Creating Maintenance "Strategeries": It’s Not Just About WMDs

Presenter: Erin Stellato

Session Details

If you manage maintenance tasks for databases you know that there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for database maintenance. Developing the right set of plans requires more than just knowing the Window that Minimizes Downtime (WMD).  Backups, integrity checks and optimizations are the tasks that must be done.  How can you do this?  How often? Do you rebuild or reorg?  What’s the best sample size?  What about fill factor?  If you’ve asked these questions about the internal or third-party databases that you manage, or you’ve wondered if your current maintenance strategy is optimal, then this session is for you.

As a consultant for an Independent Software Vendor (ISV), Erin has worked with numerous customers to develop the right strategy and will share lessons learned in the field.  We will discuss what factors the DBA must consider, as well as methods that can be used to answer the aforementioned questions.  Keep in my mind there is no right answer; it depends.  This session is about what you need to know to find the right answer.  Attendees will walk away with a to-do list of tasks and scripts to help them find the answers, from which they can then develop optimal maintenance strategies.

About the Speaker

Erin Stellato is a Senior Database Engineer at Hyland Software, Inc. in Westlake, OH.  She has over 10 years of technology experience, and has worked with SQL Server for the last seven years.  Erin works with customers to provide support for problems that involve the database and system performance.  She is an active member of the SQL Server community and blogs about her experiences at http://www.erinstellato.com.  Her areas of interest include Internals, Maintenance strategies, Performance Tuning and High Availability.