MSSQL plugin

Visit our website to see the data that you can access if you use this plugin to add the data source to SquaredUp:

Microsoft SQL Server

The data source is available as a Cloud data source and also as an on-premises data source. This data source allows for the connection from the on-premises SquaredUp agent to any MSSQL instance which is available to connect to with SQL Login.

What is an on-premises data source?

An on-premises data source connects a service running in your internal network to SquaredUp. They require an agent installed on a machine that has access to your internal network.

How to add a MSSQL data source

You will only need to configure and deploy an agent if you adding the MSSQL on-premises data source. If you want to add the MSSQL Cloud data source, you only need to follow the steps detailed in Add a MSSQL data source in SquaredUp.

Configure and deploy an agent

If you have already created an agent in SquaredUp that you can use for this data source, you can skip this step and choose the agent group you want to use while adding the data source.

Deploying an agent

1. Create a unique API key for your agent and add the agent to an agent group in SquaredUp.

   You create an API key by creating an agent in SquaredUp:
   

   1. Go to Settings > Relay and add an Agent.

   2. Give the new agent a name and a description that helps you identify where the agent is installed. For example:
      Name: server1.domain.local

      Description: Test server in production domain

   3. Choose the Agent Group for this agent:

      1. If you already have agent groups, assign it to an existing group and click create.

      2. If you don't have any agent groups yet or want to assign the new agent to a new group, leave the Agent Groups field empty and click create. Then create the agent group by clicking on Add Agent Group and select the new agent in the Agents field for the new group.

   4. After you created the agent, the API key for this agent will be shown to you. Copy the key and store it until you inserted the key into the configuration of the agent you want to deploy on your machine.

      The API key will only be displayed to you once. If you lose this API key, you need to generate a new one (by creating a new agent) and any references to the old API key in the configuration of the agent you deployed on your machine will need to be updated.

   5. The agent status will show as gray until the next stage of configuring the service is completed successfully.

2. Deploy the agent on a machine that has access to the service the data source connects to.

   1. Download the latest release of the SquaredUp agent zip file, by clicking the download icon under Options next to the agent you have just added.

      Prerequisites for agents

      • The agent needs to run on a Windows machine that has access to the entry point for the on-premises data source.

      • Make sure the agent is able to make outbound connections on port 443 to SquaredUp (api.squaredup.com), *.amazonaws.com and Microsoft Azure Relay (*.servicebus.windows.net) - this may include firewall rules and proxy server allow lists.

      • If a Proxy is required, set a system environment variable named ALL_PROXY with the location of the proxy server, as modern .Net applications do not use the proxy as shown in netsh.

        The proxy server may be a hostname or IP address (optionally followed by a colon and port number) or it may be a http URL (optionally including a username and password for proxy authentication). A proxy URL must be started with http, not https, and cannot include any text after the hostname, IP, or port. If the agent is running as a service, you will need to restart it, and may need to restart the server itself in some cases in order to apply the environment variable.

      • For information about Relay Agent versions see Release Notes - Relay Agent

   2. On a Windows machine, with access to the entry point your data source needs to use, extract the downloaded zip file.

   3. In the folder of the extracted zip file, open PowerShell as an administrator and run the following command:

      Copy

      ./Install-SQUPAgent.ps1 -ApiKey "key" -AsService -ServiceSuffix "name" -ServiceAccount domain\username

      Parameters to replace:

      -ApiKey "key"	Mandatory	Replace key with the API key you created for the agent in SquaredUp
      -AsService	Recommended	Run the agent as a service on the machine
      -ServiceSuffix "name"	Optional	To change the default service name of squpagent replace name with your new service name.
      -ServiceAccount domain\username	Optional	To run the agent as a domain service account (for example, for the SCOM data source), provide the username as domain\username and it will prompt for the password when it sets up the service
      -InstallPath	Optional	Specify a folder location for where the agent will be installed. If this is not specified then the agent will be installed in the folder where the zip file is extracted.

      Consider restricting access to the folder where the agent is installed to prevent anyone from updating or viewing the configuration files.

   Running the agent as a domain service account

   By default, the SquaredUp agent service uses the local system identity, but this can be changed to a domain service account if required, for example for the SCOM data source.

   • Configure a domain service account using the installation script, for example:

     ./Install-SQUPAgent.ps1 -ApiKey "key" -AsService -ServiceAccount domain\username

     where key is the API key, and domain\username is the domain service account

   • Alternatively, in Services > SquaredUp Cloud Agent > Properties select the account on the Log On tab.

