SQL Server 2008 Administration in Action

SQL Server 2008 Administration in Action

by Rodney C. Colledge
Released August 2009
Publisher(s): Manning Publications
ISBN: 9781933988726

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Book description

SQL Server 2008 Administration in Action offers over 100 DBA-tested, high-value, best practices that will help you tame the beast and keep it under control. Unlike the many comprehensive SQL Server reference tomes out there that attempt to cover the whole SQL Server feature set, this book drills down on the techniques, procedures, and practices that help you keep your database running like clockwork.



About the Technology

The integrity and security of your database is crucial to your business. SQL Server 2008 is a massive and mature product with a very large feature set. As a SQL Server administrator, you must be equipped to handle myriad day-to-day tasks to keep your database healthy, and you must also be prepared to act quickly when something unexpected happens.



About the Book

SQL Server 2008 Administration in Action focuses the production DBA, digging deep into the various tasks specific to that role. Expert author Rod Colledge — check him out at sqlCrunch.com — teaches you best practices that cover the lifecycle of a SQL Server system, including infrastructure design, installation, and operational maintenance. And while many of these techniques will work in any recent version of SQL Server, you'll find full coverage of emerging SQL Server 2008 best practices.

Each technique is presented in a task-driven style, and in the order of the typical life cycle of a SQL Server system. This allows you to easily open the book at the appropriate page and focus on what you need to know for each specific situation.



What's Inside
  • Selecting and configuring server components
    • Distributing I/O load over multiple controllers
    • Selecting the appropriate stripe size
    • Configuring storage cache
  • Preparing for SQL Server clustering
    • Configure the private network for cluster use only
    • Configure the cluster network priority
    • Prepare resources for a clustered SQL Server installation
  • Index selection and maintenance
    • Identify and drop unused indexes
    • Identify and create missing indexes
    • Select the appropriate clustered index
  • Database mirroring
    • Prepare the mirror server for failover
    • Select the appropriate failover mode
    • Consider disabling log stream compression for CPU bottlenecked systems
  • Upgrading SQL Server
    • Reduce downtime with T-Log backup/restore and the side-by-side upgrade method
    • Prior to an upgrade, run DBCC checks and take full backups with verification
    • Ensure read only is not enabled prior to the upgrade


About the Reader

This book is a DBA's best friend. It covers the most important and often overlooked areas that you need to maintain to keep your databases secure, in-tune, and well-protected in the event of disaster.



About the Author

Rod Colledge is an independent SQL Server consultant based in Brisbane, Australia. Since 1996, Rod has specialized in the development and administration of SQL Server database systems. His recent work has included the design and implementation of custom transactional replication and log shipping solutions, performance tuning large, high-volume databases, and developing procedures for operational maintenance of large database systems. In September 2007, Rod founded sqlCrunch.com, a website specializing in summarizing and categorizing links to SQL Server white papers and best practices.



Quotes
Simply loaded with excellent and immediately useful information.
- Kevin Kline, Quest Software

I thought I knew SQL Server until I read this book.
- Tariq Ahmed, Coauthor of Flex 4 in Action

A refreshing database administration book.
- Michael Redman, Microsoft

Required for any MS DBA.
- Andrew Siemer, OTX Research

It delivered way beyond my expectations...Packed with useful enterprise-level knowledge.
- Darren Neimke, Author of ASP.NET 2.0 Web Parts in Action

