1. Work Smarter Not Harder
Standardize Your Environment With Best Practices
AJ Mendo
SQL Saturday 107 – Houston
April 2012

2. Introduction AJ Mendo ajmendo@poriver.com @SQLAJ
He is an Operations DBA, a speaker at user groups, SQL Saturday’s and online. He loves being a part of the SQL Community and all around nice guy.
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3. Objectives What does it mean to Standardize? What can be Standardized?
Manual vs. automating using scripts
Get others to follow the Standards
Document/publish - living document
We will define what it means to Standardize
We will discuss some of the things we could Standardize
We talk about some manual processes vs automating
We will talk about getting others to follow your standards
Everyone's favorite – Documentation. – The important things to remember.

4. What does it mean to Standardize?
Definition:
stand·ard·ize /ˈstandərˌdīz/
Verb:
to bring to or make of an established standard size, weight, quality, strength, or the like: to standardize SQL installs.
to test by or compare with a standard
to choose or establish a standard
Source:

5. Standards - Keep Things Simple

6. Why Should You Standardize?
Defines rules for everyone
Non-standards easier to spot/correct
It will make your job easier
Because SQLAJ said to
All of the above

7. What can be standardized?
OS versions
Server setup
SQL versions
Access restrictions
Post install configurations
Routine maintenance
Tracking Changes
Release/Deployment process
**OS versions
**Server setup
Drive Layouts
Use of Configuration Files for SQL Installations
**SQL Server Versions
Set up all servers the same
**Access restrictions
Who gets access to what servers
What permissions
**Post install configuration
**Routine Maintenance
Back ups, Integrity Checks, Index Defragging
**Tracking of changes
**Deployment process
Ensuring deployments have less issues

8. Server Setup Drive configuration Use the correct file system
Formatting drives correctly
We can dump everything on the C drive right? No?
**Separate LUNS
for data, log, tempdb, and backups.
**Data drives are random and log files are written to sequentially.
C:\OS
D:\App or SQL Binaries
*E-K\SQLData files
L:\SQLLogs
*M-R:\Optional
*S:\SQLFileStream
T:\TempDB
*U-Y:\Optional
Z:\CDROM\DV
**RAID options
OS and SQL Server binaries - 0 or 1
Data and Logs - RAID 10
Backups - RAID 5
Take him/her to lunch. Main point – Communicate if you don’t have visibility into what is done.
**File system – Use NTFS
enables the use of security options (file and directory access)
Encryption
Future versions of SQL may not support FAT32 installs.
**Formatting drives
If not done correctly can cause a 30% increase in disk latency and query duration
Reference article – 6 aligned disks performed equal or better than 8 unaligned disks

9. Windows and SQL Versions
Operating System
SQL Server
Service Packs
SQL components
**Operating systems: 2003, 2008, 2008R2
**SQL Server: 2005, 2008, 2008R2, 2012
**Service packs:
how often are they installed. Dev, pre-production, production
Routine maintenance windows
**SQL components: All, just the required according to your change orders

10. Access – User Accounts Types of accounts
Windows - users
SQL - applications
Access level depends on environment
Development, Pre-Production, Production
**Types of accounts
- Windows (Domain) Accounts
- *Use groups if possible*
- Applications usually use SQL Accounts
**Different levels of access per environment
- Production-Pre-Production
Full Access, limited access, read-only
Same as production
- Test/QA
Usually same as production
Depends
- Development
Developers get Full Access
Separate Domain with limited outside access.
**Who gets access
- Project Managers/Build Managers/Non-Technical – no access

11. Service Accounts **Isolate Services
Use different accounts for the different services – SQL engine, SQL Agent
use the lowest possible rights for the accounts

12. Sizing Drives Information from customer Develop an algorithm
Current database size
Projected growth 1, 3, 5 years
Develop an algorithm
Backups will be compressed
Allow for .5% growth
Remember OS/App
C:\OS – 40GB
D:\App(SQL) – 50GB
**Get information from the customer
have standard questions to ask when initial meetings with customers
if you are included
Assign action items to get the information
**Develop an Algorithm
Remember backups will be compressed
Remember to allow for growth
**Total space needed on server
Also remember the C:\ and D:\
900 GB – what?
Split data files up early
350GB data drive split

13. Install from Configuration File
Consistent/Faster Installs
No more clicking “Next” button
All commands in Configuration file
Configuration Files based on components needed
SQL Engine, Report Services, SSIS, SSAS
Blog Post
sqlaj.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/installing-sql-server-from-a-configuration-file
**We bill 3 hours of time per install.
It takes me around an hour right now. Give or take a few minutes for a bathroom break.
What do I do with the rest of the time?
What could you do with that additional time?

