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Five Mistakes When Building and Maintaining a SQL Server Database
The creation and maintenance of a SQL server database environment is no simple task. Quite a few parameters regarding troubleshooting, support and design must be considered. Disregarding certain details or making small mistakes can really make this a difficult job.
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Below is a list of five common mistakes when building and maintaining a SQL Server database environment. There are certainly more, but these are a few that you should be aware of.
1. No Backup Plan
If you aren't backing up your databases often you are leaving yourself open for disaster. Backup planning should involve regular backups, ability to gather and recover backed up data, and use of locations other than database server for storage purposes. Be sure to backup early and often. Situations where backups are unavailable are not good for anyone.
2. Utilization of Ad Hoc Queries
Stored procedures on the application level should be the only way a user can access the database. Ad hoc queries enable users to write their own code against the database with SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE permissions. EXECUTE is the only permission allowed through stored procedures which, in turn, will lead the preservation of the data and also enhanced performance through caching and compiling. Ideal SQL optimization starts with getting rid of all or most of these ad hoc queries.
3. Not Enough Testing
Just like having a bad backup plan, if you put code in production before it is tested you are putting yourself in a bad spot. It is certainly a mistake not to provide for beta and sustained testing. An optimal pre-production test should be as similar as possible to the production environment. A small database meant for testing purposes probably won't scale well to a fully functional production environment. Performing tests now is always preferred over making fixes later.
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4. Insufficient Monitoring
You can’t expect to flick the switch and have your databases run perfectly without performance issues. Continued SQL optimization requires regular performance monitoring to ensure a quality end user experience. Lack of or inadequate monitoring runs the risk of applications and queries slowing down performance by consuming too many system resources. SQL server hardware environments and queries need to have constant monitoring and optimization to make certain that performance is as good as it can get. SQL monitors give DBAs a historical view of trend data to help them create a plan to tune the database and improve performance.
5. Improper Process for Change Management
Changes to a stable production environment should not be undertaken lightly. It requires the appropriate testing, planning, and implementation processes. Using a change management process will offer better structure when making changes. Documenting how, why and when changes need to be made allows for fast reversions in instances where a change to the database didn't go as planned. Thorough pre-production tests must also be a piece in the change management puzzle. One simple hint: document everything.