Chapter 5: Designing a Strategy to Maintain a Database Solution

Microsoft Exam Objectives Covered in this Chapter:

• Create and implement a maintenance strategy for database servers.

  • Create a job dependency diagram.

  • Manage the maintenance of database servers.

• Design a database maintenance plan.

• Design a strategy to manage Reporting Services.

It would seem that the days of the database administrator (DBA) going home at 5 P.M. are no more. Organizations are buying more servers, installing more SQL Server instances, and implementing more database solutions. However, fear not! All is not lost. SQL Server provides you with all the tools you need to create a proactive maintenance solution that will ensure that your database solutions are optimal and that you can enjoy some beers with your mates at 5:30 P.M. at the local pub and watch the “wildlife” go by.

It’s all about designing an appropriate maintenance strategy and then correctly implementing it via the appropriate tools. In this chapter, you will concentrate on the core tasks that should be part of any database maintenance strategy before investigating the technologies and tools available to implement that strategy.