Professional SQL Server® 2008 Internals and Troubleshooting

Chapter 8. Defining Your Approach To Troubleshooting

WHAT'S IN THIS CHAPTER

• How to approach troubleshooting

• Defining the problem you're working on

• Knowing your SLAs and baselines

• Defining the exit criteria

• Choosing how to gather data

• Your options for analyzing a data collection

• Troubleshooting components like failover Clustering, Replication, and Analysis Services

No matter what sort of problem you are approaching, there are certain factors you should always consider. Whether you are helping your kids with their homework, dealing with a mechanical issue, or troubleshooting a SQL Server problem there are common steps such as making sure you understand the problem and the people involved. If you can step back and think through these steps you can become a better problem solver.

In addition to the common steps, some steps are specific to SQL Server. Some of these steps are obvious; others only become important after you feel the results of skipping them.

This chapter provides the framework for how to approach problems with SQL Server. It serves as a foundation for all the remaining chapters. After walking through both the human and technical aspect of an effective troubleshooting methodology, later chapters will expand to fill in the details of troubleshooting specific problems.

APPROACHING THE PROBLEM CORRECTLY

How you approach a problem can make a huge difference in when, how, and even whether it is resolved. Your mind-set, or attitude, for example, can positively or negatively impact your project ...