM is a separate product from Infrastructure Monitoring (from $15 per host per month billed annually for Pro) and APM, so a Datadog bill typically combines several products. Datadog offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card.

SolarWinds DPA. No public price. DPA is licensed per monitored database instance on subscription; since DPA 2024.4 the licence types are Database Self-Hosted (DBSH) for any supported database type and Database Self-Hosted DBaaS (DBSHDS) for targets such as Azure SQL Database. Perpetual licences were sold for earlier versions and are legacy. A 14-day trial is available, and DPA is also sold through AWS Marketplace with hourly charges.

Pricing checked on the vendors' official pages on 7 October 2026. Prices change; confirm before buying.

Where each one leads

Limitations

When to choose each

When neither is right

• Your estate is mainly SQL Server and you want a DBA-focused monitor with self-hosted or SaaS options: compare Redgate Monitor vs SolarWinds DPA and Datadog vs Redgate Monitor.
• You want open source metrics you run yourself: see Prometheus vs Datadog and the best open source database monitoring tools.
• You already use New Relic for APM: see Datadog vs New Relic for database monitoring.
• A handful of servers may only need the built-in tools first; see the best SQL Server monitoring tools, which covers Query Store and Extended Events.

Final recommendation

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Datadog docs: Database Monitoring
• Datadog docs: Setting up SQL Server DBM
• Datadog docs: Setting up Postgres DBM
• Datadog docs: DBM data collected
• Datadog docs: Correlate Database Monitoring and traces
• Datadog pricing list
• SolarWinds DPA product page
• SolarWinds docs: Database instances DPA can monitor
• SolarWinds docs: DPA 2026.2 release notes
• SolarWinds docs: DPA licence types
• SolarWinds: Turn/River completes acquisition of SolarWinds

Checked October 2026.

How we research comparisons: our editorial method.