1. Automating Common DBA Tasks
Jonathan Kehayias
MCITP Database Administrator
SQL Server MVP

2. Agenda Why Automate? What can we Automate? How can we Automate?
Putting it all together (Demonstrations)
Monitoring your Monitoring?
Additional Tools Available
Questions

3. Who am I? SQL Database Administrator OSI Restaurant Partners
SQL Server MVP
MSDN Forums Moderator
Founder SQLCLR.net
Member Tampa SQL Users Group
PASS Member
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION. 3

4. Why Automate? Predictable Results
Reduce workload - do more in less time
Demonstration of Value

5. What can we Automate?
Installation and Configuration SQL Server Software
Backups and Database Maintenance
Log Checking
SQL Server Error Log
Server Event Logs
Check Drive/Database Free Space
Check Job Success/Failure History
Monitor Performance
Multi-step operations

6. How can we Automate? SQL Server Agent Windows Task Scheduler
DTS/SSIS packages
Stored Procedures
VBscript/ActiveX
CmdExec Operating System processes
Windows Task Scheduler
VBScripts
.NET Applications
Powershell
Dos Batch Files
Multistep processes

7. SQL Server Agent Pros Cons Advanced Scheduling Built in Alerting
Built in Logging
Detailed Execution History
Easily scripted against
Cons
Dependency on SQL Services
Non-SQL Admins require SQL Access to view schedules
Tasks Execute under the Service Account unless setup with a proxy

8. Windows Task Scheduler
Pros
Does not depend on SQL Services
Non-SQL Admins can see schedules
Reduced Security through use of Run-As
Cons
Lacks Detailed History of SQL Agent
Logging must be done by operation being run
Requires additional steps to connect with SQL
Not easily scriptable

9. What to Automate (Backups and Maintenance)
Database Maintenance Plans
Custom Scripts
Custom Schedules
DEMO BACKUPS AND MAINTENANCE AUTOMATION

10. What to Automate (SQL Server and Windows Logs)
Log Rollover and Retention
Exception based Alerting
Aggregation of Events (Multi-Server)
DEMO SQL ERROR LOG AUTOMATION

11. What to Automate (Drive Free Space)
DTS/SSIS Package
WMI with VBScript
COM with TSQL
DEMO DRIVE FREE SPACE AUTOMATION

12. What to Automate (Database Free Space)
TSQL
VBScript with WMI or DMO
SMO with PowerShell
DEMO DATABASE FREE SPACE AUTOMATION

13. What to Automate (SQL Agent Job History)
TSQL
Adhoc Queries
Trigger on sysjobhistory
VBScript with WMI or DMO
SMO with PowerShell
DEMO SQL AGENT JOB HISTORY AUTOMATION

14. What to Automate (Multi-Step Operations)
TSQL
VBScript with WMI or DMO or TSQL
SMO with PowerShell/.NET
DOS Batch with osql and sqlcmd
DEMO MULTI-STEP OPERATIONS AUTOMATION

15. What to Automate (Monitoring Performance)
SQL Agent Alerts
WMI Alerts
SQLH2 Performance Collector
TSQL DMV Queries
DEMO DATABASE FREE SPACE AUTOMATION

16. Monitoring your Monitoring?
How do you know your monitoring is working?
Can you trust your monitoring?

17. Additional Tools Free Tools Available Non-Free Tools
SQL Server PowerShell Extensions
SQL Server Health & History (SQLH2)
Recently Released Open Source
SqlMonitoring Tool
Non-Free Tools
Quest
Red-Gate
Idera
SQL Server 2008

18. Questions

19. Resources The DBA Checklist (Buck Woody)
Microsoft Internal Database Operation Team Scripts
Automating DBA Processes (TechEd 2008)
Automating Common SQL Server Tasks using DMO