Monitoring database activity using Statlog

Monitor database activity regularly. If database activity is high and users report performance problems, you can take a number of steps to improve performance.

  • Set database properties that optimize performance.
  • Create a replica of the database on another server, if possible, one within a server cluster.
  • Move the database to a more powerful server.
  • Move the database to a disk that is less heavily used, or if it's a large database, to its own disk.
  • Track database activity with activity logging.

If a database or view is inactive, consider deleting the database or view to free disk space on the server.

The Statlog task on a server runs by default once a day at 5 AM, at which time it reports database activity for databases on the server in Database Activity Log entries in the Database > Usage and Database > Sizes views of the log file (LOG.NSF) and to the User Activity dialog box of individual databases.

Table 1. Comparison of information provided by Database Activity Log entry and User Activity dialog box

Information provided

Database Activity Log entry

User Activity dialog box

Shows total number of times user and servers accessed, read, and wrote to a database in past 24 hours, past week, past month, and since the creation of the database*

Yes

Yes

Shows inactive views (indicated by the size 0)

Yes

No

Shows names of users and servers who read and wrote documents, sorted by date, including activity for both anonymous and authenticated Internet clients.

No

Yes

Tip: In addition to viewing activity statistics reported by Statlog, you can evaluate database activity by creating a view that sorts documents by date. You can also create File Monitor documents as part of Event Monitor configuration. File Monitors report user activity for specific databases.
Note: The Statlog task also reports database size statistics in the Database > Sizes view of the log file.