14. Post Install Configuration
Option 1
Manually Create
Jobs, Mail, Operators, Alerts
Wizard / Design Console
Time consuming
Job is owned by user who created it
Maintenance plans can be finicky
**Manually Create Jobs
- Use the Wizard / Design Console
- Can be time consuming (approximately 5 minutes each x4)
- Job owner by default is the user logged in creating the plan
- Maintenance plans can be finicky
- many occasions where the jobs failed.
- Error messages are cryptic
- can hard to trouble shoot
- delete recreate

15. Post Install Configuration
Option 2
Use SQL scripts to create jobs
Faster (approximately 30 seconds or less)
Easy to use/maintain
Job owner is set (local or domain account)
**Use SQL scripts to create jobs
Faster (approximately 30 seconds or less)
Easy to use/maintain
Job owner is set (local or domain account)
They just run

16. Routine Maintenance Backups Integrity Checks Index Defragmenting
Clean Up
**Backups
What type: Full, Differentials, Simple, Transaction logs.
How often are they done
When are the files moved to tape
**Database Integrity Checks
Simple do it for one
How often? Once a week at a minimum
**Index Defrag - Michelle Ufford
**Clean History
Delete old backup and log files, backup history, job history.
How long do you keep it? We keep ours about two weeks. 14 days

17. Tracking changes How do you track changes to environment
Is there an approval process
Work flow
Closing tickets
**Tracking changes how?
Change Orders – configuration changes – objects are changed
Service Requests – unlocking users, routine maintenance
**Approval process
CO have different areas of sign off
Security
Storage
Change Management
**Work flow
**Closing Tickets
Are all steps complete
What determines that

18. Release/Deploying Code Updates
Release calendar
Release order
Application packages complete
Including app code, database scripts,
deployment instructions
Required 72 hours in advance
Instructions must be full and complete
Written so any DBA or SA can deploy updates
In a perfect world you would get all of these.
**Release Calendar
required. Allows DBAs, SAs and others better management of time if know ahead of time.
**Released from
Development, QA/Test, Pre-Production, Production
No skipping over environments
**Application Code, Database Scripts, Deployment Instructions
Required 72 hours in advance
First step. This allows for the instructions and code to be reviewed.
Instructions must be full and complete
If there are any issues with instructions being confusing or just plain wrong they can be corrected
Is there a back out plan
Written so DBA or SA can deploy updates
- Any DBA or SA on the team should be able to deploy the code following the instructions

19. Standards Agreement

20. Motivate others to follow standards
Convince Managers
Demonstrate
When all else fails
**Talk with Managers
Chances are they know standardizing will improve the process
**Demonstrate how makes setup/configuration easier
Put on a demo. Show them the scripts. Ask for feedback
**Getting team members to agree
If managers agree you are half way there. Talk with other members. Show them how it will make their jobs easier

22. Document and Publish Put Standards in writing
Post to a central location
Get the word out
SAs and Project/Build Managers
Living Document – update as needed
**Write up the Standards
- when correcting an issue that does not follow the standards it is hard to convince someone if it is not written down.
- document in as simple and as detailed as possible so everyone can understand
**Post to a central location
Internal web site or SharePoint server
**Refer others such as SAs and Project Managers to location
- If your organize is large and
**Living Document – update as needed.
- Don’t be afraid to change or correct

23. Wrap Up What does it mean to Standardize? What can be Standardized?
Get others to follow Standards
Using “Scripts” to make things easier
Document and publish – Consider it a “living document”
**What it means to Standardize
- Doing the same thing every time
**What can be Standardized
-Server setup
-Access restrictions
-SQL versions and installations
-Post install configurations
-Routine maintenance
-Release/Deployment process
**Get others to follow Standards
- Talk to managers, team member show them how it can work and make things easier, ask for feedback
**Using “Scripts” to make things easier
- Install from Configuration file. Using scripts to build out routine maintenance
**Document and publish – update as needed
- Write things down, used for reference, used for correcting issues early

24. Questions

25. Resources Isolate SQL Services
Using the Correct File System
Formatting data drives
Blog Post – Install using Configuration file
sqlaj.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/installing-sql-server-from-a-configuration-file
Blog Post – Routine Maintenance Setup from SQL Scripts