Routines Help Create a Healthy SQL Server
The moon over my morning walk today. It was bright and beautiful. And under its glow, I realized that my morning walks have become an important routine for me. They are important for my physical and emotional health. They help start the day off on the right foot, so to speak. Similarly, routines are instrumental for a healthy SQL Server.
Let me explain.
The importance of routines
Each morning I get up, have a cup of coffee, or two, while sitting in my recliner. I read something inspirational, catch up on the news from overnight, triage my inbox, and review my appointments for the day.
Then, I lace up my walking shoes, get the dog leash, and head out the door for my morning walk. Rain or shine. Cold or hot. Light or dark.
Almost without fail.
Sure I miss a day here or there. But the morning walk has become a part of life for me. It’s my morning routine.
Routines are important. They save time. They help set priorities when you are thinking clearly, not in the fog of an early morning or in the scramble of a looming deadline. And, by definition, they build consistency into an otherwise haphazard approach.
The same is true in business.
And in SQL Server.
Setting a cadence for your important activities help to drive results. And consistent results help prevent unexpected surprises.
Routines aren’t stifling. They are empowering.
Building routines for a healthy SQL Server
As with my morning walks, having a routine for your SQL Servers helps them to remain healthy. Here are some of the routines we recommend, and provide for our clients.
- Review the SQL Server and SQL Server Agent error logs daily
- Examine the Windows Event log daily
- Backup user and system databases according to RTO and RPO requirements
- Check failed login attempts daily
- Review failed jobs daily
- Respond to alerts and notifications
- Schedule integrity checks to run weekly
- Schedule index and other maintenance weekly
- Apply updates monthly, first to test then to production
- Restore critical databases to test servers regularly for validation
- Perform disaster recovery tests quarterly
Of course, many of these routines are helped through automated. But that doesn’t diminish their importance. They are all critical to keeping your SQL Server healthy, and for identifying issues before they become disruptive events.
Routines help pave the way for reliability and dependability.
Want to work with The SERO Group?
At The SERO Group, we work hard to keep our clients’ SQL Servers healthy, reliable, and secure. We bring the SQL expertise, the monitoring tools, and the team processes needed to ensure their SQL Servers are healthy, reliable, secure, and perform well.
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Is your SQL Server healthy? We can help – SERO | SQL Server Health Check (theserogroup.com)