sql server

There are a lot of reasons to take SQL Server monitoring seriously, and it should be a priority for any database administrator.

Two of the top contenders in this context are the opportunity to optimize availability and also to get a better handle on database sizing so that common conundrums can be avoided.

Here is a closer look at what monitoring is, why it matters and what benefits you can get from it for both redundancy management and database sizing.

What is SQL Server monitoring?

In essence, monitoring allows you to view relevant data about the execution of your SQL Server and extrapolate insights from this so you can manage it more effectively.

Without monitoring being a core part of your administrative strategy, you could find that it is both harder to detect issues, and trickier to troubleshoot them when they are on your radar.

The good news is that there are tools built to monitor SQL Server instances, seek out problems automatically and assist you in ameliorating them.

Uptime advantages explored

If you need your SQL Server deployment to offer a high level of availability because of the mission-critical apps it facilitates, monitoring it will make a lot of sense.

By scrutinizing performance at all times, you can be equipped to identify potential vulnerabilities and deal with them before an unplanned outage occurs. This should bolster overall uptime and make it less necessary to use your redundant resources.

The additional implication here is that you can potentially save money, since if your primary servers are more resilient, you might be less reliant on secondary servers, thus allowing you to reduce your allocation of backups.

Whether your redundancy management is based on in-house hardware or whether you outsource this to a third party vendor, the same cost efficiencies apply.

Meanwhile if you are less vigilant when it comes to monitoring, you could not only be hemorrhaging cash on your redundant systems, but also putting yourself at greater risk of damaging downtime.

Storage monitoring examined

A lot of SQL Server monitoring strategies put the emphasis on seeing how your database storage resources are being used.

Database sizing is a predictive and anticipatory discipline; one which requires you to forecast your requirements in the future based on the usage that you experience today. And of course monitoring tools provide all of the info you need to come to an appropriate conclusion on this matter.

As well as letting you plan ahead to accommodate increased capacities as the loads placed upon your server rise over time, monitoring also gives you an overview of how the ebb and flow of system usage alters depending on other factors.

This could be seasonal shifts, or it could be the peak usage that comes at a particular time on a specific day of the working week.

Whatever the case, monitoring an SQL Server infrastructure will mean that your database sizing duties can be seen to without the need for guesswork.

Overall benefits investigated

We have already touched on a handful of the benefits that monitoring your SQL Server brings to the table, and it is worth restating that the cost savings and higher availability that are achievable with the right tools and tactics can make a big difference.

Moreover, with the automation features of monitoring software, your time can be spent on other tasks, safe in the knowledge that your most important hardware assets are not being left unattended.

In terms of the role of a database administrator, this makes working with SQL Server less frustrating, and also allows you to be more productive in your other duties.

Closing considerations

If you want to make your SQL Server infrastructure more reliable and robust, then you simply must make use of monitoring tools. Additionally, if you want to provision for hardware failures as well as spikes in demand, being tuned into everyday performance is important.

Bear in mind that you can monitor to plan for the future, and also use your findings to change pre existing projections. Follow the data and be as flexible as possible, and you will not regret it, as SQL Server monitoring can empower all admins.