SQL Server® 2008 Administration: Instant Reference

3.1. Perform Capacity Planning

SQL Server requires resources to function efficiently. There are four primary resources that SQL Server will consume to do its job:

• Disk and the I/O subsystem

• Memory

• CPU

• Network

When planning for capacity, it is especially important to pay attention to disk and memory resources. These are the resources most likely to be in short supply as most applications that are resource constrained tend to be constrained by these specific resources. Understanding how SQL Server uses them is critical to creating an effective database environment. Figure 3.1 illustrates the relationship between SQL Server memory and disk resources.

In the figure, you will notice the interplay between SQL Server disk and memory. The disk acts as ...