---
title: Install & configure NRDOT for MSSQL on Azure SQL Managed Instance (Windows)
source: https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/mssql/azure-mi-windows
---

Set up Microsoft SQL Server monitoring using the NRDOT Collector on Windows environments to monitor Azure SQL Managed Instance, using SQL Server authentication. To run the collector on Linux, refer to [Azure SQL Managed Instance on Linux](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/mssql/azure-mi-linux).

> #### 💡 GUIDED INSTALLATION
>
> To install this through the New Relic UI instead, go to  **[one.newrelic.com > Integrations & Agents > Microsoft SQL Server (Database 360)](https://onenr.io/00jlEJX6EQW)** . Follow the on-screen instructions to set up the integration. This page covers manual installation only.

## Prerequisites [#prerequisites]

Before monitoring your Microsoft SQL Server with NRDOT, make sure your environment meets these requirements:

-   A New Relic account with a valid [license key](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/apis/intro-apis/new-relic-api-keys/#ingest-license-key).
-   Network connectivity to the [New Relic OTLP endpoint](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/best-practices/opentelemetry-otlp) for your region.
-   Azure SQL Managed Instance requirements:
    -   SQL authentication enabled on the managed instance.
    -   The managed instance admin login and password, or a SQL Server login with the `sysadmin` server role.
    -   Network access from the collector host to the managed instance on port `1433` (private endpoint) or `3342` (public endpoint). The network security group (NSG) on the managed instance subnet must allow the connection.
    -   SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or the `sqlcmd` utility.
-   Your managed instance host name, which is shown on the **Overview** page of the managed instance in the Azure portal (the **Host** field).

## Install NRDOT Collector [#install-sql]

Install the NRDOT Collector on a Windows VM or machine that can connect to your managed instance.

> #### ⚠️ IMPORTANT
>
> Install the NRDOT Collector on a VM in the same virtual network as your managed instance (or a peered network). A managed instance is private by default, so a machine outside the virtual network can't reach it unless you enable the public endpoint.

Download and install the NRDOT Collector using PowerShell:

```powershell
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = 'tls12, tls'
$NRDOT_VERSION = (Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://api.github.com/repos/newrelic/nrdot-collector-releases/releases/latest").tag_name
$WebClient = New-Object System.Net.WebClient
$WebClient.Headers.Add("User-Agent", "Mozilla/5.0")
$WebClient.DownloadFile("https://github.com/newrelic/nrdot-collector-releases/releases/download/$NRDOT_VERSION/nrdot-collector_${NRDOT_VERSION}_windows_x64.msi", "$env:TEMP\nrdot-collector.msi")
Start-Process msiexec.exe -ArgumentList "/i `"$env:TEMP\nrdot-collector.msi`" /qn /norestart /L*V `"$env:TEMP\nrdot_install.log`"" -Wait
Get-Service nrdot-collector -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
```

## Create monitoring user [#user-sql]

Run this script as an admin user to create the `newrelic` monitoring user and grant the necessary permissions for collecting SQL Server metrics.

> #### 💡 TIP
>
> Run this script using the managed instance admin login or a login with the `sysadmin` server role. The script skips the system databases (`master`, `msdb`, `tempdb`, `model`) and any database that isn't online.

In your SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), run the following script to create the `newrelic` monitoring user. Replace `<YOUR_PASSWORD>` with your desired password:

```sql
USE [master];
GO
CREATE LOGIN [newrelic] WITH PASSWORD = '<YOUR_PASSWORD>';
GO

GRANT VIEW SERVER STATE TO [newrelic];
GRANT VIEW ANY DEFINITION TO [newrelic];
GRANT VIEW ANY DATABASE TO [newrelic];
GO

DECLARE @name SYSNAME;
DECLARE db_cursor CURSOR READ_ONLY FORWARD_ONLY FOR
SELECT [name]
FROM [master].[sys].[databases]
WHERE [name] NOT IN ('master', 'msdb', 'tempdb', 'model', 'distribution')
AND [state] = 0;
OPEN db_cursor;
FETCH NEXT FROM db_cursor INTO @name;
WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0
BEGIN
  BEGIN TRY
    EXEC('USE [' + @name + '];
    IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM sys.database_principals WHERE name = ''newrelic'')
    BEGIN
      CREATE USER [newrelic] FOR LOGIN [newrelic];
    END;
    GRANT VIEW DATABASE STATE TO [newrelic];');
  END TRY
  BEGIN CATCH
    PRINT 'Error on ' + @name + ': ' + ERROR_MESSAGE();
  END CATCH
  FETCH NEXT FROM db_cursor INTO @name;
END
CLOSE db_cursor;
DEALLOCATE db_cursor;
GO
```

> #### 💡 TIP
>
> To securely manage sensitive information, such as database credentials, store them in [secret management](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/capabilities/db-apm/#secret-management) tools.