   • Use a dedicated user account for the agent's service identity. Create a special service account for this domain service account, do not use an existing user account.

   • The account (typically a service account) needs to have the log on as a service permission.

   4. Adjust any permissions for the service and start the service.

      How to start the agent service

      You can start the agent service from Services > SquaredUp Cloud Agent, or using PowerShell using either:

      Start-Service -Name <ServiceName>

      Where <ServiceName> should be replaced with the service name shown in brackets in the upgrade script output (or Properties of the service).

      For example:

      Start-Service -Name squpagent

      or

      Start-Service -DisplayName <DisplayName>

      Where <DisplayName> should be replaced with the service name shown before the brackets in the upgrade script output (or Properties of the service).

      How to find the agent folder location or Service name in Properties

      Look at the Properties of the SquaredUp Cloud Agent service:

      1. On the server running the agent, open Services

      2. Scroll down to the SquaredUp Cloud Agent in the list

      3. Right-click on the SquaredUp Cloud Agent service and then Properties

      4. Here you can see the Service name, Display name and Path to the agent folder.

      5. You can also start or stop the service from here.

   5. Check the agent status in SquaredUp  Settings > Relay

For more information see Configuring an agent for on-premises data sources

Add a MSSQL data source in SquaredUp

1. To add a data source click on the + next to Data Sources on the left-hand menu in SquaredUp. Search for the data source and click on it to open the Configure data source page.

2. Display Name:

   Enter a name for your data source. This helps you to identify this data source in the list of your data sources.

3. Agent Group:

   Select the Agent Group that contains the agent(s) you want to use.

4. Username:

   Enter the SQL login username

5. Password:

   The SQL login password

6. Server:

   The server address or IP which to connect to. Do not include a port with the SERVER value.

   If you are adding the MSSQL on-premises data source, the server must be accessible from the machine running the SquaredUp on-premises agent.

7. Database:

   The name of the database which to initially connect to. Any queries executed without a database explicitly set will be run against this database.

8. Port:

   The port to use to connect to SQL. The default is 1433, but can be changed as needed.

9. Encrypt connection:

   If the destination server supports encryption then tick this to set it as required for the connection. This setting should be ticked when connecting to a managed Azure SQL Database.

10. Trust server certificate:

    Tick this to bypass certificate checks, and trust the server certificate. This is most commonly used in development and non-production environments using self-signed certificates.

11. Object Query (optional):

    The MSSQL Server Connection can create objects in the Knowledge Graph index and these can be used to create context sensitive objects and drill-downs.

    Object Query

    These plugins support the creation of objects from a database query. The resulting table must contain sourceId, name, and type fields. Additional fields are allowed, and any non-null fields will be included with the object when imported into the Knowledge Graph.

    A sample query result is below:

    sourceId	name	type	initials	operating_system
    abeLincoln	Abraham Lincoln	user	AL
    server_1	Infra-SQL01.local	server		windows

    In the above sample table two objects will be created in the Knowledge Graph. The first will be of type user and have a sourceId of abeLincoln and a single property for initials. The operating_system attribute will not be added to this object as it has a null property. The second object created will be a server with sourceId server_1 and a single property of operating_system.

12. Relationship Query (optional):

    If you are creating objects with the Object Query set in the previous step, you can relate those objects in the Knowledge Graph.

    Relationship Query

    Along with an Object Query an additional Relationship Query can also be used. The result of this query must contain the fields inV, outV, and label. The rows of this result will be converted to relationships in the Knowledge Graph.

    A sample query result is below:

    outV	label	inV
    abeLincoln	own	server_1

    After the import is complete the two objects created from the Object Query will now be linked, with Abraham Lincoln owning Infra-SQL01.local

13. Optionally, select whether you would like to restrict access to this data source instance. By default, restricted access is set to off.

    Restrict access to this data source

    The term data source here really means data source instance. For example, a user may configure two instances of the AWS data source, one for their development environment and one for production. In that case, each data source instance has its own access control settings.

    By default, Restrict access to this data source is set to off. The data source can be viewed, edited and administered by anyone. If you would like to control who has access to this data source, switch Restrict access to this data source to on.

    Use the Restrict access to this data source dropdown to control who has access to the workspace:

    • By default, the user setting the permissions for the data source will be given Full Control and the Everyone group will be given Link to workspace permissions.

