The document discusses best practices for managing large databases, emphasizing the need for proper hardware, optimization, and continuous maintenance. It covers specific guidelines for SQL Server configuration, performance, and realities of servicing and maintenance. The author shares insights from personal experience as an MCT SQL Server technology team lead at HP.

1. Is “the bigger the better” valid in the
database world?
Best practices around VLDBs
HP FastTrack Solution
Tips, tricks and gotchas with multi-TB databases

2. About me
Ivan Donev, MCT
SQL Server Technology Team Lead, HP
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3. Agenda
 Introduction
 Best practices in configuration
 HP FastTrack Reference Architecture 4.0
 Share the experience
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4. Introduction
 More data
 Needs larger hardware
 Needs optmization
 Needs time
 Requires more responsiblities
 More responsibilities
 Need more attention
 Require more knowledge
 Give you more headaches
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5. Best practices - IO
 Hardware - trust your vendor
 Follow the Storage Top 10 Best Practices
 HBA Queue Depth
 TEST, TEST, TEST
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6. Best practices – SQL Server
 Startup options
 -E and T1117
 T834?
 MaxServerMemory
 MaxDop – never leave it to 0
 Local policy
 Lock pages in memory
 Perform Volume maintenance tasks
 Resource governor!
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7. Best practices – Inside SQL Server
 TempDB
 Microsoft rules – 1 file per CPU
 Experience
 Partitioning
 Compression – be careful!
 Column Store index
 Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance!!!
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8. HP FastTrack 4.0
 Prebuild Hardware for best
performance
 Configuration Guide
 Performance
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9. Let’s talk about reality
 The hardware - HP DL980 G7
 2TB RAM
 8x8-core Intel Xeon => 128 logical CPUs
 Storage – dedicated P2000 and XP24000
 The Software
 Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1
 SQL Server 2008 R2 Enterprise with CU7
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11. Let’s talk about reality - servicing
 T834 flag or why the engine is not booting up
 Patching and ugrade
 Upgrade from SQL Server 2005 to 2008 R2
 Approach
 Licensing
 Bugs
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12. Let’s talk about reality - maintenance
 Examine fragmentation
 Do not forget about statistics
 Check the integrity
 Size matters
 Autogrowth and proportional fill
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13. Let’s talk about reality - compression
 Estimate compression gain
 Compress and keep compressing
 How do we reclaim the space?
 Moving object to new file
 Shrinking
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14. IS THE BIGGER THE BETTER?
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16. Sponsors