The DBmarlin alternative to Quest Foglight
Deep database diagnostics without a shopping list of add-ons
Multi-database observability without a second Spotlight contract for SQL Server or Oracle diagnostics, per-cartridge pricing.
Free licence includes 1 database instance. No agents. Self-hosted or cloud.
Why teams switch from Quest Foglight
What teams tell us before they cancel their Foglight and Spotlight licences.
Pricing you have to ask for
Quest does not publish a price list for Foglight or Spotlight. Costs typically scale per instance or per seat, and each additional database platform is a separate cartridge line item.
Two products to cover one estate
Foglight handles multi-database monitoring, but teams that want SQL Server or Oracle-specific diagnostics often end up licensing Spotlight on SQL Server or Spotlight on Oracle as well: a separate purchase and a separate interface.
AI is a separate line item
Foglight AI, Quest's root-cause and alarm assistant, is licensed per seat on top of the base product rather than included.
A dashboard built for an earlier era
Review sites consistently describe Foglight's interface as complex with a steep learning curve, and note GUI refreshes that can take minutes on larger estates.
Side-by-side comparison
DBmarlin vs Quest Foglight
The features that matter to teams leaving Quest Foglight and Spotlight.
| Feature | DBmarlin | Quest Foglight |
|---|---|---|
| Database support | Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, IBM Db2, SAP ASE, MongoDB, and more, in one product | Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, Sybase, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and more, via per-platform cartridges |
| SQL Server / Oracle deep diagnostics | Included in the core product | Deeper diagnostics available via separate Spotlight on SQL Server / Spotlight on Oracle products |
| Pricing model | Published, per-instance, plus a free tier | Custom-quoted; priced per instance or seat plus per-platform cartridges |
| Wait-time analysis with change correlation | Yes, tied to deploys, plan flips, and parameter shifts | Baseline-deviation alerting with AI-suggested root cause |
| Granularity | 1 second data points | 1 minute aggregated data |
| Realtime data | Realtime up to the second | Usually 1-2 minutes behind live |
| AI-assisted root cause | Included in the core license | Foglight AI, a separate add-on licensed per seat |
| User interface | Modern web app | Dashboards commonly reported as complex, with a steep learning curve |
| Free tier | 1 instance, no card needed | No |
One product, not two, for SQL Server and Oracle diagnostics.
DBmarlin gives Oracle and SQL Server the same first-class depth as every other engine it supports: wait-time analysis, query plan capture, index recommendations, and AI co-pilot, all in the core product. No separate Spotlight-style purchase required to get deep diagnostics on either platform.
Wait-time analysis tied to deploys, plan flips, and parameter shifts.
DBmarlin automatically tracks schema changes, integrates with CI/CD tools for further change information, and correlates change with database performance. Comparison reports let you analyse before and after changes to see the impact, going beyond baseline-deviation alerting.
AI co-pilot included, not billed by the seat.
Foglight AI is licensed separately, per seat, on top of the base product. DBmarlin's AI co-pilot is part of the core license from your first instance, correlates wait events and plan changes with your deployment markers to surface the likely root cause and recommend the fix.
Teams that made the switch
Migration ease
You do not have to rip and replace. Run both, build confidence, cancel when you are ready.
01: Parallel run
Run DBmarlin alongside your existing Foglight setup, and Spotlight if you run it, for 30 days. No cutover pressure.
02: White-glove onboarding
Our team provides hands-on onboarding for the first 30 days, including live sessions, configuration review, and Slack access to your assigned engineer.
03: Cutover to DBmarlin
Most teams reach equivalent visibility within the first couple of weeks, then consolidate any separate Spotlight licenses into the same DBmarlin console before retiring Foglight for good.
Common questions
Before you book the demo
Does DBmarlin replace both Foglight and Spotlight, or do we still need two tools?
DBmarlin gives every supported platform, including SQL Server and Oracle, the same depth of wait-time analysis, plan history, and diagnostics in one product. Teams who ran Foglight for multi-database visibility and Spotlight for SQL Server or Oracle-specific diagnostics typically consolidate onto DBmarlin alone.
Do you support the same breadth of platforms as Foglight, including DB2 and Sybase?
Yes. DBmarlin monitors Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, IBM Db2, SAP ASE (Sybase), MongoDB, and more, across 12+ platforms, all included in the core product rather than sold as separate cartridges.
Can we run DBmarlin alongside Foglight during the trial?
Yes. DBmarlin runs alongside Foglight and Spotlight with no conflict, so you can validate coverage before you cancel anything. Most teams run both for 30 days and compare directly.
How does DBmarlin's AI co-pilot compare to Foglight AI?
Both use AI for root-cause guidance. Foglight AI and AI Optimizer are licensed separately, per seat, on top of the base Foglight product. DBmarlin's AI co-pilot is included in the core license and correlates wait events, plan changes, and deployment markers across your full fleet, not just within a single platform.
What is the migration path if we currently license Foglight cartridges plus Spotlight separately?
Point DBmarlin at your SQL Server or Oracle estate first if that is where Spotlight runs today, confirm parity, then bring in the other platforms currently covered by Foglight cartridges and consolidate onto a single DBmarlin contract.
See DBmarlin running on your stack in under 30 minutes.
Connect your first database for free. No card, no agent, no per-cartridge pricing.