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Developing High-Performance SQL Server? Databases

MSQ-DH      Course duration (days): 5
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London (NW1) 09/02/09 £ 2,095
London (NW1) 11/05/09 £ 2,095
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About this class

High-availability database systems offer timely access to business-critical data. Microsoft SQL Server offers powerful features to maintain these vital systems. In this course, you acquire an in-depth knowledge of SQL Server's essential tools-the storage engine, lock manager and query optimiser. Through hands-on exercises, you gain the skills to implement a high-performance SQL Server database solution.

Who will the lesson benefit?

Those responsible for increasing the performance and efficiency of SQL Server databases. Knowledge of SQL at the level of Course 532, "SQL Server Transact-SQL Programming", and a familiarity with logical database design is assumed.

What delegates will learn

You Will Learn How To

  • Design and implement high-performance databases for SQL Server
  • Create indexes that optimise different types of queries
  • Design transactions that maximise concurrency and minimise contention
  • Interpret the data access plans produced by the query optimiser
  • Minimise I/O by designing efficient physical data structures
  • Analyse and cure performance problems using SQL Server's tools

Contents of this class

Fundamental Concepts

Analysing performance

  • Selecting an appropriate monitoring tool
  • Investigating plans with SHOWPLAN_ALL
  • Interpreting STATISTICS output
  • Pinpointing performance problems with aggregated Profiler data

Developing a monitoring plan

  • Establishing a performance baseline
  • Tracking changes over time
  • Creating server-side Profiler traces
  • Monitoring SQL Server and the operating system with System Monitor

Managing Storage

Database architecture

  • Page and extent allocation
  • Controlling data placement with file groups

Defining tables

  • Selecting the correct data types
  • Specifying text and image locations
  • Examining internal page structures

Creating and managing indexes

  • Clustered vs. non-clustered
  • Defining indexed views
  • Analysing and repairing fragmentation

Memory and Locking

Managing memory

  • Buffer pool
  • Buffer manager
  • Lazywriter
  • Checkpointing
  • Log writer

Designing transactions

  • Consistency vs. concurrency
  • Investigating lock types and their compatibility
  • Choosing isolation levels
  • Designing transactions to limit lock duration
  • Resolving contention problems
  • Handling deadlock
  • Implementing row versioning

Optimising Queries

Query optimiser architecture

  • Phases
  • Strategies
  • Data access plans
  • Auto-parameterisation
  • Avoiding continuous recompilation of dynamic queries

Maintaining up-to-date statistics

  • Index vs. column
  • Automatic vs. manual
  • Full-scan vs. sample

Distinguishing among query types

  • Point
  • Multipoint
  • Range
  • Prefix match
  • Extremal
  • Ordering
  • Grouping
  • Join

Designing effective indexes

  • Relating indexes to query types
  • Providing alternate access paths
  • Improving join performance
  • Increasing sort efficiency
  • Reducing I/O with covering indexes
  • Implementing sparse indexes
  • Getting design advice from built-in tuning tools

Designing a Physical Data Model

Storing summarised data for faster retrieval

  • Defining roll-up tables
  • Materialising aggregated data with indexed views

Minimising response time by introducing redundant data

  • Maintaining redundant data with triggers
  • Enhancing performance with surrogate keys
  • Creating a read-only query database

Solving performance problems by redefining the database structure

  • Horizontal vs. vertical partitioning
  • Partitioning tables
  • Defining partitioned views

Managing diverse workloads

  • Creating resource pools and workload groups
  • Developing a classifier function