## Configure the NRDOT Collector [#configure-sql]

Create a new NRDOT Collector configuration file for your Azure SQL Managed Instance setup.

1.  Create a configuration file named `mssql-config.yaml` in PowerShell as an Administrator:

    ```powershell
    New-Item -Path "C:\Program Files\nrdot-collector\mssql-config.yaml" -ItemType File
    ```

2.  Add the following configuration to the `mssql-config.yaml` file created in the previous step:

> #### 💡 FULL CONFIGURATION
>
> This configuration focuses on essential database monitoring for your Azure SQL Managed Instance environment. To enable comprehensive monitoring with all available metrics, refer to the [configuration reference](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/mssql/config-reference).

> #### 💡 TIP
>
> -   The `logs` pipeline doesn't carry collector debug or internal agent logs. It transmits SQL Server query telemetry, including query text, execution plans, and sample data. The `nrsqlserver` receiver captures this telemetry through `db.server.query_sample`, `db.server.top_query`, `db.server.query_plan`, and `db.server.top_procedure` events emitted as OpenTelemetry log records.
>
> -   The `db.server.top_procedure` event requires SQL Server 2017 CU3 or later, which introduced support for `sys.dm_exec_procedure_stats.total_spills`. On earlier versions, this event doesn't emit data and logs an error. Other events remain unaffected.
>     Accessing `sys.dm_exec_procedure_stats` requires `VIEW SERVER STATE` (or `VIEW SERVER PERFORMANCE STATE`, depending on the SQL Server version). Additionally, `VIEW ANY DEFINITION` is required for `OBJECT_NAME` and `OBJECT_SCHEMA_NAME` to resolve correctly across all user databases, and `CONNECT SQL` is needed to set up initial sessions. The monitoring user created in [Create monitoring user](#user-sql) already has all 3 permissions.

## Update Windows Service Registry [#registry-sql]

1.  Update the Windows Service Registry to use the new `mssql-config.yaml` file using one of the following methods:

    -   **For PowerShell:** Run the following command as Administrator:

        ```powershell
        Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\nrdot-collector" -Name "ImagePath" -Value '"C:\Program Files\nrdot-collector\nrdot-collector.exe" --config "C:\Program Files\nrdot-collector\mssql-config.yaml"'
        ```

    -   **For Command Prompt:** If PowerShell isn't available, use Command Prompt instead and run the following command as Administrator:

        ```bash
        sc config "nrdot-collector" binPath= "\"C:\Program Files\nrdot-collector\nrdot-collector.exe\" --config \"C:\Program Files\nrdot-collector\mssql-config.yaml\""
        ```

2.  Validate the NRDOT Collector configuration to ensure it's correctly formatted and will work properly.

    ```bash
    & "C:\Program Files\nrdot-collector\nrdot-collector.exe" validate --config="C:\Program Files\nrdot-collector\mssql-config.yaml"
    ```

> #### 💡 TIP
>
> To correlate your application performance with database operations, you can set up database service identification. For more information, refer to [set up database service identification](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/capabilities/db-apm/).

## Restart NRDOT Collector [#restart-sql]

After updating your configuration, restart the NRDOT Collector service:

```bash
net stop nrdot-collector
net start nrdot-collector
```

> #### 💡 TIP
>
> Always restart the NRDOT Collector service after making configuration changes to ensure the new settings take effect.

## Find and use your data [#find-sql]

Once your data is being collected, you can access comprehensive SQL Server database monitoring through the New Relic UI.

To find your SQL Server database entity in New Relic:

1.  Go to **<https://one.newrelic.com> > All Capabilities > Databases**.
2.  From the **Entity type** dropdown, select **MSSQL instance**, then click **Apply**.
3.  Select your SQL Server database from the list of entities.

    After setting up SQL Server monitoring with NRDOT, you can:

    -   [Create custom dashboards](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/query-your-data/explore-query-data/dashboards/introduction-dashboards/) to visualize your database metrics
    -   [Set up alerts](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/alerts/create-alert/create-alert-condition/alert-conditions/) for critical database performance thresholds
    -   [Explore your data](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/query-your-data/explore-query-data/browse-data/introduction-data-explorer/) using New Relic query capabilities

## Related documentation [#related-docs]

[Set up APM-database correlation](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/capabilities/db-apm)

Learn how to correlate your application performance with database operations in New Relic.

[Troubleshooting](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/mssql/troubleshooting)

Learn how to troubleshoot your MSSQL Windows monitoring setup in New Relic.

[Metrics reference](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/mssql/metrics-reference)

Learn about the available metrics collected by the NRDOT Collector.