    • Tailor access to the data source, as required, by selecting individual users or user groups from the dropdown and giving them Link to workspace or Full Control permissions.

    • If the user is not available from the dropdown, you are able to invite them to the data source by typing in their email address and then clicking Add. The new user will then receive an email inviting them to create an account on SquaredUp. Once the account has been created, they will gain access to the organization.

    • At least one user or group must be given Full Control.

    • Admin users can edit the configuration, modify the Access Control List (ACL) and delete the data source, regardless of the ACL chosen.

    Data source access levels

    Access Level:

    Link to workspace	User can link the data source to any workspace they have at least Editor permissions for. Data from the data source can then be viewed by anyone with any access to the workspace. User can share the data source data with anyone they want. User cannot configure the data source in any way, or delete it.
    Full Control	User can change the data source configuration, ACL, and delete the data source.

    See Access control for more information.

14. Click Add.

    You can also add a data source from Settings > Data Sources > Add data source, but sample dashboards are not added when using this method.

Creating a data stream using a configurable data stream

How to create a data stream for this data source:

• Create a data stream using the configurable data stream form

What is a configurable data stream?

A configurable data stream allows you to easily create new data streams specific to your needs, by entering information into a form, such as metric names or queries. Configurable data streams have a cog icon next to their name in the tile editor.

Any data stream you create can be edited by clicking the edit button (pencil) next to it in the tile editor, and also from Settings > Advanced > Data Streams.

When using the data source to create data streams you have the option to create three different query types, as detailed below. The use of dynamic {{mustache}} properties is supported and is detailed following the types.

Custom Table Query

This allows for any tabular data to be pulled into to SquaredUp and be displayed in a standard table.

Custom Metrics Query

This configurable data stream type allows for data to be displayed in a visual format, such as a line graph. When writing a query for use as a Metrics query, the below three columns are mandatory and all others will be ignored.

Custom State Query

This configurable data stream allows for data to be displayed as a state tile (Red, Yellow, or Green blocks). When writing a query for use in a State query the below three columns are mandatory and all others will be ignored.

Mustache parameters

A mustache parameter is a dynamic value, the actual value will be inserted to replace the field in curly braces. For example, {{timeframe.start}} will insert the start time based on the timeframe configured within the tile, or {{name}} will insert the name of the object(s) in scope.

Check the relevant data source documentation to see which fields accept mustache parameters. See Plugins and Data Sources

• Only scoped data streams are able to insert properties from objects in scope, such as sourceIds, sourceId and targetNodes. They will also be able to use other properties such as timeframe.

• Global data streams are able to use other properties, such as timeframe.

What are global and scoped data streams?

Data streams can be either global or scoped:

• Global data streams are unscoped and return information of a general nature (e.g. "Get the current number of unused hosts").

• A scoped data stream gets information relevant to the specific set objects supplied in the tile scope (e.g. "Get the current session count for these hosts").

See Data Streams

Mustache parameters for unscoped and scoped data streams

timeframe

All of the properties in the calling event payload are passed through to the template builder with the addition of below three properties.

• durationSeconds

• durationMinutes

• durationHours

Example

Select CustomerName, Order from dbo.Orders where orderDT > DateADD(mi, -{{timeframe.durationMinutes}},GetDate())

Mustache parameters for scoped data streams only

sourceIds

This is a unique property as some pre-processing occurs within the data source to modify the values. sourceIds will return a list of all the targeted nodes sourceId elements, concatenated with commas and string delimiters for TSQL friendly systems.

Example

Select CustomerName, Order from dbo.Orders where customerId IN ({{sourceIds}})

sourceId

This will return the sourceId of the first target node in the query. While not as powerful as the sourceIds value, it works for systems that don't support TSQL syntax and will still allow drill-down behavior

Example

Select CustomerName, Order from dbo.Orders where customerId = '{{sourceId}}'

targetNodes

This property represents the targetNodes on the calling event with the small addition of a first and last property on the respective nodes. This allows for Mustache templates to do a couple tricks, as noted below.

Example

Select CustomerName, Order from dbo.Orders where customerId = '{{targetNodes.0.sourceId}}'

Select CustomerName, Order from dbo.Orders where customerId IN ({{#targetNodes}}'{{sourceId}}'{{^last}},{{/last}}{{/targetNodes}})