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# Semantic conventions for Microsoft SQL Server client operations

**Status**: [Stable][DocumentStatus], Unless otherwise specified.

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- [Spans](#spans)
- [Metrics](#metrics)

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The Semantic Conventions for *Microsoft SQL Server* extend and override the [Database Semantic Conventions](README.md).

## Spans

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**Status:** ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen)

Spans representing calls to Microsoft SQL Server adhere to the general [Semantic Conventions for Database Client Spans](database-spans.md).

`db.system.name` MUST be set to `"microsoft.sql_server"` and SHOULD be provided **at span creation time**.

**Span kind** SHOULD be `CLIENT`.

**Span status** SHOULD follow the [Recording Errors](/docs/general/recording-errors.md) document.

| Attribute  | Type | Description  | Examples  | [Requirement Level](https://opentelemetry.io/docs/specs/semconv/general/attribute-requirement-level/) | Stability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [`db.namespace`](/docs/attributes-registry/db.md) | string | The database associated with the connection, qualified by the instance name. [1] | `instance1.products`; `customers` | `Conditionally Required` If available without an additional network call. | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |
| [`db.response.status_code`](/docs/attributes-registry/db.md) | string | [Microsoft SQL Server error](https://learn.microsoft.com/sql/relational-databases/errors-events/database-engine-events-and-errors) number represented as a string. [2] | `102`; `40020` | `Conditionally Required` If response has ended with warning or an error. | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |
| [`error.type`](/docs/attributes-registry/error.md) | string | Describes a class of error the operation ended with. [3] | `timeout`; `java.net.UnknownHostException`; `server_certificate_invalid`; `500` | `Conditionally Required` If and only if the operation failed. | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |
| [`server.port`](/docs/attributes-registry/server.md) | int | Server port number. [4] | `80`; `8080`; `443` | `Conditionally Required` [5] | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |
| [`db.collection.name`](/docs/attributes-registry/db.md) | string | The name of a collection (table, container) within the database. [6] | `public.users`; `customers` | `Recommended` [7] | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |
| [`db.operation.batch.size`](/docs/attributes-registry/db.md) | int | The number of queries included in a batch operation. [8] | `2`; `3`; `4` | `Recommended` | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |
| [`db.operation.name`](/docs/attributes-registry/db.md) | string | The name of the operation or command being executed. [9] | `EXECUTE`; `INSERT` | `Recommended` [10] | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |
| [`db.query.summary`](/docs/attributes-registry/db.md) | string | Low cardinality summary of a database query. [11] | `SELECT wuser_table`; `INSERT shipping_details SELECT orders`; `get user by id` | `Recommended` [12] | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |
| [`db.query.text`](/docs/attributes-registry/db.md) | string | The database query being executed. [13] | `SELECT * FROM wuser_table where username = ?`; `SET mykey ?` | `Recommended` [14] | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |
| [`db.stored_procedure.name`](/docs/attributes-registry/db.md) | string | The name of a stored procedure within the database. [15] | `GetCustomer` | `Recommended` [16] | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |
| [`server.address`](/docs/attributes-registry/server.md) | string | Name of the database host. [17] | `example.com`; `10.1.2.80`; `/tmp/my.sock` | `Recommended` | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |
| [`db.query.parameter.<key>`](/docs/attributes-registry/db.md) | string | A database query parameter, with `<key>` being the parameter name, and the attribute value being a string representation of the parameter value. [18] | `someval`; `55` | `Opt-In` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |
| [`db.response.returned_rows`](/docs/attributes-registry/db.md) | int | Number of rows returned by the operation. | `10`; `30`; `1000` | `Opt-In` | ![Development](https://img.shields.io/badge/-development-blue) |

**[1] `db.namespace`:** When connected to a default instance, `db.namespace` SHOULD be set to the name of
the database. When connected to a [named instance](https://learn.microsoft.com/sql/connect/jdbc/building-the-connection-url#named-and-multiple-sql-server-instances),
`db.namespace` SHOULD be set to the combination of instance and database name following the `{instance_name}|{database_name}` pattern.

A connection's currently associated database may change during its lifetime, e.g. from executing `USE <database>`.

If instrumentation is unable to capture the connection's currently associated database on each query
without triggering an additional query to be executed (e.g. `SELECT DB_NAME()`),
then it is RECOMMENDED to fallback and use the database provided when the connection was established.

Instrumentation SHOULD document if `db.namespace` reflects the database provided when the connection was established.

It is RECOMMENDED to capture the value as provided by the application without attempting to do any case normalization.

**[2] `db.response.status_code`:** Microsoft SQL Server does not report SQLSTATE.
Instrumentations SHOULD use [error severity](https://learn.microsoft.com/sql/relational-databases/errors-events/database-engine-error-severities) returned along with the status code to determine the status of the span. Response codes with severity 11 or higher SHOULD be considered errors.

