Spotlight Reviews

Name: Spotlight
Brand: Quest Software
Rating: 4.4 (5 reviews)

4.4 out of 5

5 reviews
100% willing to recommend

What is Spotlight?

Spotlight efficiently facilitates database monitoring, performance tuning, and troubleshooting with features that enhance problem isolation and long-term capacity planning. While valuable for API development, improvements in virtualization support and pricing could elevate its appeal.

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Spotlight is the #5 ranked solution in top Database Development and Management solutions. PeerSpot users give Spotlight an average rating of 8.8 out of 10. Spotlight is most commonly compared to Oracle Enterprise Manager: Spotlight vs Oracle Enterprise Manager. Spotlight is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 63% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 15% of all views.

Buyer's Guide

Database Development and Management

July 2025

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Helped 865,384 peers since 2012

Featured Spotlight reviews

Seha R

Group Product Manager at Uop Ipl

We use the tool for the design and development of public APIs. It is used in the first cycle of our API development. The product helps us to create APIs in the format that we are looking for and use those specifications in our API documentation. We have experienced easiness in API designing. The…

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BlakeCheatham

Sr. Database Administrator at Comcast Business

Spotlight provides valuable features such as the ability to get alerted and drill down to a very granular level to find out where actual problems are coming from. The drill-down feature helps with isolation, root cause analysis, and determining next steps. It aids in preventing potential issues by allowing us to make correctable changes internally within SQL Server. When needed, it also helps address external influences affecting system design. Additionally, the historical data analysis is helpful for long-term capacity planning.

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reviewer1296948

Senior Solution Architect at Capita

We use it in our company, and it is used daily. It is primarily for standard monitoring of the databases and various aspects of performance tuning. We are using its latest version Its dashboards are most valuable. The drill-down of the dashboards is useful. Some customizations of the dashboard,…

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Spotlight mindshare

As of August 2025, the mindshare of Spotlight in the Database Development and Management category stands at 6.5%, down from 8.1% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database Development and Management

Key learnings from peers

Last updated Aug 19, 2025

Valuable Features

Spotlight's most valued features include its alerting process, ease of setup, and configuration. Its ability to go back in time and highlight anomalies aids in problem identification and resolution. Users appreciate the intuitive dashboards and drill-down capabilities for root cause analysis. Time monitoring and historical data analysis support long-term planning. Integration with source control and support for authentication enhance its versatility, making it a vital tool for managing system performance and preventing potential issues.

"Spotlight provides valuable features such as the ability to get alerted and drill down to a very granular level to find out where actual problems are coming from."
"Spotlight provides valuable features such as the ability to get alerted and drill down to a very granular level to find out where actual problems are coming from."
"The tool is a SaaS product where I just need to type a URL and start with the design process. I can integrate all elements of source control like GitHub, GitLab, etc. The tool also supports authentication-related provisions like SSH."

Room for Improvement

Spotlight needs better support for Hyper-V, improved pricing strategies, and enhanced storage features with the ability to save and access situations over time. Users mention a lack of reporting and suggest potential benefits from dashboard customizations and advanced API support. Missing index suggestions, local source control capabilities, and advanced execution plan analysis are areas for potential improvement. Additionally, supporting webhooks and ensuring changes reflect across specifications are necessary enhancements.

"One improvement could be the inclusion of suggestions for missing indexes or better analysis of how indexes are utilized and how execution plans are used, similar to what other products offer."
"One improvement could be the inclusion of suggestions for missing indexes or better analysis of how indexes are utilized and how execution plans are used, similar to what other products offer."
"The software does not support webhooks. It doesn't support advanced versions of APIs. The tool also doesn't support advanced versions of specifications. The change that we do in one part of the model is not reflected throughout the specification. There are also some mutations in the clones. I am not able to do a local source control with the product as well."

Pricing

"The tool is cloud-based. It is priced well."
"Its cost was somewhere in the middle."

Popular Use Cases

Spotlight is primarily used for monitoring databases, focusing on performance tuning and daily company use. It assists with database monitoring, design, and development of public APIs, helping in the initial cycle of API development by creating APIs in desired formats for documentation. Additionally, it serves in troubleshooting and alerting for issues like indexing and long-running processes, enabling users to identify and address problems efficiently through drill-down features.

Service and Support

Spotlight customer service and support are generally well-regarded. They are responsive and provide clear explanations, ensuring user comfort during updates. Although some users have not needed assistance, those who have contacted support found them effective. Technical support is available and competent, with users acknowledging the service quality from past experiences as well. Spotlight's team offers assurance during upgrades and verifies any issues with new versions, maintaining a high level of service satisfaction.

Scalability

Spotlight is described as highly scalable. Several users note no difficulties in expanding its capabilities to meet their needs. It effectively supports multiple users, with some companies mentioning a modest number utilizing it for database monitoring. This implies that Spotlight can efficiently handle varying amounts of users while maintaining performance, showcasing its adaptability in different organizational environments.

Stability

Spotlight demonstrates a high degree of stability. Users have consistently observed strong performance with no significant challenges. However, an upgrade from version 9 posed an issue when supporting Server 2012-R2, specifically tied to SQL 2008-R2, necessitating an urgent restart of the instance. This temporary loss of server visibility was resolved post-reboot. Apart from this isolated incident, users widely regard Spotlight as consistently stable.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Database Development and Management Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Healthcare Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Government

Hospitality Company

Retailer

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

Energy/Utilities Company

University

Insurance Company

Non Profit

Transportation Company

Construction Company

Legal Firm

Performing Arts

Real Estate/Law Firm

Wholesaler/Distributor

Logistics Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Comms Service Provider

Consumer Goods Company

Aerospace/Defense Firm

Wellness & Fitness Company

Renewables & Environment Company

Media Company

Pharma/Biotech Company

Outsourcing Company

Mining And Metals Company

Recruiting/Hr Firm

Venture Capital & Private Equity Firm

Compare Spotlight with alternative products

Learn more about Spotlight

Spotlight empowers users with capabilities such as alerting processes and comprehensive dashboards, making it an essential asset in analyzing historical data and time monitoring to identify problems. It integrates seamlessly with source control like GitHub and supports authentication, streamlining design processes and facilitating root cause analysis with drill-down capabilities. Primarily used for identifying indexing, long-running processes, and other performance issues, Spotlight aids API design through its daily monitoring capabilities, ensuring smooth operations. It currently has room for enhancements, particularly in support for Hyper-V virtualization overhead, webhooks, and API advancements. Pricing adjustments and improvements in custom dashboards, especially for backup reports, would increase user satisfaction.

What are Spotlight's key features?

Alerting Processes: Swiftly identifies issues with real-time notifications.
Ease of Setup: Simple integration with existing systems.
Comprehensive Dashboards: Offers a clear analysis of system performance.
Historical Data Analysis: Helps in problem identification and anomaly detection.
Drill-Down Capabilities: Enhances problem isolation and root cause analysis.

What benefits can users expect from Spotlight?

Problem Detection: Quick identification of issues improves system performance.
Efficiency in Capacity Planning: Supports long-term infrastructure management.
Seamless Integration: Works well with tools like GitHub to streamline processes.
Enhanced API Development: Aids in creating quality APIs with proper documentation.

Companies in diverse sectors utilize Spotlight for its robust database monitoring and problem-solving capabilities. Its integration with tools like GitHub allows software development teams to streamline processes. Finance and tech industries leverage its performance tuning features to ensure optimal database operations, while organizations focused on API development benefit significantly from its detailed monitoring and alerting functionalities.

Spotlight was previously known as Dell Spotlight.