Install the Splunk Add-on for Microsoft SQL Server

To install the Splunk Add-on for Microsoft SQL Server, perform the following steps:

1. Get the Splunk Add-on for Microsoft SQL Server by downloading it from http://splunkbase.splunk.com/app/2648 or browsing to it using the app browser within Splunk Web.
2. Determine where and how to install this add-on in your deployment, using the tables on this page.
3. Perform any prerequisite steps before installing, if required and specified in the tables below.
4. Complete your installation.

For information on upgrading to the newest version of this add-on, see the Upgrade the Splunk Add-on for Microsoft SQL Server topic in this manual.

If you need step-by-step instructions on how to install an add-on in your specific deployment environment, see the installation walkthroughs section at the bottom of this page for links to installation instructions specific to a single-instance deployment, distributed deployment, Splunk Cloud, or Splunk Light.

Distributed deployment

Use the tables below to determine where and how to install this add-on in a distributed deployment of Splunk Enterprise or any deployment for which you are using forwarders to get your data in. Depending on your environment, your preferences, and the requirements of the add-on, you may need to install the add-on in multiple places.

Where to install this add-on

This table provides a quick reference for installing this add-on to a distributed deployment of Splunk Enterprise.

Splunk instance type	Supported	Required	Comments
Search Heads	Yes	Yes	Install this add-on to all search heads where Microsoft SQL Server knowledge management is required.
Indexers	Yes	No	Not required, because this add-on does not include any index-time operations.
Heavy Forwarders	Yes	No	To collect dynamic management view data, trace logs, and audit logs, you must use Splunk DB Connect on a search head or heavy forwarder. The remaining data types support using a universal or light forwarder installed directly on the machines running MS SQL Server.
Universal Forwarders	Yes	No	To collect dynamic management view data, trace logs, and audit logs, you must use Splunk DB Connect on a search head or heavy forwarder. The remaining data types support file monitoring using a universal or light forwarder installed directly on the machines running MS SQL Server.

Distributed deployment feature compatibility

This table provides a quick reference for the compatibility of this add-on with Splunk distributed deployment features.

Distributed deployment feature	Supported	Comments
Search Head Clusters	Yes	You can install this add-on on a search head cluster for all search-time functionality. Before installing this add-on to a cluster, remove the default\inputs.conf file from the add-on package. If you run your DB Connect inputs from your search head cluster captain, you can keep the default\inputs.conf file on your search heads for reference. See the Configure DB Connect version 3.6.x inputs for the Splunk Add-on for Microsoft SQL Server topic in this manual to learn how to enable DB Connect inputs using Splunk Web.
Indexer Clusters	Yes	Before installing this add-on to a cluster, remove the default\inputs.conf file from the add-on package.
Deployment Server	Conditional	Supported for deploying the configured add-on to multiple universal forwarders for local data collection via file monitoring and Windows performance monitoring. Not supported for DB Connect inputs.

Installation walkthrough

See Installing add-ons in Splunk Add-Ons for detailed instructions describing how to install a Splunk add-on in the following deployment scenarios:

• single-instance Splunk Enterprise
• distributed Splunk Enterprise
• Splunk Cloud
• Splunk Light