subject: Sql Server Maintenance- A System to Manage Your Database in Tip Top Shape [print this page] Sql Server Maintenance- A System to Manage Your Database in Tip Top Shape
SQL Server database is one of the most prevalent products used by businesses world over. If you are using SQL server Database, you will be well aware of its importance. It is one of the most important assets for an organization and backbone of all the tasks performed. However, a sluggish and disorganized database can cost you expensive in many ways; wasting your money, time and efforts and your customer's. If you follow a regular SQL server maintenance plan comprised of best SQL server scripts, SQL server scripting and maintenance tasks, you can ensure that your database is working at top efficiency.
To have most efficient SQL Server maintenance in the top position, some key items need to be targeted. These include a good database design, well-written SQL server scripts, correct indexes, current statistics and defragmented indexes and data. However, achieving first two items is quite a challenge for most businesses since with growing business needs and changing usage patterns, systems keep changing and growing. It becomes quite difficult to manage get them right at the very first time. Further, it is quite complicated to make changes, as it is very difficult to integrate all the new requirements and time consuming too. At the time of writing SQL server scripting initially, the developer ignores the issue that may develop as the database grows and he or she develops according to the needs now.
Creating new indexes with growing needs is not a problem at all as new indexes can be added as and when required. The last two items, current statistics and defragmented indexes and data, should be maintained properly to ensure that SQL server scripts keep running efficiently. SQL server maintenance does not take much time and effort, but give long lasting results for keeping your database in healthy condition. The basic and most important maintenance tasks include index rebuilds, defragmenting indexes and data and statistics updates.
SQL Server maintenance plan offers several options to perform maintenance tasks. It has inbuilt options that can be selected to update statistics and rebuild indexes. For instance, "Reorganize data and index pages" option will help you rebuilt your indexes in an efficient manner. You can reorganize pages within the original amount of free space. Another option is to change free space per page available to accommodate new data and this is a very important option for a busy system.
The second important task is "Update statistics used by query optimizer". It will reorganize statistics on the tables. Using this option, SQL server can determine where to access the data. Keep one basic thing in mind that when you rebuilt indexes, statistics are rebuilt automatically.
These maintenance options are provided while SQL Server scripting is being done. For the SQL server maintenance, following sequence should be followed
Check the database integrity
Reduce the database
Reorganize the index
Rebuild the index
Update the statistics
Back up the database
Clean up the history
If you find it a bit challenging, you can make use of Praetorian Guard products that offers you the ability to create and run SQL server scripts without logging into SQL Server maintenance studio.
For More details please log on to http://www.praetorianguard.net/
