1. ProgressBook Suite Maintenance
SQL and Web Server strategies to combat the mob activity of school systems

2. Maintenance Plans and SQL Jobs
Recommended
Indexes and fragmentation
Log table growth
SQL Settings
Log file growth
Shrinking databases
TempDB files
ProgressBook Suite logging
Config File Settings
Connection string application names
Debug and logging settings
64 Bit applications
Windows Updates

3. Maintenance Plans and SQL Jobs
Why?
How?
Dynamic data
Database integrity/consistency checks
Data corruption
Rebuild/reorganize indexes
Disk allocation fluctuation
Database backups
Unused logging
Error Log cleanup

4. Maintenance Plan Options
Custom Maintenance Jobs
Manual setup through scripts
SQL server agent
Maintenance Task Wizard
Easy to use
Not very customizable

5. Consistency/Integrity Checks
Checks to make sure each object is where SQL says it should be allocated
Checks to make sure each piece of data is the data type that SQL says it should be
Resource intensive on large databases like StudentInformation
Physical only
Allows for quick, resource light execution
At the cost of detailed check (skips indexes and more)
Recommendations: Run an integrity check once a week at night for StudentInformation and GradeBook.
Additional: Nightly with Physical_Only for StudentInformation
On Error:
Backup recovery
Drop/recreate bad tables, if possible
Repair command

6. Rebuild and Reorganize Indexes
Check fragmentation often using Physical Statistics Report.
Right Click >> Reports >> Standard Reports >> Index Physical Statistics Report
Rebuild fragmented indexes during emergencies using the rebuild command.
Right click index >> Rebuild
Reorganize fragmented index during heavy usage, if necessary
Lightweight
Can be done online all the time
Right click index >> Reorganize

7. Rebuild and Reorganize indexes (Continued)
Recommendations:
StudentInformation
Rebuild on weekends
Reorganize nightly
GradeBook

8. Log Table Cleanup Software Answers creates large logging tables
Ongoing problem checks
Must create SQL Job
Recommended:
Pb_master: Truncate Elmah_Errors table nightly
CentralAdmin: Delete security audits older than 30 days
Stored procedure is set up in CentralAdmin
Dbo.DeleteOldSecurityAudits
StudentInformation: Delete log table values older than 30 days

9. Backups Stores a copy of your database Full All the data
Stores snapshot at the time of the backup execution
Also used to recover pieces of data that may have been mistakenly removed
Differential
Cumulatively adds the changed data to a current full backup after a specified amount of time
Transactional
Backs up transaction logs
Can restore to a specific point
Resource intensive
Recommended:
All databases: nightly full backups
Keep databases for a week
Sufficient for the size and activity of Software Answers’ products
Simple recovery set on databases

10. Maintenance Task Option
Maintenance plan easiest to first create through the wizard
Once done, you can edit the task
Set properties after wizard
Can also run scripts through a maintenance task

11. Shrinking Databases
Used to release large quantities of freed disk space
Pros:
Regain disk space from allocated
Cons:
Reallocation (auto-growth) of new disk space during uptime can cause poor performance
Growth can cause fragmentation
Recommendations
Only shrink after very large log table truncation/deletion when trying to free up disk space
Set Database/Log autogrowth to:
StudentInformation: 2GB, Unlimited
GradeBook: 500 MB, Unlimited

12. Adding TempDB Files Recommended:
1 TempDB file per logical CPU
All SQL server instances
Helps complete I/O faster through having multiple channels
Improves performance
TEMPDB files

13. Logging For ProgressBook Applications
Where to look for particular application errors

14. ELMAH: ParentAccess and Virtual Classroom
Elmah errors
Error logging modules and handlers
Accessed 2 ways
Log table pb_master.dbo.ELMAH_Error
Page in ParentAccess
…/elmah
Report of latest ELMAH errors
Errors on page reflect table
User column provided to narrow results to particular parent

15. Log4Net_Log: Gradebook & PublishService
File and DataBase table
Level adjusted in config file
ALL or INFO – For gathering every action
ERROR – Errors and ratal errors
Applications
GradeBook
Report Card Publish Service
ParentAccess Events
Provides less descriptive results than elmah

16. SpecialServices Errorlog
SPS writes to pb_district.dbo.ErrorLog table on each error page
Contains a studentID and UserId column to search from scope of error

17. StudentInformation and Vendorlink
Log Table
VendorLink calls
DataMap errors also
Symptoms to look in Log table
Failed VendorLink calls
500 Errors
ed DASL Exceptions
These are not logged in database

18. Central Security Audit
CentralAdmin.Audit.Security
Audits every user login/logout
Easy access to prove malicious logins of particular users
Provides application and security actions handled for the user
Sign in/out
Locked account
Password reset

19. Config Recommendations
StudentInformation
Debug = False
Adjusted in 15.0
ConnectionStrings
Rename Application Name value to proper app name
GradeBook
ParentAccess
Log4Net logging
Set to “Error” unless problem arises
GradeBook
ParentAccess
Report Card Publish Service

20. Other Recommendations
Software Answers tests on the latest Microsoft Updates.
Recommended:
Keep Windows and SQL server updated
Recommended: Change application pool to 64 bit–except for GradeBook
StudentInformation
ParentAccess
CentralAdmin
SpecialServices