Troubleshooting additional SQL Server Components

Today, I am introducing a series of articles on troubleshooting various components of SQL Server.

 

My experience has been largely with the SQL Engine (“proper” SQL Server), but there are so many additional products that have become part of SQL Server. They are available under the same licence and unfortunately, the expectation is that it’s all the same thing. If you claim to know SQL Server then if you don’t understand SQL Server Analysis Services then you’re a fraud!

 

Often, the history of the additional parts means that they certainly originated from different development teams inside Microsoft, or perhaps they were bought in from external companies.

Either way, they need to be managed, troubleshooted, patched and fixed.

 

Just because you’re not familiar with a particular product, you can still make a start by identifying what you do know and looking at fixing that. It’s amazing how so many pieces of “mindfullness” make their way into DBA life – often things happen, almost for no reason. By making the conditions better in which things operate then many issues just don’t occur.

 

A lot of this comes down to general housekeeping, maintenance and keeping an open mind. These additional components may run, work and smell a bit different to the regular SQL Server Engine, but their effect on SQL Server or Windows Server as a whole is often just like other applications.

 

Now, those familiar with my blog will have noticed that posts have become less frequent recently, but I am making a commitment to this series. The first Post will be delivered before Monday 9th November and a subsequent three posts will arrive at two week intervals.

Feel free to hold me to this timescale.

 

Thanks for reading, Nigel.