---
title: "Create a SQL Server database alert"
description: You can use Windows System Monitor to create a SQL Server database alert that is raised when a threshold value for a System Monitor counter has been reached.
ms.custom: ""
ms.date: "07/13/2021"
ms.prod: sql
ms.prod_service: "database-engine"
ms.reviewer: ""
ms.technology: performance
ms.topic: conceptual
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "database performance [SQL Server], alerts"
  - "alerts [SQL Server], creating"
  - "thresholds [SQL Server]"
  - "database alerts [SQL Server]"
  - "tuning databases [SQL Server], alerts"
  - "monitoring performance [SQL Server], alerts"
  - "monitoring server performance [SQL Server], alerts"
  - "database monitoring [SQL Server], alerts"
  - "server performance [SQL Server], alerts"
author: WilliamDAssafMSFT
ms.author: wiassaf
---
# Create a SQL Server database alert
 [!INCLUDE [SQL Server](../../includes/applies-to-version/sql-windows-only.md)]

  If you are running Microsoft Windows server operating system, use the System Monitor graphical tool to measure the performance of [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)]. You can use System Monitor to create an alert that is raised when a threshold value for a System Monitor counter has been reached. In response to the alert, System Monitor launches an application, such as a custom application written to handle the alert condition. For example, you could create an alert that is raised when the number of deadlocks exceeds a specific value.  
  
 Alerts also can be defined by using [!INCLUDE[ssManStudioFull](../../includes/ssmanstudiofull-md.md)] and [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] Agent. For more information, see [Alerts](../../ssms/agent/alerts.md).  
  
 For more information about using System Monitor to set up a [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] database alert, see [Set Up a SQL Server Database Alert (Windows)](../../relational-databases/performance/set-up-a-sql-server-database-alert-windows.md) .  
  
## See also  
 [sp_add_alert (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-stored-procedures/sp-add-alert-transact-sql.md)   
 [sys.sysperfinfo (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-compatibility-views/sys-sysperfinfo-transact-sql.md)