**[3] `error.type`:** The `error.type` SHOULD match the `db.response.status_code` returned by the database or the client library, or the canonical name of exception that occurred.
When using canonical exception type name, instrumentation SHOULD do the best effort to report the most relevant type. For example, if the original exception is wrapped into a generic one, the original exception SHOULD be preferred.
Instrumentations SHOULD document how `error.type` is populated.

**[4] `server.port`:** When observed from the client side, and when communicating through an intermediary, `server.port` SHOULD represent the server port behind any intermediaries, for example proxies, if it's available.

**[5] `server.port`:** If using a port other than the default port for this DBMS and if `server.address` is set.

**[6] `db.collection.name`:** The collection name SHOULD NOT be extracted from `db.query.text`.

**[7] `db.collection.name`:** If the operation is executed via a higher-level API that does not support multiple collection names.

**[8] `db.operation.batch.size`:** Operations are only considered batches when they contain two or more operations, and so `db.operation.batch.size` SHOULD never be `1`.

**[9] `db.operation.name`:** The operation name SHOULD NOT be extracted from `db.query.text`.

**[10] `db.operation.name`:** If the operation is executed via a higher-level API that does not support multiple operation names.

**[11] `db.query.summary`:** The query summary describes a class of database queries and is useful
as a grouping key, especially when analyzing telemetry for database
calls involving complex queries.

Summary may be available to the instrumentation through
instrumentation hooks or other means. If it is not available, instrumentations
that support query parsing SHOULD generate a summary following
[Generating query summary](/docs/database/database-spans.md#generating-a-summary-of-the-query)
section.

**[12] `db.query.summary`:** if available through instrumentation hooks or if the instrumentation supports generating a query summary.

**[13] `db.query.text`:** For sanitization see [Sanitization of `db.query.text`](/docs/database/database-spans.md#sanitization-of-dbquerytext).
For batch operations, if the individual operations are known to have the same query text then that query text SHOULD be used, otherwise all of the individual query texts SHOULD be concatenated with separator `; ` or some other database system specific separator if more applicable.
Parameterized query text SHOULD NOT be sanitized. Even though parameterized query text can potentially have sensitive data, by using a parameterized query the user is giving a strong signal that any sensitive data will be passed as parameter values, and the benefit to observability of capturing the static part of the query text by default outweighs the risk.

**[14] `db.query.text`:** Non-parameterized query text SHOULD NOT be collected by default unless there is sanitization that excludes sensitive data, e.g. by redacting all literal values present in the query text. See [Sanitization of `db.query.text`](/docs/database/database-spans.md#sanitization-of-dbquerytext).
Parameterized query text SHOULD be collected by default (the query parameter values themselves are opt-in, see [`db.query.parameter.<key>`](/docs/attributes-registry/db.md)).

**[15] `db.stored_procedure.name`:** It is RECOMMENDED to capture the value as provided by the application
without attempting to do any case normalization.

For batch operations, if the individual operations are known to have the same
stored procedure name then that stored procedure name SHOULD be used.

**[16] `db.stored_procedure.name`:** If operation applies to a specific stored procedure.

**[17] `server.address`:** When observed from the client side, and when communicating through an intermediary, `server.address` SHOULD represent the server address behind any intermediaries, for example proxies, if it's available.

**[18] `db.query.parameter.<key>`:** If a query parameter has no name and instead is referenced only by index,
then `<key>` SHOULD be the 0-based index.

`db.query.parameter.<key>` SHOULD match
up with the parameterized placeholders present in `db.query.text`.

`db.query.parameter.<key>` SHOULD NOT be captured on batch operations.

Examples:

- For a query `SELECT * FROM users where username =  %s` with the parameter `"jdoe"`,
  the attribute `db.query.parameter.0` SHOULD be set to `"jdoe"`.

- For a query `"SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = %(username)s;` with parameter
  `username = "jdoe"`, the attribute `db.query.parameter.username` SHOULD be set to `"jdoe"`.

The following attributes can be important for making sampling decisions
and SHOULD be provided **at span creation time** (if provided at all):

* [`db.namespace`](/docs/attributes-registry/db.md)
* [`db.query.summary`](/docs/attributes-registry/db.md)
* [`db.query.text`](/docs/attributes-registry/db.md)
* [`server.address`](/docs/attributes-registry/server.md)
* [`server.port`](/docs/attributes-registry/server.md)

---

`error.type` has the following list of well-known values. If one of them applies, then the respective value MUST be used; otherwise, a custom value MAY be used.

| Value  | Description | Stability |
|---|---|---|
| `_OTHER` | A fallback error value to be used when the instrumentation doesn't define a custom value. | ![Stable](https://img.shields.io/badge/-stable-lightgreen) |

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## Metrics

Microsoft SQL Server client instrumentations SHOULD collect metrics according to the general
[Semantic Conventions for Database Client Metrics](database-metrics.md).

`db.system.name` MUST be set to `"microsoft.sql_server"`.

[DocumentStatus]: https://opentelemetry.io/docs/specs/otel/document-status
