Building Custom Data Alerts in SSRS Note from the Data Whisperer
By Tom Nonmacher
The ability to create custom data alerts in SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) can provide real-time insights into your data, enabling you to respond quickly to any significant changes. In today's post, we will be discussing how to build these custom data alerts using technologies like SQL Server 2019, MySQL 8.0, DB2 11.5, Azure SQL, and Azure Synapse. Let’s dive in.
Firstly, let’s look at SQL Server 2019. SQL Server 2019 provides a feature called 'Data Driven Alerts', which allows you to set up alerts based on data changes. This feature can be accessed through the SSRS web portal. You can set conditions for the data, and when these conditions are met, an alert is triggered. Here's a simple example of how you could set up a data alert:
-- SQL code goes here
CREATE EVENT myalert
ON SCHEDULE EVERY 1 HOUR
DO
BEGIN
DECLARE @count INT;
SELECT @count = COUNT(*) FROM myTable WHERE condition;
IF @count > threshold THEN EXEC msdb.dbo.sp_send_dbmail @recipients='myemail@example.com', @subject='Alert', @body='Data condition met';
END;
Next, let’s discuss MySQL 8.0. MySQL does not directly provide a feature for data alerts, but we can achieve this functionality using scheduled events. Below is an example of how you can use a scheduled event in MySQL to monitor changes in data and trigger an alert:
-- SQL code goes here
CREATE EVENT myalert
ON SCHEDULE EVERY 1 HOUR
DO
BEGIN
DECLARE count INT;
SELECT COUNT(*) INTO count FROM myTable WHERE condition;
IF count > threshold THEN CALL send_email('myemail@example.com', 'Alert', 'Data condition met');
END;
For DB2 11.5, we can use triggers to monitor data changes and send alerts. Triggers in DB2 are database object which are automatically invoked or performed when a specified database event occurs. Here's how you can set up a trigger in DB2 to send an alert:
-- SQL code goes here
CREATE TRIGGER myalert
AFTER INSERT OR UPDATE OR DELETE ON myTable
FOR EACH ROW
WHEN (condition)
CALL send_email('myemail@example.com', 'Alert', 'Data condition met');
Azure SQL and Azure Synapse also provide features for data alerts. Azure SQL has built-in support for data driven alerts, similar to SQL Server. Azure Synapse, on the other hand, provides a feature called 'Data Lake Analytics', which allows you to analyze large amounts of data and set alerts based on the results. The best approach to use will depend on your specific use case and the volume of data you are working with.
In conclusion, setting up custom data alerts can be a powerful tool for monitoring your data in real-time. Whether you’re using SQL Server 2019, MySQL 8.0, DB2 11.5, Azure SQL, or Azure Synapse, there are solutions available to help you stay on top of your data. Remember, the key is to understand the specific features and capabilities of each technology, and choose the one that best fits your needs.