Learn how V8 Monitor helps Dynamics Business Central system administrators monitor the performance of the Business Central system, quickly identify problems, and keep things running smoothly. This easy-to-follow guide explains what the V8 Monitor is, how to configure the tool with Business Central and SQL Server, and the best practices you can use to effectively optimize your ERP environment.
Introduction
In this guide, we will explain in several articles what the V8 Monitor (formerly V8 Search XE) is, how it works with Business Central (on-Prem) and SQL Server, and what you can do with it as a system administrator/manager.
We strive to make things as non-technical as possible, focusing on how it helps monitor the performance of your Business Central system, identify problems, and ensure optimal performance performance. You'll also learn how to use the V8 Monitor for Business Central and SQL Server, as well as some best practices to get the most out of it.
What is the V8 Monitor from dynamicsproject.com?
The V8 Monitor Windows service (V8 Service is a part of it) collects and analyzes telemetry data from the live Business Central application to ensure that the root causes of performance issues such as table locks or deadlocks are documented.
The goal of V8 Monitor is to ensure that you have the information you need to solve problems and increase user satisfaction.
The V8 Monitor can do the following:
- Automatically detect performance issues: V8 Monitoring can continuously monitor the Business Central Server instances (around the clock if necessary) and store slow response times or other performance anomalies in its own SQL database for you to take note of. This helps to achieve maximum performance of your application.
- Diagnosing errors and problems: The V8 service collects detailed error logs and outage data from Business Central and SQL Server to quickly identify the root causes of problems. Instead of guessing what went wrong, you have the option to review bug reports and traces. This allows you to understand exactly where in the AL code the problem occurred.
- Track usage and user behavior: If necessary, the V8 Monitor records how users interact with your application – for example, which functions or pages they use most often. The usage data can show you which parts/objects of the BC system are popular and how users move through the BC system. Such insights help to understand the needs of the users and increase the usability of the application.
- Continuous improvement of performance performance: V8 monitoring helps you ensure an optimal user experience by allowing you to monitor significant metrics over a period of time. It is possible to identify performance trends (such as when certain operations slow down) and collect data to make well-informed decisions to adapt the system for better speed and reliability.
Why use V8 Monitor for Business Central and SQL Server?
Like Microsoft Application Insights (a cloud-based service from Azure Monitor), V8 Monitor collects and analyzes telemetry data from live applications.
V8 Monitor pulls its information from Windows' Event Trace (ETW) and does not transfer the collected data to the cloud, unlike the Microsoft Application Insights application. As a customer, you determine the location of the analysis and storage of your collected telemetry data. All information is collected in a separate SQL database of the V8 monitoring. In another section of the guide, we'll take a closer look at telemetry data from the Windows event trace.
Accessing and using telemetry data
The real value lies in using the telemetry data to gain insights. So how do end users or administrators actually access the information collected by V8 monitoring?
The primary interface is the V8 monitor desktop itself. The V8 Monitor Dashboard provides you with a brief overview of the health and usage of Business Central and the SQL Server. Or you can use SQL queries to discover the data from your V8 SQL database in your system environment.
In an Analytics workspace, data from Business Central and SQL Server is categorized into V8 database tables (for example, one for traces/logs, one for page views, one for errors, and so on). An SQL query allows you to retrieve specific information – such as "show all error events in the last 24 hours" or "a list of the five longest-running SQL queries this week". This is an effective way to go into detail if necessary.
Best Practices for Using Telemetry Effectively with V8 Monitor
To get the most out of V8 Monitor for Business Central and SQL Servers, consider these best practices:
Enable SQL Server Extended Events and BC Telemetry from Day One
Once the V8 Monitor is configured, enable the SQL Server Extended Events and V8 Services to begin collecting data.
This history is indispensable – nothing can be analysed without a record. System administrators should be able to use the data to diagnose problems.
Establish a performance baseline
Once you've enabled SQL Server extended events BC telemetry, use the data from a specific time period to define a baseline for normal behavior in your Business Central system.
For example, you can measure the typical response times of BC pages when everything is going well, or the average number of background tasks per hour, etc.
This baseline can serve as a reference to make future comparisons. If a user later says that "the system seems slow to them," you can verify this by checking the current telemetry against your baseline metrics. For example, if you see that report execution times have doubled from baseline, you have strong evidence of performance regression.
On the other hand, if the metrics are similar to the baseline level, slowness may be due to the network or perception. Baselines are also helpful in planning capacities and optimizing the system – they represent the optimal standard you want to maintain.
In the next issue of our blog series "Business Central Performance Optimization with V8 Monitor" we will focus specifically on the application itself, which will be a bit more technical.
We will be happy to answer any further questions on this topic personally.
Your dynamicsproject.com Team