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SingleStore Monitoring

SingleStore is a distributed SQL database that stores data across multiple nodes. As the number of nodes grows, it becomes harder to tell at a glance which node is under load or whether data is skewed to one side. WhaTap database monitoring gathers the overall cluster state, per-node metrics, and SQL performance into one view. It helps DBAs and data platform engineers who operate SingleStore quickly locate load points and data skew.

WhaTap works by having the DBX agent connect to the SingleStore cluster and collect metrics. When you install the agent on only one aggregator node, it automatically detects leaf nodes through MV_NODES and collects the entire cluster, so you do not need to install the agent on every node. For details on how to get started, see the Getting Started document.

SingleStore cluster architecture

A SingleStore cluster is made up of nodes with different roles. Node roles appear throughout the screens, including the ROLE column in the instance list, so it helps to understand them first.

ROLENameDescription
MAMaster AggregatorThe primary aggregator responsible for managing cluster metadata and routing queries
CAChild AggregatorA secondary aggregator that helps distribute query processing
LeafLeafA leaf node that stores actual data and performs computation

In simple terms, the aggregators (MA, CA) are the front desk that receives requests and distributes them, while the leaf nodes are closer to the workers that hold the data and do the work.

Monitoring screen layout

SingleStore monitoring provides screens focused on the items most often checked in a distributed environment.

ScreenDescription
Instance MonitoringCheck per-node CPU, memory, disk, and network metrics and active sessions in real time
Multi-Instance MonitoringGather metrics from multiple nodes into one dashboard for comparison
Storage EngineCheck Rowstore and Columnstore memory and disk usage and data skew
PartitionCheck whether table partitions are evenly distributed across nodes by their deviation
PipelineCheck the throughput, latency, and errors of data ingestion pipelines
Database SizeCheck capacity trends by database
Top SQLAnalyze high-load SQL with metrics and trend charts
Session HistoryLook up past active sessions in chronological order
Lock TreeCheck lock waits and deadlocks in a tree view

Supported environments

Based on the official installation guide, the following environments are supported.

  • SingleStore 9.0 or later
  • DBX agent installed on an aggregator node (leaf nodes are auto-detected through MV_NODES)
  • Monitoring account privileges grant select, process, cluster on *.*