---
title: Identifying Databases for Database Monitoring
description: Understand how to identify your databases and hosts for DBM
breadcrumbs: >-
  Docs > Database Monitoring > Database Monitoring Guides > Identifying
  Databases for Database Monitoring
---

# Identifying Databases for Database Monitoring

## Database identifier{% #database-identifier %}

Each database instance that Datadog monitors has a unique identifier. For Postgres, MySQL, SQL Server, and Oracle, use the `database_identifier.template` path in the integration configuration to define instance identifiers.

The default value for `database_identifier.template` is `$resolved_hostname`, which uses the resolved hostname of the database host as the identifier. **Note**: The resolved hostname is usually the same as the specified connection `host`. In other cases, for example, if `host` is set to`localhost`, `$resolved_hostname` resolves to the actual hostname.

Most users do not need to change the default value. Changing the value of `template` is primarily useful when multiple database instances are hosted on one machine.

Each distinct instance identifier is billed as a host for Database Monitoring.

## Reported hostname{% #reported-hostname %}

The `reported_hostname` configuration allows users to override the automatic resolution of `host` for a single database instance. This is useful when connecting to a database through a proxy to maintain the association between the Database Monitoring database instance and any available metrics for the database host.

## Examples{% #examples %}

Multiple Postgres instances on one host, each on a different port:

```
database_identifier:
  template: $resolved_hostname:$port
```

SQL Server host with multiple instances:

```
database_identifier:
  template: $resolved_hostname/$instance_name
```

Azure pool with each database monitored separately ([requires 7.68+](https://github.com/DataDog/integrations-core/blob/7.68.x/sqlserver/assets/configuration/spec.yaml#L101)):

```
database_identifier:
  template: $azure_name/$database
```

A MySQL host called `mydatabase.com.local` running in multiple environments, where each is tagged with `env`, would use the following configuration to create database instances named `prod-mydatabase.com.local` and `staging-mydatabase.com.local`:

```
database_identifier:
  template: $env-$resolved_hostname
```

Connecting to an Oracle database with multiple CDBs through a proxy:

```
reported_hostname: my-oracle.mydomain.com
database_identifier:
  template: $resolved_hostname\$cdb_name
```