Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
properly sized hardware and a good storage subsystem gives you a much better chance of being able
to handle any type of workload that you may see on SQL Server 2012, and makes your life as a
DBA much easier!
Unfortunately, far too many database administrators (DBAs) are blissfully ignorant about the
important details regarding their database hardware infrastructure. Given the pace of recent and
ongoing advances in new processors and chipsets, along with changes in both magnetic and l ash
storage, trying to stay current with hardware technology can be daunting. Many DBAs simply
give up, and let someone else make all the hardware and storage decisions. No matter who makes
these decisions, however, the DBA is usually blamed for any performance or scalability issues that
show up later. Even if you don't get to make the i nal decisions regarding hardware selection, being
knowledgeable and informed about server hardware puts you in a much stronger position during
the decision-making process. Being educated about database hardware also helps you understand
whether your existing hardware and storage subsystem is woefully underpowered by today's stan-
dards, which is extremely valuable information for a DBA. This chapter is designed to give you
the foundational concepts and knowledge that you need to make informed decisions about your
database hardware and storage systems.
HOW WORKLOAD AFFECTS HARDWARE
AND STORAGE CONSIDERATIONS
If you are ready to accept the challenge of learning some of the mysteries of database server
hardware and storage, where should you begin? The i rst step is to have a good understanding of
your current or planned workload. You need to know whether your database server will be running
only the actual SQL Server Database Engine, or also other SQL Server components such as SQL
Server Analysis Services (SSAS), SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), or SQL Server Reporting
Services (SSRS). Ideally, you would want these other SQL Server components running on separate
dedicated servers, but you might not have that luxury because of the extra hardware and licensing
costs. Even if you are only going to be running the Database Engine on your database server, you
need to understand what kind of workload you will be handling.
Workload Types
Several different types of workload are common with SQL Server, or any other relational database
management server (RDBMS), including online transaction processing (OLTP), data warehousing
(DW), relational reporting, and online analytical processing (OLAP). Depending on your applica-
tions and what SQL Server components are running on your database server, you might have a
relatively pure version of one of these workload types or a mixture of several.
Other variables include the number of user databases running on your database instance, and the
volume and intensity of your workload — that is, how many batch requests per second, how many
new rows are inserted or updated per second, and so on. All these different variables affect your
hardware selection decisions, and how you decide to coni gure your hardware and storage subsystem
to get the best performance possible for that type of workload.
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