Presents your 
SQL SERVER E-NEWSLETTER for November 14, 2002

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Develop database creation scripts with these tips

Rather than developing databases from scratch each time an
implementation of a system is needed, you can create database scripts and have 
them checked into a version control system. You can then check out the most
recent version and modify it according to the current needs. This method
helps implement a consistent manner for developing databases and creates a
reiterative process that helps other less experienced database
administrators get up to speed quickly.

Here are a few tips for developing database creation scripts:


* Create directories for the data and log files of a database. Place
these directories someplace other than under the SQL Server install
directories and you will avoid any problems with edition and/or version 
upgrades and rebuilds.

* Create a filegroup other than the PRIMARY filegroup to place all
nonsystem information into. Only the system tables should reside on the
PRIMARY filegroup to allow for better space allocation.

* Make sure the PRIMARY filegroup is not the default filegroup for
database objects to be placed on. All user defined database objects 
should reside within this filegroup.

* The filegroup's initial size should be adequate to accommodate the
growth of data and avoid the reallocation of space.

* Make sure the filegroup's maxsize is not larger than the disk space 
on the server. If SQL Server requests more space than what is available, 
it will allocate all the space on the disk, which can cause errors.

* It's worth taking the time to figure the maximum size a database can
have allocated before disk space is consumed. Make sure you take into
account the maximum size of all databases residing on the SQL Server
installation.


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