History Cleanup Task 212 Maintenance Cleanup Task 213 Back Up Database Task 217 Execute T-SQL Statement Task 219 Notify Operator Task 221 Summary 225 Chapter 18: Subplans and Precedence 226 Subplans 226 Using a Single Subplan: Pros and Cons 227 Using Multiple Subplans: Pros and Cons 227 Using Subplans 228 How to Use Precedence 233 Summary 240 Chapter 19: Create and Modify Maintenance Plans Using the Designer 241 Establishing Your Maintenance Goals 241 Creating Maintenance Plans: the Big Picture 243 Create the New Maintenance Plan 243 Create the Subplans 245 Add the Maintenance Plan Tasks 246 Configure the Maintenance Plan Tasks 251 Set Precedence 253 Define Reporting and Logging 260 Save the Maintenance Plan 262 Test the Maintenance Plan 262 Set the Schedules 263 Run in Production and Follow Up 264 Modifying an Existing Maintenance Plan 264 Summary 268 xiii About the Author Brad McGehee, currently Director of DBA Education at Red Gate Software, is a SQL Server DBA, trainer and writer with over 15 years' SQL Server experience, and over 6 years' training experience. He is an accomplished Microsoft SQL Server MVP, and was the founder of the popular community site SQL-Server-Performance.Com, which he operated from 2000 through 2006, writing over one million words on SQL Server topics. Brad is a frequent speaker at SQL PASS, European PASS, SQL Connections, SQLTeach, devLINK, SQLBits, SQL Saturdays, TechFests, Code Camps, SQL Server user groups, and other industry seminars. In 2009, Brad made 33 public presentations to a total of 1,853 attendees, in six different countries. A well-respected and trusted name in SQL Server literature, Brad is the author or co-author of more than 15 technical books and over 100 published articles. His most recent books include How to Become an Exceptional DBA (2nd Edition), Brad's Sure Guide to SQL Server 2008, and Mastering SQL Server Profiler, all of which are available in PDF format at: :..B When he is not travelling to spread his knowledge of SQL Server, Brad enjoys spending time with his wife and young daughter in Hawaii. Acknowledgements I want to thank my wife, Veronica, and my daughter, Anna, for their support while I wrote this book. I also want to thank Tony Davis, my editor, for making me look good in print. 14 Introduction SQL Server has a reputation as being a simple database application to install, configure, and maintain. This is a little misleading. SQL Server is a powerful relational database that can handle the needs of the largest organizations and, as such, its proper maintenance almost certainly requires the attention of an experienced DBA. This reputation, coupled with the fact that it is relatively inexpensive, means that SQL Server has become a favorite platform for multiuser applications, and it often appears in organizations who cannot afford to have experienced DBAs on their staff. In many cases, organizations have SQL Server instances that are maintained by a part-time DBA, or an "accidental DBA," who may be a network administrator, developer, accountant, or even an oce clerk. In the worst cases, nobody is looking after the health of the SQL Servers. Millions of SQL Server instances run in the oces of small and medium-sized organizations, more than the total number of instances that run in large organizations, and so it follows that there are many accidental DBAs out there, who often don't have the knowledge, the experience, or the time to perform the appropriate level of maintenance on their SQL Server databases, much as they might like to. This can mean poor performance and reduced availability. Although not a perfect solution to this problem, SQL Server does offer two closely-related tools that make it easier for part-time, non-professional DBAs to perform at least the "required minimum" level of maintenance on their SQL Server instances. These two tools are: • Maintenance Plan Wizard – a Wizard that steps the user through the process of setting up basic Maintenance Plans, with limited options. • Maintenance Plan Designer – a drag-and-drop GUI interface in SSMS that facilitates the design and creation of more flexible, customizable maintenance plans. Unfortunately, neither tool is especially easy to use or well documented. However, with the guidance I hope to provide in this book, they can become powerful tools in helping the "accidental DBA" to perform critical maintenance tasks, and so help to ensure SQL Server's performance and availability. In addition to learning how to use these tools you will, along the way, pick up a lot of good, general advice on SQL Server database maintenance. 15 Who Should Read this Book This book is targeted at the following groups of DBAs. • Accidental/involuntary DBAs, who fell into the role of DBA "by accident" and who don't have a strong background in database administration. • Part-time DBAs, whose DBAs tasks are only a small part of their regular job duties, and whose DBA skills range from novice to intermediate. • Full-time DBAs, who are at the novice to intermediate level in terms of their knowledge and experience. If you fall into one or more of the above categories, then this book is for you, as it will not only explain what database maintenance needs to be done, but how to do it properly using the Maintenance Plan Wizard and/or the Maintenance Plan Designer. More generally, I would suggest that these tools are most suitable for DBAs who: • are not T-SQL or PowerShell experts, but who are able to get around in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) • typically have 25 or fewer SQL Server instances to manage • typically have databases that are less than 100 GB • are probably using the Standard Edition of SQL Server • have an available maintenance window on a daily or weekly basis (24/7 uptime is not a requirement). If, on the other hand, you are an experienced DBA, managing many SQL Server instances, or very large databases, or lots of simultaneous users, or needing 24/7 uptime, then these tools are probably not, in general, suitable for your requirements. In fact, you're probably already using custom T-SQL or PowerShell scripts to perform your database maintenance. Having said this, although they are sometimes reluctant to admit it, I know many experienced DBAs who still use the Maintenance Plan Wizard and/or the Maintenance Plan Designer from time to time. Alongside their "mission critical" systems, even experienced DBAs still maintain the databases of smaller, less active SQL Server instances and, for this purpose, these tools are the quickest and easiest way to create and schedule the set of maintenance tasks that will help ensure the continued smooth running of these systems. . "accidental DBA" to perform critical maintenance tasks, and so help to ensure SQL Server& apos;s performance and availability. In addition to learning how to use these tools you will, along. Brad's Sure Guide to SQL Server 2008, and Mastering SQL Server Profiler, all of which are available in PDF format at: :..B When he is not travelling to spread. community site SQL- Server- Performance.Com, which he operated from 2000 through 2006, writing over one million words on SQL Server topics. Brad is a frequent speaker at SQL PASS, European PASS, SQL Connections,