Simple Log Service:Usage notes

Features

CloudLens for RDS provides the following features:

• Collection management

  Important

  You can collect error logs and slow query logs only from ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL and ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instances.

  • Allows you to manage the collection status of SQL audit logs, slow query logs, and error logs for ApsaraDB RDS instances in a centralized manner.

  • Automatically collects SQL audit logs, slow query logs, and error logs from existing ApsaraDB RDS instances and new instances.

  • Allows you to manage projects and Logstores in a centralized manner.

• Log audit

  • Allows you to store, query, and analyze SQL audit logs of ApsaraDB RDS instances in real time.

  • Provides various reports. You can subscribe to the reports and configure settings to receive the reports by email or DingTalk group message.

  • Provides various built-in alert monitoring rules, supports flexible configurations for alert policies, and sends alert messages in a timely and accurate manner.

Supported log types

Assets

• Custom projects and Logstores

  Important

  Do not delete the projects or Logstores that are related to ApsaraDB RDS logs. Otherwise, ApsaraDB RDS logs cannot be delivered to Simple Log Service.

• Dedicated dashboards

  By default, Simple Log Service generates three dashboards.

  Note

  We recommend that you do not make changes to the dedicated dashboards because the dashboards may be upgraded or updated at any time. You can create a custom dashboard to visualize query results. For more information, see Create a dashboard.

  Dashboard	Description
  RDS Operation Center	Displays statistics about access to databases and active databases. The statistics include the number of databases on which the operations are performed, number of tables on which the operations are performed, and number of execution errors. The statistics also include the total number of inserted rows, total number of updated rows, total number of deleted rows, and total number of obtained rows.
  RDS Performance Center	Displays the metrics that are related to O&M reliability. The metrics include the peak bandwidth for all SQL statements that are executed, peak bandwidth for SQL statements that query data, peak bandwidth for SQL statements that update data, and peak bandwidth for SQL statements that delete data. The metrics also include the average execution time of all SQL statements, average execution time of SQL statements that query data, average execution time of SQL statements that update data, and average execution time of SQL statements that delete data.
  RDS Security Center	Displays the metrics that are related to database security. The metrics include the number of errors, number of logon failures, number of bulk deletion events, number of bulk modification events, and number of times that high-risk SQL statements are executed. The metrics also include the distribution of error operations by type, distribution of clients that have errors on the Internet, and clients on which the largest number of errors occur.

Billing

• If you want to enable collection for SQL audit logs when you use CloudLens for RDS, you must enable the SQL Explorer feature in ApsaraDB RDS. The fees of the SQL Explorer feature are included in your ApsaraDB RDS bills. For more information, see Billable items.

  Note

  If your ApsaraDB RDS instance runs RDS Enterprise Edition, you are not charged for the SQL Explorer feature.

• After you collect the logs of ApsaraDB RDS instances to Simple Log Service, you are charged for storage, read traffic, number of requests, data transformation, and data shipping. The fees are included in your Simple Log Service bills. For more information, see Pay-by-feature.

Limits

• Only some types of ApsaraDB RDS instances support the SQL audit feature. For more information, see Features of ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL.

• The log collection feature of CloudLens for RDS depends on the SQL Explorer feature of ApsaraDB RDS.

  If you enable the collection of SQL audit logs for ApsaraDB RDS instances, the system automatically enables the SQL Explorer feature of the ApsaraDB RDS instances. If you already disabled the collection of SQL audit logs for ApsaraDB RDS instances and want to disable the SQL Explorer feature, you must manually disable the SQL Explorer feature in the ApsaraDB RDS console. For more information, see Disable the SQL Explorer feature.

• The ApsaraDB RDS instance from which you want to deliver logs to Simple Log Service must reside in the same region as the project to which you want to deliver the logs.

• All regions except Local Regions are supported.

Log collection methods

• Method 1: CloudLens for RDS

  • To collect SQL audit logs by using Method 1, log on to the Simple Log Service console. In the Log Application section, click the Audit & Security tab. Then, click CloudLens for RDS.

  • If you want to collect SQL audit logs from ApsaraDB RDS instances that are created within the same Alibaba Cloud account as Simple Log Service, we recommend that you use this method.

• Method 2: Log Audit Service

  • To collect SQL audit logs by using Method 2, log on to the Simple Log Service console. In the Log Application section, click the Audit & Security tab. Then, click Log Audit Service.

  • If you want to collect SQL audit logs from ApsaraDB RDS instances that are created within a different Alibaba Cloud account than Simple Log Service or from ApsaraDB RDS instances that are deployed in different regions, we recommend that you use this method.

• Method 3: Import Data - RDS SQL Audit

  • To collect SQL audit logs by using Method 3, log on to the Simple Log Service console. In the Import Data section, click the Cloud Products tab. Then, click RDS SQL Audit - Cloud Products.

  • This method is an alternative to Method 1.

Precautions

When you enable a CloudLens application, Simple Log Service automatically checks whether a project exists within your Alibaba Cloud account.