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SQL Server 2008 – Administration, Maintenance and Job Automation. Learningcomputer.com. Agenda today – lots to cover. Overview the concepts first Events, Alerts, Operators, and Jobs SQL Server Agent Management Tab Demo on a “Log is full” scenario Maintenance Plans plus Demo.
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SQL Server 2008 – Administration, Maintenance and Job Automation Learningcomputer.com
Agenda today – lots to cover • Overview the concepts first • Events, Alerts, Operators, and Jobs • SQL Server Agent • Management Tab • Demo on a “Log is full” scenario • Maintenance Plans plus Demo
Why Automate Admin tasks? • Automation frees your time to perform other administrative functions • As the tasks are routinely scheduled, they have no human element which reduces errors and improves consistency • Microsoft SQL Server allows you to automate administrative tasks using SQL Server Agent which runs as a service • To automate administration, you define predictable administrative tasks and then specify the conditions under which each task occurs • The results of these tasks can be delivered to the operators
Events and Alerts • Events are when something typically an error occurs on the SQL Server e.g. Database log fills up • Alerts would be a message sent to an Operator that an event has occurred e.g. Hey operator, database log is full • By recording specified events, SQL Server can help you troubleshoot performance, audit database activity and gather data for job related issues
More on Alerts • Alerts are defined to provide event notification • Alerts have to be user defined as there are none listed out of the box • Alert can be raised on Error number or Severity Level • Performance counters can also be used to define an alert • With an alert, you execute a job and notify an operator • Can be created using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or T-SQL • Demo on Alert “AW Log is full” later
Operators • The Operator is the person or group notified about the status of a job • The methods of notification include • Email • Pager • Net Send • Fail-Safe Operator is notified as a last resort • Operator can be created using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or T-SQL stored procedures
Jobs • Jobs contain one or more job steps. Each step contains its own task, for example, backing up a database • Jobs can be created using • SSMS • Maintenance Plans • T-SQL • Jobs are owned by the creator • Jobs Types can be TSQL, Active X, CmdExec, Replication, SSIS and PowerShell • Jobs can be run manually but are often scheduled to run on their own
SQL Server Agent • SQL Server Agent is a Windows service that executes scheduled administrative tasks, which are called jobs • Agent uses either local system account or domain user account (preferred). Use configuration manager to set it up • SQL Server Agent uses SQL Server to store job information in the system msdb database • SQL Server Agent can run a job on a schedule, in response to a specific event/alert, or on demand, e.g. backup at midnight • More info can be found by RMB (Right Mouse Button) • Discuss General and Alert System tabs
SQL Server Agent Tab • Jobs • Alerts • Operators • Proxies • An alternative security context that can run SQL Server Agent jobs instead of SQL Server Agent service account • Error Logs (Agent Specific) • Out of the box Reports • Demo
Management Tab • It has the following important items related to Management • Maintenance Plans – Will cover it later • SQL Server Logs • Database Mail • Legacy • Demo
Demo on Log file is Full • The scenario is: AdventureWorks2008 is our production database • We have created a job called “Increase AW Log” which creates a copy of Customer table and updates data every 5 minutes. This causes the transaction file to be full • In order to fix the issue, we have created an Alert called “AW Log is full” based on Error Number 9002 • When SQL Server agent notices this alert, it takes necessary action which is to run Job “Backup AW Log” • This can be monitored using Job Activity Monitor
Maintenance Plans • Maintenance plans create a workflow of the tasks required to make sure that your database is optimized, is regularly backed up, and is free of inconsistencies. • The Maintenance Plan Wizard also creates core maintenance plans, but creating plans manually gives you much more flexibility • In SQL Server 2008 Database Engine, maintenance plans create an Integration Services package, which is run by a SQL Server Agent job. • These maintenance tasks can be run manually or automatically at scheduled intervals.
Maintenance Plans – Continued • Wizard is easy to use and intuitive • You can do all of the following tasks; • Data optimization • Database integrity check • Backup databases and transaction logs • Cleanup files and history information • At the end it creates an SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) package that can be edited using BIDS • I use it as a starting point to get the TSQL I need • Create a backup with master database if we have time