Designing High Availability Database Solutions Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005

This three-day instructor-led course provides students with the knowledge and skills to design high availability database solutions using Microsoft SQL Server 2005. The course focuses on teaching experienced database administrators working in enterprise environments to design database solutions that meet the availability needs of their organization. It emphasizes that students should think broadly about high availability, which includes thinking about the database itself and about their entire environment, including business needs; regulatory requirements; and network, systems, and database considerations during design. Students will also learn how to document and test the high availability database solution.

Audience Profile

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.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

At Course Completion

Before attending this course, students must:

Have a basic understanding of network architecture. For example, what can fail in a network, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), differing performance characteristics of network components, etc.
Understand the tradeoffs among the different redundant storage types. For example, what RAID levels mean, how it differs from a 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 or mission statements or business analysis reports.
Have monitoring and troubleshooting skills.
Have knowledge of the operating system and platform. Specifically, must understand how hardware can fail, 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.
Have knowledge of application architecture. Specifically, must understand how applications identify servers to connect to, how applications can be designed in three layers, what applications can do, the interactions between applications and the database, interactions between the database and the platform or operating system.
Know how to use:
- A monitoring tool
- 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.

In addition, it is recommended, but not required, that students have completed:

Course 2778, Writing Queries Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Transact-SQL.
Course 2779, Implementing a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Database.
Course 2780, Maintaining a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Database.

Course Outline

Module 1: Selecting the Appropriate High-availability Solution
This module provides the guidelines for identifying business requirements and technical and non-technical constraints of high-availability. This module also explains the guidelines for analyzing the requirements and constraints for high-availability. Finally, this module provides a brief overview of existing high-availability technologies and explains the process and guidelines for determining the appropriate high-availability technology that can be used to meet business requirements and constraints.
Lessons

Identifying High-availability Requirements and Constraints
Analyzing High-availability Requirements and Constraints
Determining Appropriate High-availability Solutions

Lab : Proposing a High-availability Solution

Gathering Requirements
Prioritizing Requirements
Determining Appropriate High-availability Technology
Proposing a High-availability Solution

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Identify high-availability requirements and constraints.
Analyze high-availability requirements.
Determine appropriate high-availability solutions.

Module 2: Designing a Clustering Solution
This module provides the considerations and guidelines for designing a SQL Server cluster implementation. This module also provides the guidelines for designing recovery strategies and formulating the test plan for database clustering. Next, this module explains the considerations for migrating and upgrading SQL Server clusters. Finally, this module explains the process of creating an operations plan for clustering. In this module, you will also learn about the planned and unplanned events that can affect a cluster environment.
Lessons

Designing the Platform for Clustering
Designing the SQL Server Cluster Implementation
Designing Recovery Strategies and Test Plans for Database Clustering
Migrating and Upgrading SQL Server Clusters
Designing an Operations Plan for Clustering

Lab : Designing a Database Clustering Solution

Designing a Cluster Topology
Designing an Operations Plan
Verifying a SQL Server Cluster Configuration
Monitoring a SQL Server Cluster

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Design the platform for clustering.
Design the SQL Server cluster implementation.
Design recovery strategies and test plan for database clustering.
Migrate and upgrade SQL Server clusters.
Design an operations plan for clustering to maximize availability.

Module 3: Designing a Highly Available Database Storage Solution
This module provides the guidelines and considerations to determine the storage requirements for SQL Server databases, components, and external files that are a part of the database system. This module also explains the guidelines for designing storage solutions for these resources.

In this module, you will also learn about designing restore strategies to maximize availability. Finally, this module explains the guidelines for recovering damaged and partially damaged system and user databases.
Lessons

Determining Storage Requirements for SQL Server Databases
Determining Storage Requirements for SQL Server Components and Files
Designing Storage Solutions for SQL Server Databases
Designing a Backup and Restore Strategy

Lab : Designing a Highly Available Database Storage Solution

Determining Storage Needs
Selecting the Storage Solution
Designing a RAID Solution
Designing a SAN Solution
Designing a Backup and Restore Strategy

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Determine storage requirements for SQL Server databases.
Determine storage requirements for SQL Server components and files.
Design a highly-available storage solution for each database resource.
Design a backup and restore strategy for the database.

