SQL Server Backup, Integrity Check, and Index and Statistics Maintenance

The SQL Server Maintenance Solution comprises scripts for running backups, integrity checks, and index and statistics maintenance on all editions of Microsoft SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 R2, and SQL Server 2012. The solution is based on stored procedures, the sqlcmd utility, and SQL Server Agent jobs. I designed the solution for the most mission-critical environments, and it is used in many organizations around the world. Numerous SQL Server community experts recommend the SQL Server Maintenance Solution, which has been a Gold and Silver winner in the 2012, 2011, and 2010 SQL Server Magazine Awards. The SQL Server Maintenance Solution is free.

“The best starting point for building your own maintenance plan is the comprehensive and free script from Ola Hallengren. That’s what I recommend to my clients.” - Paul S. Randal

Getting Started

Download MaintenanceSolution.sql. This script creates all the objects and jobs that you need.

Learn more about using the SQL Server Maintenance Solution:

DatabaseBackup: SQL Server Backup
DatabaseIntegrityCheck: SQL Server Integrity Check
IndexOptimize: SQL Server Index and Statistics Maintenance

SQL Server 2012

The SQL Server Maintenance Solution supports SQL Server 2012.

One new feature in SQL Server 2012 is AlwaysOn Availability Groups. This feature supports multiple replicas of a database. Secondary replicas can be readable and they can also be used for backup.

SQL Server 2012 also supports online rebuilding of indexes with varchar(max), nvarchar(max), varbinary(max), or XML data types or large CLR types.

Intelligent Index Maintenance

The SQL Server Maintenance Solution lets you intelligently rebuild or reorganize only the indexes that are fragmented. In the IndexOptimize procedure, you can define a preferred index maintenance operation for each fragmentation group. Take a look at this code:

EXECUTE dbo.IndexOptimize @Databases = 'USER_DATABASES',
@FragmentationLow = NULL,
@FragmentationMedium = 'INDEX_REORGANIZE,INDEX_REBUILD_ONLINE,INDEX_REBUILD_OFFLINE',
@FragmentationHigh = 'INDEX_REBUILD_ONLINE,INDEX_REBUILD_OFFLINE',
@FragmentationLevel1 = 5,
@FragmentationLevel2 = 30

In this example, indexes that have a high fragmentation level will be rebuilt, online if possible. Indexes that have a medium fragmentation level will be reorganized. Indexes that have a low fragmentation level will remain untouched.

Update Statistics

The IndexOptimize procedure can also be used to update statistics. You can choose to update all statistics, statistics on indexes only, or statistics on columns only. You can also choose to update the statistics only if any rows have been modified since the most recent statistics update.

Solve “No Current Database” Issues

Most DBAs have experienced the error message “BACKUP LOG cannot be performed because there is no current database backup” or “Cannot perform a differential backup for database, because a current database backup does not exist”. These errors usually occur when you have created a new database or changed the database recovery model from Simple to Full. The answer is to determine, before you run the backup, whether a differential or transaction log backup can be performed. You can use the DatabaseBackup procedure’s @ChangeBackupType option to change the backup type dynamically if a differential or transaction log backup cannot be performed.

Here’s an example of how to use the @ChangeBackupType option:

EXECUTE dbo.DatabaseBackup
@Databases = 'USER_DATABASES',
@Directory = 'C:\Backup',
@BackupType = 'LOG',
@Verify = 'Y',
@ChangeBackupType = 'Y',
@CleanupTime = 24

Back up to Multiple Files

Databases are becoming larger and larger. The SQLCAT team posted an article about how to tune the performance of SQL Server backup compression, by using multiple backup files, and the BUFFERCOUNT and MAXTRANSFERSIZE options. The DatabaseBackup procedure supports these recommendations:

EXECUTE dbo.DatabaseBackup
@Databases = 'USER_DATABASES',
@Directory = 'C:\Backup, D:\Backup, E:\Backup, F:\Backup',
@BackupType = 'FULL',
@Compress = 'Y',
@BufferCount = 50,
@MaxTransferSize = 4194304,
@NumberOfFiles = 4,
@CleanupTime = 24

Run Integrity Checks of Very Large Databases

The SQL Server Maintenance Solution has been designed to do integrity checks of very large databases. In the DatabaseIntegrityCheck procedure you can choose do the checks on the database level, the filegroup level, or the table level. It also supports limiting the checks to the physical structures of the database:

EXECUTE dbo.DatabaseIntegrityCheck
@Databases = 'USER_DATABASES',
@CheckCommands = 'CHECKDB',
@PhysicalOnly = 'Y'

SQL Server Community Awards

For the past three years, the SQL Server Maintenance Solution has been the recipient of several Gold and Silver awards in SQL Server Magazine’s annual Editors’ Best and Community Choice Awards:

2012 SQL Server Magazine Community Choice: Best Free Tool, Gold award
2011 SQL Server Magazine Editors’ Best: Best Free Tool, Silver award
2011 SQL Server Magazine Community Choice: Best Free Tool, Gold award
“Hands down, one of the best tools out there! If you’re responsible for a database, you should be using Ola’s scripts. It’s very comprehensive, is efficient with resources, has numerous options, and is a brilliant piece of SQL coding!”
2010 SQL Server Magazine Editors’ Best: Best Free Tool, Bronze award
2010 SQL Server Magazine Community Choice: Best Free Tool, Gold award

The Solution in the News and on the Web

I hosted a session about the SQL Server Maintenance Solution on SQLBits IX, in October 2011.

SQL PASS had a session about the SQL Server Maintenance Solution during the 24 Hours of PASS 2010 online conference.

SQL Server Magazine featured an article about the SQL Server Maintenance Solution in its November 2008 issue (PDF version).

SimpleTalk featured an article about the SQL Server Maintenance Solution in July 2010.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thank you for trying out the solution.

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