The Data File Write Time alert notifies you when its configured condition is met on Azure SQL Database instances so you can investigate and respond.
This alert measures point-in-time data-file write latency in milliseconds. Use it to find short periods of unusually slow storage that an average-latency alert may hide. Mini DBA evaluates the condition once a minute so changes are detected quickly.
This alert helps identify storage latency that can slow transactions and database work even when longer-term averages still look acceptable.
Enable it on any monitored Azure SQL Database instance where this condition would require an administrator to investigate or communicate with the application team. Tune noisy development systems after you have a short baseline.
The default minor threshold is 1,500 ms and the major threshold is 10,000 ms. Compare these values with the database's normal write latency and require the condition to persist long enough to avoid paging on an isolated storage spike.
Identify the affected data file and time window, then compare write latency with query load, waits, service-tier utilisation, maintenance, and recent growth. Reduce avoidable I/O or increase storage/service capacity when the workload has genuinely exceeded it.
If the alert creates repeated noise, review whether it is enabled on the correct instances, whether maintenance windows are configured, and whether the minor and major routes match the real business impact. Keep enough history to prove the new setting before changing it broadly.