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Foreword
  3. Preface
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. About this book
  6. About the cover illustration
  7. About the author
  8. Planning and installation
    1. The SQL Server landscape
      1. SQL Server 2008: evolution or revolution?
      2. Editions and features
      3. SQL Server tools
      4. DBA responsibilities
    2. Storage system sizing
      1. Characterizing I/O workload
      2. Determining the required number of disks and controllers
      3. Selecting the appropriate RAID level
      4. Selecting an appropriate storage system
      5. SQL Server and SANs
      6. Solid-state disks
      7. Best practice considerations: storage system sizing
    3. Physical server design
      1. Disk configuration
      2. CPU architecture
      3. Memory configuration
      4. Networking components
      5. Server consolidation and virtualization
      6. Best practice considerations: physical server design
    4. Installing and upgrading SQL Server 2008
      1. Preparing for installation
      2. Installing SQL Server
      3. Upgrading to SQL Server 2008
      4. Developing a service pack upgrade strategy
      5. Best practice considerations: installing and upgrading SQL Server
    5. Failover clustering
      1. Clustering overview
      2. Clustering topologies and failover rules
      3. Installing a clustered SQL Server instance
      4. Best practice considerations: failover clustering
  9. Configuration
    1. Security
      1. Authentication mode
      2. Networking
      3. Implementing least privilege
      4. Auditing
      5. Data encryption
      6. SQL injection protection
      7. Best practice considerations: security
    2. Configuring SQL Server
      1. Memory configuration
      2. CPU configuration
      3. Server configuration
      4. Operating system configuration
      5. Best practice considerations: configuring SQL Server
    3. Policy-based management
      1. Server management challenges
      2. Policy-based management terms
      3. Policies in action
      4. Enterprise policy management
      5. Advanced policy-based management
      6. Best practice considerations: policy-based management
    4. Data management
      1. Database file configuration
      2. Filegroups
      3. BLOB storage with FileStream
      4. Data compression
      5. Best practice considerations: data management
  10. Operations
    1. Backup and recovery
      1. Backup types
      2. Recovery models and data loss exposure
      3. Backup options
      4. Online piecemeal restores
      5. Database snapshots
      6. Backup compression
      7. Best practice considerations: backup and recovery
    2. High availability with database mirroring
      1. High-availability options
      2. Transaction log shipping
      3. Database mirroring overview
      4. Mirroring modes
      5. Failover options
      6. Mirroring in action
      7. Best practice considerations: high availability
    3. DBCC validation
      1. DBCC validation overview
      2. Preventing and detecting corruption
      3. Controlling CHECKDB impact
      4. Removing corruption
      5. Best practice considerations: DBCC validation
    4. Index design and maintenance
      1. An introduction to indexes
      2. Index design
      3. Index analysis
      4. Index maintenance
      5. Managing statistics
      6. Best practice considerations: index design and maintenance
    5. Monitoring and automation
      1. Activity Monitor
      2. SQL Server Profiler
      3. Performance Monitor
      4. Task automation and alerts
      5. Best practice considerations: monitoring and automation
    6. Data Collector and MDW
      1. Component overview
      2. Setup and configuration
      3. Data collection
      4. Custom collection sets
      5. Reporting
      6. Best practice considerations: Data Collector and MDW
    7. Resource Governor
      1. Resource Governor overview
      2. Classifier function
      3. Workload groups
      4. Resource pools
      5. Resource Governor in action
      6. Monitoring resource usage
      7. Best practice considerations: Resource Governor
    8. Waits and queues:a performance-tuning methodology
      1. SQLOS schedulers
      2. Wait analysis
      3. Common performance problems
      4. Waits, queues, and DMV cross-reference
      5. Best practice considerations: performance tuning
  11. Top 25 DBA worst practices
  12. Suggested DBA work plan
    1. Daily tasks
    2. Weekly tasks
    3. Monthly tasks
  13. Common Performance Monitor counters
    1. CPU
    2. Memory
    3. Disk
    4. Network
    5. SQL Server
  14. Top 10 Management Studio enhancements
  15. Date/time data types in SQL Server 2008
    1. DATE
    2. TIME
    3. DATETIME2
    4. DATETIMEOFFSET

Product information

  • Title: SQL Server 2008 Administration in Action
  • Author(s): Rodney C. Colledge
  • Release date: August 2009
  • Publisher(s): Manning Publications
  • ISBN: 9781933988726