---
title: Install & configure NRDOT for MSSQL monitoring with Linux self-hosted
source: https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/mssql/linux-hosted
---

Get comprehensive insights into your SQL Server performance with database monitoring, query analysis, and system health metrics using the New Relic Distribution of OpenTelemetry (NRDOT) collector.

> #### 💡 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.

> #### 💡 TIP
>
> If you're using SQL Server in an Linux RDS environment, refer to [Linux instrumentation for RDS](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/mssql/linux-rds).

## Prerequisites [#prerequisites]

-   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.
-   SQL Server requirements:
    -   SQL Server 2017 or later.
    -   Administrative access to SQL Server (`sysadmin` role or equivalent).
    -   Network connectivity between the collector and SQL Server on port `1433` or a custom port.
    -   The `sqlcmd` utility installed on your Linux system.

## Install NRDOT Collector [#setup]

Download and install the NRDOT package for your Linux distribution. Replace `<NRDOT_VERSION>` with the latest release tag from the [nrdot-collector-releases](https://github.com/newrelic/nrdot-collector-releases/releases) page.

> #### 💡 TIP
>
> We recommend installing the NRDOT Collector on the same host as the SQL Server instance to view infrastructure-level metrics for query performance monitoring.

**For Debian/Ubuntu**

-   For AMD64 architecture:

    ```bash
    NRDOT_VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/newrelic/nrdot-collector-releases/releases/latest | grep '"tag_name":' | awk -F'"' '{print $4}') && curl -L "https://github.com/newrelic/nrdot-collector-releases/releases/download/${NRDOT_VERSION}/nrdot-collector_${NRDOT_VERSION}_linux_amd64.deb" --output nrdot-collector.deb && sudo dpkg -i nrdot-collector.deb
    ```

-   For ARM64 architecture:

    ```bash
    NRDOT_VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/newrelic/nrdot-collector-releases/releases/latest | grep '"tag_name":' | awk -F'"' '{print $4}') && curl -L "https://github.com/newrelic/nrdot-collector-releases/releases/download/${NRDOT_VERSION}/nrdot-collector_${NRDOT_VERSION}_linux_arm64.deb" --output nrdot-collector.deb && sudo dpkg -i nrdot-collector.deb
    ```

**For RHEL/CentOS**

-   For AMD64 architecture:

    ```bash
      NRDOT_VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/newrelic/nrdot-collector-releases/releases/latest | grep '"tag_name":' | awk -F'"' '{print $4}') && curl -L "https://github.com/newrelic/nrdot-collector-releases/releases/download/${NRDOT_VERSION}/nrdot-collector_${NRDOT_VERSION}_linux_x86_64.rpm" --output nrdot-collector.rpm && sudo rpm -ivh nrdot-collector.rpm
    ```

-   For ARM64 architecture:

    ```bash
      NRDOT_VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/newrelic/nrdot-collector-releases/releases/latest | grep '"tag_name":' | awk -F'"' '{print $4}') && curl -L "https://github.com/newrelic/nrdot-collector-releases/releases/download/${NRDOT_VERSION}/nrdot-collector_${NRDOT_VERSION}_linux_arm64.rpm" --output nrdot-collector.rpm && sudo rpm -ivh nrdot-collector.rpm
    ```

## Create monitoring user [#user]

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

1.  Create a configuration file named `nr-grant-permission.sql`.

2.  Paste the following SQL script to create the `newrelic` monitoring user and replace `<YOUR_PASSWORD>` with your desired password:

    ```sql
    USE [master];
    GO
    CREATE LOGIN [newrelic] WITH PASSWORD = '<YOUR_PASSWORD>';
    GO
    -- Instance-level permissions
    GRANT VIEW SERVER STATE TO [newrelic];
    GRANT VIEW ANY DEFINITION TO [newrelic];
    GRANT VIEW ANY DATABASE TO [newrelic];
    GO
    -- Grant read access privileges to all user databases
    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; -- Only online databases
    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
    ```

3.  Execute the script using `sqlcmd` with any login that has permission to create logins and grant server-level permissions (for example, the `sa` login, or another account with the `sysadmin` role). Replace `<YOUR_ADMIN_USERNAME>` and `<YOUR_ADMIN_PASSWORD>` with that login's credentials:

    ```bash
    sqlcmd -S <YOUR_DB_ENDPOINT> -U <YOUR_ADMIN_USERNAME> -P '<YOUR_ADMIN_PASSWORD>' -C -i nr-grant-permission.sql
    ```

4.  (Optional) Verify the user is created successfully with the correct permissions:

    ```bash
    sqlcmd -S <YOUR_DB_ENDPOINT> -U <YOUR_ADMIN_USERNAME> -P '<YOUR_ADMIN_PASSWORD>' -C -Q "SELECT sp.name AS [User], p.permission_name AS [Permission_Granted] FROM sys.server_permissions p JOIN sys.server_principals sp ON p.grantee_principal_id = sp.principal_id WHERE sp.name = 'newrelic';"
    ```

    **Expected Output:**

    ```bash
    User Permission_Granted
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    newrelic CONNECT SQL
    newrelic VIEW ANY DEFINITION
    newrelic VIEW ANY DATABASE
    newrelic VIEW SERVER STATE
    ```

    This output confirms that your user has been created successfully with the required server-level permissions.

    > #### 💡 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 NRDOT Collector [#configure]

Choose your configuration option based on your monitoring requirements:

1.  Create a configuration file named `mssql-config.yaml`:

    ```bash
    sudo nano /etc/nrdot-collector/mssql-config.yaml
    ```

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 SQL Server environment. To enable comprehensive monitoring with all available metrics, refer to the [configuration reference](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/mssql/config-reference/#hosted-full).

> #### 💡 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) includes all 3 permissions.

## Update NRDOT Collector configuration [#update]

After configuring your YAML file with the interactive inputs above, complete the NRDOT Collector setup:

1.  Edit the service configuration file:

    ```bash
    sudo nano /etc/nrdot-collector/nrdot-collector.conf
    ```

2.  Update the configuration path to point to your new `mssql-config.yaml` file:

    ```bash
    OTELCOL_CONFIG="/etc/nrdot-collector/mssql-config.yaml"
    ```

3.  (Optional) Validate the NRDOT Collector configuration:

    ```bash
    sudo /usr/bin/nrdot-collector validate --config=/etc/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 [database service identification setup guide](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/opentelemetry/db360/capabilities/db-apm).

## Restart NRDOT Collector [#restart]

After updating your configuration, restart the NRDOT Collector service:

```bash
sudo systemctl restart 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]

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 **[one.newrelic.com](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 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.