Microsoft® Exchange Server 2003 Unleashed

Best Practices for Performing Database Maintenance

Database maintenance is an easy task to put off because it is one of the most involved maintenance practices you will perform with any version of Exchange. It is also, however, one of the most important maintenance tasks to perform, and it is recommended that administrators run database maintenance routinely. Doing so keeps the Exchange Server 2003 system healthy, prevents downtime, helps maintain service levels, minimizes corruption, and reduces chances for data loss.

If your organization requires a reliable and stable messaging environment—and most organizations do—periodic database maintenance can be used to achieve these goals. The primary reason why Exchange systems at some point become ...