---
title: Install & configure NRDOT for MSSQL on Windows RDS: SQL auth
source: https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/mssql/windows-rds-sql
---

Set up Microsoft SQL Server monitoring using the NRDOT Collector on Windows environments to monitor AWS RDS for SQL Server instances, using SQL Server authentication. To monitor in a self-hosted environment, refer to [Windows self-hosted instrumentation](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/mssql/windows-hosted-sql).

To install this through the New Relic UI instead, go to  **[one.newrelic.com](https://one.newrelic.com) > Integrations & Agents > MSSQL (OpenTelemetry)** . Follow the on-screen instructions to set up the integration. This page covers manual installation only.

This page covers SQL Server authentication. If your environment uses a different authentication method, see [Windows Domain Authentication](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/mssql/windows-rds-domain) or [gMSA](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/mssql/windows-rds-gmsa).

## 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.
-   AWS RDS SQL Server requirements:
    -   SQL Server authentication enabled on the RDS instance.
    -   RDS master user credentials or credentials for a SQL Server login with the `rds_superuser` role.
    -   RDS Security Group configured to allow connections on port `1433` or a custom port.
    -   SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or the `sqlcmd` utility.
-   Your RDS SQL Server endpoint URL, which can be found in your AWS RDS Console under Connectivity & security. For more information, refer to [AWS RDS documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/gettingstartedguide/connecting-console.html).

## Install NRDOT Collector [#install-sql]

Install the NRDOT Collector on an EC2 Windows instance or local Windows machine that can connect to your RDS SQL Server instance.

> #### ⚠️ IMPORTANT
>
> For RDS monitoring, install the NRDOT Collector on an EC2 instance in the same VPC as your RDS instance for optimal network connectivity and lower latency.

Download and install the NRDOT Collector using PowerShell:

```bash
[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 RDS master username or a user with the `rds_superuser` role. The script automatically excludes the `rdsadmin` database, which is reserved by AWS.

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', 'model', 'rdsadmin', '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 RDS SQL Server setup.

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

    ```bash
    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 RDS environment. To enable comprehensive monitoring with all available metrics, refer to the [configuration reference](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/mssql/config-reference/#rds-sql).

> #### 💡 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:

        ```bash
        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.