Enable detailed insights

You can configure the following options to get deeper insights into your MySQL instances:

• Monitor a specific database
• Enable TLS
• Query plans for write statements
• Enable lock-wait duration tracking

Monitor a specific database

By default, the database field is omitted from the receiver configuration, and the receiver monitors every database that the monitoring user can access. To scope monitoring to a single schema, set database to that schema's name:

receivers:
  nrmysql:
    endpoint: <YOUR_HOST>:<YOUR_PORT>
    username: <YOUR_DB_USERNAME>
    password: <YOUR_DB_PASSWORD>
    database: <YOUR_DATABASE_NAME>
    collection_interval: 30s

Enable TLS

The tls field is optional, but omitting it isn't the same as disabling TLS explicitly: the receiver's default configuration sets insecure: true, so connections aren't encrypted unless you configure tls yourself. Most Amazon RDS and Aurora instances enforce SSL/TLS, so you'll typically need to add this block for those environments.

receivers:
  nrmysql:
    endpoint: <YOUR_HOST>:<YOUR_PORT>
    username: <YOUR_DB_USERNAME>
    password: <YOUR_DB_PASSWORD>
    collection_interval: 30s
    tls:
      insecure: false
      insecure_skip_verify: false
      ca_file: <PATH_TO_CA_CERTIFICATE>

Query plans for write statements

Setting explain_mode to procedure enables NRDOT Collector to collect EXPLAIN plans for write statements without granting DML privileges to the monitoring user. When configured, the receiver searches for a SQL SECURITY DEFINER procedure named <schema>.explain_statement. If that procedure doesn't exist or the monitoring user lacks execution privileges on it, the receiver falls back to inline mode. In this state, write statements fail to collect query plans, and the collector log displays the following warning: unable to execute explain statement.

To set the explain_mode to procedure, run the following as a privileged account (for example, root) once per schema:

DELIMITER //
CREATE DEFINER = 'root'@'%' PROCEDURE <YOUR_SCHEMA>.explain_statement(IN q TEXT)
SQL SECURITY DEFINER
BEGIN
  SET @nr_explain_sql = CONCAT('EXPLAIN FORMAT=JSON ', q);
  PREPARE nr_explain_stmt FROM @nr_explain_sql;
  EXECUTE nr_explain_stmt;
  DEALLOCATE PREPARE nr_explain_stmt;
END//
DELIMITER ;
GRANT EXECUTE ON PROCEDURE <YOUR_SCHEMA>.explain_statement TO '<YOUR_DB_USERNAME>'@'%';

The GRANT EXECUTE step is required for more than executing the CALL statement. Without this privilege, the monitoring user cannot view the procedure in information_schema.ROUTINES, which the receiver uses to verify existence. Omitting GRANT EXECUTE produces the same result as a missing procedure, causing the receiver to fall back to inline mode in both cases.

Enable lock-wait duration tracking

The events_waits_current consumer provides lock-wait duration information but requires platform-specific configuration:

Related documentation