monitoring-background-jobs
Monitoring Background Jobs
Monitors background job health by identifying failed, paused, and long-running jobs that are distinct from user queries. Uses SQL-only interfaces (SHOW JOBS and SHOW AUTOMATIC JOBS) to surface schema changes, backups/restores, automatic statistics collection, and SQL stats compaction without requiring DB Console access.
Prerequisites
- SQL connection with
VIEWJOBsystem privilege (read-only) orCONTROLJOBrole option (control) - Background jobs are excluded from
SHOW CLUSTER STATEMENTSand from statement statistics surfaced in the DB Console SQL Activity page
Related skills: triaging-live-sql-activity for live queries, profiling-statement-fingerprints for historical query analysis.
Key Interfaces
SHOW JOBS: User-initiated + automatic jobs (last 12h default; retention configurable via thejobs.retention_timecluster setting, default 14 days)SHOW AUTOMATIC JOBS: Automatic jobs only (AUTO CREATE STATS, SCHEMA CHANGE GC, etc.)
See job types reference and job states reference for complete catalogs.
Core Diagnostic Queries
More from cockroachlabs/cockroachdb-skills
cockroachdb-sql
Use when writing, generating, or optimizing SQL for CockroachDB, designing CockroachDB schemas, or when the user asks about CockroachDB-specific SQL patterns, type mappings, and distributed database best practices. Also use when encountering CockroachDB anti-patterns like missing primary keys, sequential ID hotspots, or incorrect type usage.
36analyzing-range-distribution
Analyzes CockroachDB range distribution across tables and indexes using SHOW RANGES to identify range count, size patterns, leaseholder placement, and replication health. Use when investigating hotspots, uneven data distribution, range fragmentation, or validating zone configuration effects without DB Console access.
32auditing-table-statistics
Audits optimizer table statistics for staleness, missing coverage, and data quality issues using SHOW STATISTICS. Use when diagnosing poor query performance, unexpected plan changes, or after bulk data changes to identify stale statistics requiring refresh via CREATE STATISTICS.
30managing-cluster-settings
Reviews, audits, and modifies CockroachDB cluster settings. Self-Hosted has full control over all settings and start flags. Advanced/BYOC can modify most SQL-level settings but infrastructure settings are managed by CRL. Standard has limited settings access — session variables are the primary tuning mechanism. Basic has minimal settings — use session variables and Cloud Console. Use when auditing configuration, tuning performance, or troubleshooting settings-related issues.
29benchmarking-transaction-patterns
Guides benchmarking and comparing explicit multi-statement transactions versus single-statement CTE transactions in CockroachDB, with fair test methodology, contention analysis, and performance interpretation. Use when comparing transaction formulations, benchmarking CockroachDB workloads under contention, investigating retry pressure, or deciding whether to rewrite multi-step application flows into single SQL statements.
29performing-cluster-maintenance
Manages planned cluster maintenance across all tiers. Self-Hosted covers node drain procedures for OS patching, hardware changes, and configuration updates. Advanced/BYOC covers maintenance window configuration, patch scheduling, deferral policies, and monitoring during CRL-managed maintenance. Standard and Basic maintenance is fully managed with no customer action. Use when planning maintenance, configuring maintenance windows, or preparing applications for maintenance events.
29