SQL Server plan hit ratio alert


The Plan Hit Ratio alert notifies you when its configured condition is met on SQL Server instances so you can investigate and respond.

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Alert summary

  • Platform: SQL Server
  • Alert category: Memory
  • Default enabled: true
  • Default evaluation frequency: Minute
  • Threshold label: %
  • Unit: %

What Mini DBA checks

Mini DBA describes this alert as: The percentage of queries that reuse execution plans from the plan cache, if dipped below will trigger the alert Mini DBA evaluates this alert once a minute so changes are detected quickly.

How this alert helps

This alert gives Mini DBA a focused signal for a condition that can affect SQL Server reliability, performance, or operational visibility. It helps the team move from a general problem report to a specific metric, threshold, and investigation path.

When to enable it

Enable it on any monitored SQL Server 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.

Threshold guidance

Threshold meaning: %. Major threshold: 20 %. Minor threshold: 60 %. Comparison direction: under. For an under-threshold alert, increasing a threshold makes that severity fire sooner; decreasing it waits until the value falls further. Set the minor threshold as an early-warning level and the major threshold at the lowest acceptable value for the service.

Remediation for an active alert

Open the related Mini DBA page for the instance, compare the current value with the recent baseline, identify whether the change is caused by workload, configuration, host capacity, or maintenance, then record the corrective action in the incident notes.

Investigation workflow

  1. Confirm the alert is still active and note the first seen time, affected instance, and severity.
  2. Review the current metric, the recent trend, and the affected database, login, host, or application in Mini DBA before changing configuration or ending sessions.
  3. Compare the current value with the normal baseline for the same time of day or maintenance window.
  4. Record the cause, corrective action, and whether thresholds or routing should be adjusted after the incident.

Avoiding alert noise

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.

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