Module 4: Designing a Log Shipping Solution
In this module, you will learn about the guidelines and considerations for designing a log shipping solution. This module provides the guidelines for determining log shipping server roles and topology. This module also explains the guidelines for upgrading log shipping.

Finally, this module explains the process of designing an operations plan for log shipping. In this module, you will also learn about the planned and unplanned events that can affect a log shipping environment.
Lessons

Introduction to Designing a Log Shipping Solution
Designing Log Shipping Server Roles and Topology
Designing a Log Shipping Upgrade Strategy
Designing an Operations Plan for Log Shipping

Lab : Designing a Log Shipping Solution

Selecting the Appropriate Log Shipping Architecture
Designing Log Shipping Database Roles and Topology
Designing an Operations Plan
Verifying and Testing a Log Shipping Solution

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Explain the different considerations for designing a log shipping solution.
Design log shipping server roles and topology.
Design a strategy for upgrading log shipping.
Design an operations plan for log shipping to maximize availability.

Module 5: Designing a Database Mirroring Solution
In this module, you will learn about the guidelines and considerations for designing a database mirroring solution. This module provides the guidelines for determining the database roles and topology for mirroring. This module also explains the guidelines for migrating from an existing high-availability technology in SQL Server 2000 to database mirroring in SQL Server 2005.

Finally, this module explains the process of designing an operations plan for database mirroring. In this module, you will also learn about the planned and unplanned events that can affect a mirroring environment.
Lessons

Introduction to Designing a Database Mirroring Solution
Designing Database Roles and Topology for Database Mirroring
Converting High-availability Solutions to Database Mirroring
Designing an Operations Plan for Database Mirroring

Lab : Designing a Database Mirroring Solution

Selecting the Appropriate Mirroring Architecture
Designing Database Roles and Topology for Database Mirroring
Designing an Operations Plan
Evaluating Migration Options from Clustering to Mirroring
Evaluating Migration Options from Log Shipping to Mirroring
Comparing Mirroring with Clustering and Log Shipping

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Explain the different considerations for designing a database mirroring solution.
Design the database roles and topology for database mirroring.
Convert existing high-availability solutions to database mirroring.
Design an operations plan for database mirroring to maximize availability.

Module 6: Designing a Highly Available Solution Based on Replication
In this module, you will learn about the guidelines and considerations for designing a highly-available solution based on replication. This module provides the guidelines for determining replication server roles and topology. This module also explains the guidelines for upgrading replication.

Finally, this module explains the process of designing an operations plan for replication. In this module, you will also learn about the planned and unplanned events that can affect a replication environment.
Lessons

Introduction to Designing a Replication Solution
Designing a Replication Solution
Designing a Replication Upgrade Strategy
Designing an Operations Plan for Replication

Lab : Designing a Highly-availability Solution Based on Replication

Selecting the Appropriate Replication Architecture
Designing a Replication Solution
Designing an Operations Plan
Designing a Disaster Recovery Strategy By Using MERGE Replication
Designing a Disaster Recovery Strategy By Using TRANSACTIONAL Replication

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Explain the different considerations for designing a replication solution.
Design a replication solution.
Design a strategy for upgrading replication.
Design an operations plan for replication to maximize availability.

Module 7: Combining High-availability Technologies
This module provides guidelines for designing high-availability solutions by combining existing high-availability technologies. This module enables you to evaluate the weaknesses in each high-availability technology. In this module, you will determine technologies that complement each other to minimize these weaknesses.
Lessons

Evaluating Weaknesses in Each High-availability Technology
Maximizing Availability by Combining High-availability Technologies

Lab : Combining High-availability Technologies

Evaluating Weaknesses in High-availability Technologies
Maximizing Availability by Combining Technologies

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Evaluate the weaknesses in each high-availability technology.
Maximize availability by combining high-availability technologies.

Module 8: Documenting and Testing a High-availability Strategy
This module provides guidelines for documenting and testing high-availability solutions. This module explains the structure of a high-availability solution document and also explains the need for documenting the solution. In this module, you will also discuss the process of creating a test plan for high-availability solutions.
Lessons

Documenting High-availability Solutions
Creating a Test Plan for High-availability Solutions

Lab : Documenting and Testing a High-availability Strategy

Documenting the High-availability Solution
Creating a Test Plan

After completing this module, students will be able to:

Document high-availability solutions.
Create a test plan for high-availability solutions.

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