M2786: Designing a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Infrastructure

Prerequisites:

Before attending this course, students must:

- Understand the trade-offs among the different redundant storage types. For example, what RAID levels mean, how they differ from a Storage Area Networks (SAN), etc.
- Understand how replication works and how replication is implemented.
- Be familiar with reading user requirements and business-need documents. For example, development project vision/mission statements or business analysis reports.
- Have some knowledge of how queries execute. Must be able to read a query execution plan and understand what is happening.
- Have basic knowledge of the dependencies between system components.
- Be able to design a database to third normal form (3NF) and know the trade-offs when backing out of the fully normalized design (denormalization) and designing for performance and business requirements in addition to being familiar with design models, such as Star and Snowflake schemas.
- Have monitoring and troubleshooting skills.
- Have knowledge of the operating system and platform. That is, how the operating system integrates with the database, what the platform or operating system can do, and how the interaction between the operating system and the database works. For example, how integrated authentication interacts with - Active Directory directory service.
- Have knowledge of application architecture. That is, how applications can be designed in three layers, what applications can do, interaction between application and the database, interaction between database and the platform or operating system.
- Must already know how to use a data modeling tool and Microsoft Visio (to create infrastructure diagrams)
- Be familiar with SQL Server 2005 features, tools, and technologies.
- Have a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 credential or equivalent experience.
- Course 2779, Implementing a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Database.
- Course 2780, Maintaining a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Database.

Course Description:

This two-day instructor-led course provides database administrators working in enterprise environments with the knowledge and skills to design a Microsoft SQL ServerT 2005 database infrastructure. The course focuses on the development of strategies for data archiving, consolidation, distribution, and recovery. The course also stresses the importance of capacity analysis and emphasizes the trade-offs that need to be made during design.

This is the first course in the database administration curriculum and will serve as the entry point for other courses in the curriculum.

This course is intended for current professional database administrators who have three or more years of on-the-job experience administering SQL Server database solutions in an enterprise environment.

Elements of this syllabus are subject to change.

This course includes the following modules:

Analyzing Capacity Needs

• Estimating Storage Requirements
• Estimating CPU Requirements
• Estimating Memory Requirements
• Estimating Network Requirements

Designing a Strategy for Data Archiving

• Identifying Requirements that Affect Data Archiving
• Determining the Structure of Archival Data
• Creating a Data Archival Plan

Designing a Strategy for Database Server Consolidation

• Overview of Database Server Consolidation
• Designing a Strategy for SQL Server Instances
• Designing a Database Server Consolidation Plan

Designing a Strategy for Data Distribution

• Overview of Data Distribution
• Creating a Data Distribution Plan Using Replication

Designing a Database Server Infrastructure

• Evaluating the Current Database Server Infrastructure
• Gathering Requirements for Changing a Database Server Infrastructure
• Designing Modifications to a Database Server Infrastructure

Designing a Strategy for Data Recovery

• Creating a Backup and Restore Strategy
• Creating a Database Disaster Recovery Plan

Establishing Database Conventions and Standards

• Creating Database Naming Conventions
• Defining Database Infrastructure Standards