Choosing the right number of hard drives and the correct RAID (redundant array of independent disks) configuration when you design your database server can save you a lot of time. If you make a mistake, changing the RAID configuration and moving the database...

If you've been working with SQL Server for a while, you probably have come across the term "fill factor" and wondered what exactly it is. Fill factor is the act of putting "holes" in the page when the data is written so that the page isn't packed full...

Our March 17 post discussed index fragmentation and introduced you to a script that we use to determine index fragmentation. This is a follow-up that explains the script. Just as a reminder—index fragmentation is a bad thing. It degrades performance and...

This is a continuation of the blog post Configuring the tempdb Database—Part 1 . To improve performance and remove disk I/O deadlock, we recommend that you have a separate physical disk (as simulated by the RAID on the computer), as discussed in Part...

This is a continuation of yesterday's post. Today's topic is how to get a performance baseline for SQL Server's memory usage. Why Do You Need a Memory Usage Performance Baseline? We are going to show you how to monitor memory usage. Without a baseline...

You'll often hear that you should monitor the performance of SQL Server. You may read a little about performance monitoring, and you may turn on a few counters or perform a query against a dynamic management view that you know about. But, you may still...

Besides the databases that Windchill is using in SQL Server, SQL Server itself has several system databases. The tempdb system database is available to all users who are connected to the instance of SQL Server. SQL Server treats tempdb differently from...

Some things come naturally to SQL Server DBAs. You could probably debug indexes in your sleep. But if this is your first time installing and supporting SQL Server, here are a few suggestions for installing Windows Server on the computer that is running...

Last week, we touched on the topic of fragmentation in Fragmentation and What You Can Do about It . This week, we take a deeper look into the problem and tell you how to defragment your indexes. Why You Should Defragment Indexes It's all about performance...

In a previous post , we mentioned that shrinking a database can cause fragmentation, and fragmentation can cause Windchill to run slowly. Paul Randall discussed this issue in a blog post ( http://www.sqlskills.com/blogs/paul/post/Why-you-should-not-shrink...

You know those tech blogs that continually (or even just once in a while) toss content over the fence without any concern for where it's landing? Yeah, we don't like those either, and we work hard to not be like that. We want this blog to be a two...

So, you want to run a big SQL Server database and maintain high performance? Start by sizing up—the database files, that is! Pre-sizing the database files appropriately will help Windchill perform at its best when it runs on SQL Server. When you create...

Feeling fragmented? Relax . . . this blog post will bring the pieces together. This post can help you get better performance from Windchill running on SQL Server. When you mention "fragmentation" to database administrators, they automatically think...

Here is an easy-to-implement suggestion to optimize your setup right out of the gate: SQL Server runs best on a computer by itself, with Windchill® running on a separate physical computer. Why separate servers? The short answer—because it will make...

Thinking about running Windchill® 9.1 on SQL Server? Then you’ll want to know about versions and compatibility. Look no further. Windchill® 9.1 supports Microsoft® SQL Server® 2005. You also need to choose the edition of SQL Server 2005 that you want...

Welcome to PTC Windchill on SQL Server—your source for content about running PTC Windchill 9.1 on Microsoft SQL Server. Our goal is simple: to make you look good! (Yes, even you. ) We’ll do that by posting great information about SQL Server and how to...