Part 3. Database Administration

Edited by Paul S. Randal and Kimberly L. Tripp

A database administrator (DBA) has a tiresome and sometimes thankless job—until things go wrong. It’s then that a DBA’s skills are most apparent. But the less frequently anyone has to visit their DBA, the better that DBA is doing! So how does a good DBA do it?

A good DBA works with actions rather than words: automating, monitoring, tuning, but above all learning and constantly realizing what they don’t know. No one can know everything, and a good DBA recognizes that—even embraces it. A good DBA is always looking to improve their systems, learn tips and tricks, and prototype new configurations. A good DBA sets up alerts to be notified of errors and problems as soon as they begin to happen, possibly solving them before they turn into disasters. Just as in life, the sooner you know there’s a problem, the easier it may be to fix! (Did you know that you can set up SQL Server Alerts based on error severity levels—not just specific error numbers? For severity levels 19 and higher, a generic alert should notify you that an error has occurred.)

So, how does a DBA make this happen? Not only does a good DBA proactively look for faults before they become catastrophic but, when something does go wrong, a good DBA takes the time to do a root-cause analysis to make sure the risk is avoided in the future. Leveraging the SQL Server toolkit is imperative in making this happen. Auditing, leveraging the Dynamic Management Views (DMVs), using PowerShell, knowing the ins and outs of backup and restore, understanding security, understanding availability; there are a lot of areas to understand, and a good DBA must be a jack of all trades and a master of at least some! It’s not easy, and it’s more than just a job for a good DBA. SQL Server is a passion for these DBAs—a hobby in addition to their job—and they’re constantly learning and expanding on what they know to improve their uptime, minimize data loss, and even allow them to take a vacation once in a while...

This book won’t teach you everything you need to know to be a good DBA, but it’s one important part in the lifelong quest to get you there. Specifically, this section consists of tips and tricks from some of the many MVPs who are either full-time DBAs (or used to be) or who consult with DBAs who are constantly improving their systems and skills. Many of these topics are the particular passions of the authors, and they’ve donated their time and experiences to help us all become better DBAs. We truly want to thank them for their time and especially their passion.

SQL Server is a passion for both of us and we’ve enjoyed reading and learning from these chapters and experiences. Whether you’re a seasoned DBA or a newcomer to SQL Server, we know you’ll find material in this section that will help you learn, grow, and become a better DBA.

About the editors

Paul S. Randal and Kimberly L. Tripp are a husband-and-wife team who own and run SQLskills.com, a world-renowned SQL Server consulting and training company. They are both SQL Server MVPs and Microsoft Regional Directors, with over 30 years of combined experience on SQL Server.

Paul worked on the SQL Server team for nine years in development and management roles, writing many of the DBCC commands, with responsibility for core Storage Engine for SQL Server 2008. Paul writes extensively on his blog (SQLskills.com/blogs/Paul) and for TechNet Magazine, where he is a Contributing Editor.

Kimberly worked on the SQL Server team in the early 1990s as a tester and writer before leaving to found SQLskills and embrace her passion for teaching and consulting. Kimberly has been a regular at worldwide conferences since she first presented at TechEd in 1996, and she blogs at SQLskills.com/blogs/Kimberly.

Paul and Kimberly have written Microsoft white papers and books for SQL Server 2000, 2005, and 2008, and are regular, top-rated presenters worldwide on database maintenance, high availability, disaster recovery, performance tuning, and SQL Server internals. Together they teach the SQL MCM certification throughout Microsoft.

In their spare time they like to find frogfish in remote corners of the world.