Business benefits and best practices of Microsoft SQL server
As data stores get bigger and bigger the process of analyzing such vast quantities of data becomes more and more challenging. A simple SELECT statement and an Excel Spreadsheet is just not enough. Business Intelligence solutions are becoming more and more widespread as a solution to the modern demands of data analysis.
Typical data analysis needs of businesses include:
Historic financial performance to measure actual achievements
Key Performance Indicators to identify how close to or far away from goals the business may be.
Trends in data to assess what might happen in the future, how to lay out a store or which potential clients to target in a marketing campaign.
Typical system needs are:
Minimum impact on system performance
Fast delivery of information to those that need it
Accurate and up to date information
Centralized management of data and information
Zero duplication of data or effort
Best Practices for Microsoft SQL Server Database
It’s Important To Maintain An Environment That’s Standardized
It’s always advisable to standardize your SQL server’s configurations. It’s good to keep your server and VM configurations as coherent as possible. You should also try to keep your database management plans and SQL Agent jobs pretty much the same. Maintaining consistency would minimize the complexity of operations.
Your Database Servers Should Be Dedicated To The SQL Server
It’s important for your SQL server instances to run on a dedicated server. A user needs to constantly check no other application such as print services or file running on the system simultaneously with your SQL server instances. Likewise, it’s always advisable to not run multiple server instances on the same server.
Efficiently Manage Your Log And Data Files
AUTOGROW should be enabled on your log and data files. Similarly, it is important for AUTOSHRINK to be turned off. It is recommended to create your data and log files with enough space in order to reduce the possibility of AUTOGROW events.
Follow The Least Privilege Security Principle
It’s important to understand that only the required security permissions should be given to the user. Don’t give developers administrative permissions. It has been recommended by MS that SQL server services are run using a domain account. A user should always be sure to give his SA account a strong password.
Always Test Your Backup Plans Before Implementing
If you want to restore your data to a given point in time, you need to be sure that you are using the bulk of full recovery models for your databases. It would be a good idea to perform full backups on a daily basis on all your user production and system databases. Most big businesses perform full log file backups at regular intervals throughout the day. If your businesses’ database uses the full recovery model, then it’s advisable to back up the transaction log in order to maintain its size. You should also make it a habit to perform test database restores to make sure they are working.
Use Verification Options
Always use verification options given to you by the backup utilities such as a TSQL BACKUP command, solutions to your backup software. It is also suitable to use advanced features like BACKUP CHECKSUM in order to keep track of problems related to media backups.
If you want to become an SQL expert, you should try taking a course of Querying Microsoft SQL . In case you need IT support with your server contact your IT provider or do not hesitate to contact PURE ICT
