Chapter 10

Configuring the Server for Optimal Performance

WHAT’S IN THIS CHAPTER

  • Defining Good Performance
  • What Every DBA Needs to Know about Performance
  • Configuration of Server Hardware
  • CPU Configuration Details
  • Memory Configuration and Options
  • I/O Design and Options

In the IT industry today, there are many different types of professionals that are responsible for databases and for the systems where those databases reside. The Developer DBA is primarily responsible for database design and for generating code (queries, stored procedures, etc.). The Production DBA is primarily responsible for database and database system configuration, maintenance, and availability. The Business Intelligence (BI) DBA is primarily responsible for the BI stack that is associated with SQL Server (SSIS, SSRS, SSAS and SharePoint, etc.) and relevant systems. One person may even be responsible for a combination of these tasks and is then referred to as a Hybrid DBA. Additionally, there are some DBAs who have never had formal training or may have taken over database servers out of necessity due to staff shortages. These are known as accidental DBAs. The accidental DBA will normally wear many hats and will need to get things right the first time due to resource constraints. (Refer to Chapter 1 for a more detailed description of each of these types of database professional.)

Developer database administrators need to know how to optimize performance to ensure that anything they design will perform up to ...

Get Professional Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Administration now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.