Documentation Grafana Cloud Monitor applications Database Observability Reference MySQL configuration

MySQL configuration impact

This reference explains how each MySQL configuration command affects the dashboards and panels in Database Observability. Use this information to understand why each permission, extension, and setting is needed and what breaks if a configuration is missing.

Summary

The following table summarizes the impact of each configuration on Database Observability:

Performance Schema

Requirement:

Performance Schema must be enabled for MySQL monitoring to work. This is typically enabled by default in modern MySQL versions.

Dashboard impact:

Performance Schema is the source of all query telemetry for MySQL. It powers:

• The entire Overview Page, including RED metrics (Rate, Errors, Duration)
• Query text display
• Query metrics
• The Query Details page

If disabled:

The Database Observability app is non-functional. No query data is collected or displayed.

Grant setup_actors

Command:

SQL Copy

GRANT INSERT, UPDATE ON performance_schema.setup_actors TO 'db-o11y'@'%';

Purpose:

The setup_actors table stores settings about which database users generate data in Performance Schema. This grant allows Alloy to disable tracking of its own monitoring queries.

Dashboard impact:

With this grant and the Alloy settings allow_update_performance_schema_settings and setup_actors.auto_update_setup_actors enabled:

• Alloy monitoring queries don’t appear in the Overview page
• All panels in the Overview show only application queries

If missing:

Alloy monitoring queries appear in dashboards, creating noise and increasing telemetry volume.

Configuration options

You have two options to disable tracking for the monitoring user:

Option 1: Manual configuration by DBA

Run this SQL command directly:

SQL Copy

UPDATE performance_schema.setup_actors
SET ENABLED = 'NO', HISTORY = 'NO'
WHERE USER = 'db-o11y';

With this approach, you don’t need to grant UPDATE on setup_actors to the monitoring user.

Option 2: Automatic configuration by Alloy (recommended)

1. Grant the UPDATE permission:

   SQL Copy

   GRANT INSERT, UPDATE ON performance_schema.setup_actors TO 'db-o11y'@'%';

2. Enable the Alloy settings allow_update_performance_schema_settings and setup_actors.auto_update_setup_actors in your Alloy configuration.

With this approach, Alloy automatically disables tracking for its own user and periodically verifies the setting remains disabled.

Grant setup_consumers

Command:

SQL Copy

GRANT UPDATE ON performance_schema.setup_consumers TO 'db-o11y'@'%';

Purpose:

The setup_consumers table stores settings about which specific wait events are tracked in Performance Schema. This grant allows Alloy to enable the consumers required for query samples and wait events.

Dashboard impact:

This configuration affects the following features in the Query Details page:

• Samples tab: Shows individual query execution samples
• Wait Events tab: Shows wait event analysis for queries

If missing:

The Samples tab and Wait Events tab in the Query Details page show no data.

Configuration options

You have two options to enable the required consumers:

Option 1: Manual configuration by DBA

Run this SQL command directly:

SQL Copy

UPDATE performance_schema.setup_consumers
SET ENABLED = 'YES'
WHERE NAME IN (
  'events_statements_cpu',
  'events_waits_current',
  'events_waits_history'
);

With this approach, you don’t need to grant UPDATE on setup_consumers to the monitoring user.

Option 2: Automatic configuration by Alloy (recommended)

1. Grant the UPDATE permission:

   SQL Copy

   GRANT UPDATE ON performance_schema.setup_consumers TO 'db-o11y'@'%';

2. Enable the Alloy setting that automatically configures consumers in your Alloy configuration.

With this approach, Alloy periodically checks that the required consumers are enabled and turns them on automatically if needed.

Required consumers

Alloy enables the following consumers for full functionality:

Related documentation

• Set up MySQL: Complete setup instructions for MySQL monitoring
• Troubleshoot MySQL: Validate MySQL configuration