Chapter 3: Getting Started with the Maintenance Plan Wizard 66 Figure 3.11: Once at least one database is selected, additional options are the screen can be configured. The middle section of the screen in Figure 3.11 contains the configuration options for a given task. In this example, there is only one option, Include indexes. Each task will have different options. For example, Figure 3.12 shows the same portion of the screen for the Rebuild Index task. Chapter 3: Getting Started with the Maintenance Plan Wizard 67 Figure 3.12: Task-specific configuration options for the Rebuild Index task. If I were to go through all the options on this screen in full detail, and the equivalent screens for the remaining tasks, it would quickly become overwhelming. Instead, starting with Chapter 5, I have devoted individual chapters to each of the eleven possible database maintenance tasks. Please refer to a task's specific chapter for full details on all of these configuration options. Task Scheduling The final section of the screen shown in Figure 3.11 is devoted to task scheduling, as shown in Figure 3.13. Figure 3.13: Scheduling maintenance tasks. By default, each task is set to Not Scheduled (On Demand). To implement a schedule on which the task should run, click on Change and you'll arrive at the Job Schedule Properties screen, shown in Figure 3.14. Chapter 3: Getting Started with the Maintenance Plan Wizard 68 Figure 3.14: The Job Schedule Properties screen. As you can see, this is a complex screen with many options, and some of these options do not mean quite what you might initially think. As a result, we will defer a full discussion of all of these options to a dedicated chapter (Chapter 4), where we'll also look at general considerations when scheduling multiple tasks, so as to avoid overlap and server resource contention. For now, you can either click Cancel to exit the Job Schedule Properties screen, and then exit the Wizard; or you can work through the screens, leaving all tasks unscheduled, selecting databases where necessary, and accepting all the default task configuration options, until you arrive at the Select Report Options screen. Chapter 3: Getting Started with the Maintenance Plan Wizard 69 Report Options Once you've configured and scheduled each of the individual tasks that make up a Maintenance Plan, you will arrive at the Select Report Options screen. After a Maintenance Plan runs, it can produce a report of the tasks that were performed. For example, you can see the results of a Database Check Integrity task, or see what databases were backed up. These reports are very useful because they tell you whether or not everything ran correctly, and they are helpful when troubleshooting Maintenance Plans that don't seem to be doing what you expect them to do. Chapter 2 described how to configure Database Mail so that these Maintenance Plan reports can be sent to you via e-mail, and it is when we reach the Select Report Options screen, shown in Figure 3.15, that our groundwork pays off. Figure 3.15: After a Maintenance Plan runs, it can write a report to the local SQL Server, and/or send you an e-mail message containing the report. Chapter 3: Getting Started with the Maintenance Plan Wizard 70 By default, the Write a report to a text file option is selected, and I recommend you keep it selected. This way, every time a Maintenance Plan runs, a new report will be produced that you can view to see what is going on. By default, in SQL Server 2008, Maintenance Plan reports are written to the \Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10. MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Log folder. Unless you have a good reason to place the reports in another location, I suggest you keep them here, as this is the standard practice. If you place them elsewhere, it will make them harder for other DBAs to find. Removing/Archiving Maintenance Plan reports… Unless you create a Maintenance Task to remove them, all plans will remain in the designated folder indefinitely. If you forget to delete them, you can end up with a folder with thousands of old reports. You can use the Maintenance Cleanup task (see Chapter 15 for details) to periodically remove older files. The E-mail report option on the screen is not selected by default. As we discussed in Chapter 2, in addition to the text report saved on disk, I think it is a good idea to have these reports sent to you via e-mail, so that you can more easily review them. Not only does this save you the effort of locating the correct report among all of your servers, the e-mails also serve as a constant reminder that you need to read them to see if everything is running as it should be. Note Even if you have reports e-mailed to you, I suggest you have the reports written to disk as well. That way, should you need to troubleshoot a problem, all of the reports will be in a single location. Notice that my name is listed in the drop-down box next to the To option, reflecting the fact that I set myself up as an operator. If you have not set up Database Mail or created any operators, then no names will be available from the drop-down box. To receive e-mail reports every time this Maintenance Plan runs, select the E-mail report options and select your name from the drop-down box, as shown in Figure 3.16. . default, in SQL Server 2008, Maintenance Plan reports are written to the Program FilesMicrosoft SQL Server MSSQL10. MSSQLSERVERMSSQLLog folder. Unless you have a good reason to place the. troubleshooting Maintenance Plans that don't seem to be doing what you expect them to do. Chapter 2 described how to configure Database Mail so that these Maintenance Plan reports can be sent to you. 3.15: After a Maintenance Plan runs, it can write a report to the local SQL Server, and/or send you an e-mail message containing the report. Chapter 3: Getting Started with the Maintenance Plan