Quest Spotlight
Quest Spotlight monitors and diagnoses SQL Server performance in on-premises or cloud environments.
What Quest Spotlight is
Quest Spotlight monitors and diagnoses SQL Server performance in on-premises or cloud environments. Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise uses agentless monitoring from a centralized diagnostic server and can raise alarms when performance deviates. Its tools include incident playback, health checks, workload analysis, deadlock detection, and root cause analysis. SQL Optimizer integration helps identify long-running queries and suboptimal code for further tuning. Users can define thresholds, create counters, and set rule-based actions to run once or on a recurring basis. Spotlight can show SQL Server, Windows, and virtualization infrastructure on one screen, and Quest lists SQL Azure among supported platforms. The product also supports query profiling, wait and lock analysis, and execution plans. Its deployment model is self-hosted, and Windows is a listed platform. The Diagnostic Server needs access to a SQL Server account with the sysadmin server role; monitoring Windows performance counters uses WMI queries. Pricing is available on request. Spotlight Cloud reached end of life on December 31, 2024; Quest says it continues to offer the on-premises product.
Good
- Agentless monitoring from a centralized diagnostic server.
- Includes deadlock detection and root cause analysis.
- SQL Optimizer helps identify long-running queries.
- Can monitor SQL Server, Windows, and virtualization infrastructure.
- On-premises trial offered.
Watch out
- Diagnostic Server requires a SQL Server sysadmin account.
- Windows counter monitoring uses WMI queries.
- Pricing is available on request.
- Spotlight Cloud ended service on December 31, 2024.
Who it suits
Spotlight is aimed at database professionals managing SQL Server environments and working to improve application service quality. It suits teams that need centralized performance monitoring and diagnostic tools in a self-hosted setup.
Verdict
Spotlight offers monitoring, diagnostics, and query-tuning support for database teams, with a self-hosted deployment model. Teams evaluating it should account for its SQL Server access requirements and the end of Spotlight Cloud.
Plans and prices
From Quest Spotlight's own pricing page, checked 9 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise | Priced on request | Pricing by request · On-premises trial offered |
The facts
Each one read from Quest Spotlight's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Access requirements
- The Diagnostic Server needs access to a SQL Server account with the sysadmin server role; monitoring Windows performance counters uses WMI queries.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Azure support
- Quest lists SQL Azure among the platforms supported by Spotlight on SQL Server.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Customization
- Users can set custom thresholds, create counters, and configure rule-based actions to run once or on a recurring basis.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Diagnostics
- Features include incident playback, health checks, workload analysis, deadlock detection, and root cause analysis.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- Quest describes Spotlight as a tool for database professionals managing SQL Server environments and improving application service quality.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Monitored environment
- The product can monitor SQL Server, Windows, and virtualization infrastructure from a single screen.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Monitoring
- Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise provides agentless monitoring from a centralized diagnostic server, with alarms for performance deviations.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Spotlight monitors, diagnoses, and helps optimize SQL Server performance in on-premises or cloud environments.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Spotlight Cloud status
- Spotlight Cloud reached end of life on December 31, 2024; Quest says it continues to offer Spotlight on-premises.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- Quest provides product support resources including knowledge articles, video tutorials, downloads, and technical documentation.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Tuning
- SQL Optimizer integration identifies long-running queries and suboptimal code for further tuning.checked 9 Oct 2026
The company
- Company scale
- Quest says more than 45,000 organizations, including over 90% of the Fortune 500, rely on its software.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 1987checked 28 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- Aliso Viejo, California, United Stateschecked 28 Sep 2026
Money
- Trial
- Quest offers an on-premises trial and lists Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise as a free trial product; the pages opened do not state a trial duration.checked 9 Oct 2026
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