SQL Server - Check for opened Activity Monitor

Question

I'm looking for a way to send an alert when a DBA tool is connected for "too long" on a SQL Server Production database.

For most of the tools I listed out, I can find the program name with the following query.

select 
    login_time,
    host_name,
    program_name,
    login_name,
    nt_domain,
    nt_user_name,
    last_request_start_time 
 From sys.dm_exec_sessions
 where host_name is not null 

However, I can't find the Activity Monitor tool even though it's running. I use a SQL Server 2012 Management Studio and I run it against a SQL Server 2012 instance.

Do you have an idea about the reason I can't see it ? Does the Activity Monitor do "connect/disconnect" to show its content ?

If it's the case, it's absolutely normal I can't find it there and I would have to change my way to check it with an extended event or a logon trigger...

Answer 1

The Activity Monitor shows up as a standard user session, "sleeping" in tempdb (database_id = 2, generally), with the program_name of "Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio".

It only queries at the rate of it's refresh window, but those identifiers, plus the total_elapsed_time, should make it feasible to find your idling monitors.