Best Practice - What makes the most sense?

  • Hello -

    We currently have SQL 2005 SP4 cluster running and use SSRS to pull reports from these databases. These reports are taxing the main production server. We would have to created a view that would pull that data into a new database on a different server that the reports can be pulled or data can be accessed from there.

    I'm looking for a best practice or suggestions on getting this done. Any more questions please let me know. I'm sure I'm leaving something off.

    Thanks,

    David

  • this might be a silly question, but are you running the IIS and SSRS on the same server as the database?

    If so, that's not helping.

    A datawarehouse server is quite common as a solution to overtaxing an OLTP system with reporting. You're on the right path.


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  • David,

    Is real-time access to the production data a requirement? If not how about snapshot replication? Or how about database mirroring with a database snapshot every few hours/days? If real-time access is required what about transactional replication on those tables that need to be reported off of. You could code your own solution using T-SQL and Linked server or SSIS but I wouldn't try to reinvent the wheel for a problem that maybe already solved with the out of the box tool set.

    Those are my thoughts

    Steve

    http://stevefibich.net/

    Steve
    http://stevefibich.net
    http://utilitydb.codeplex.com/

  • Hi - No question is silly just my answer might be. 🙂

    The IIS and SSRS are separate from the DB server.

  • Steve -

    No real-time access to the production data is not a requirement. That is the good news out of all this. 🙂

    The snapshot replication looks to be the way I might want to go. Do you know any good doc's on how to do it? Also do you know can I go from a SQL server 2005 to new SQL 2008 server with it?

    Thanks,

    David

  • David,

    No sorry I don't have know of any good doc's on how to do this, I normally turn to Books Online for this kind of thing. Snapshot Replication is very easy to setup and can be done from within the GUI of SSMS. There is a wizard if you right click on Replication that will walk you through it. I would do this on test/development server first just so you can get the hang of it. As for going between 2005 and 2008 I don't know off hand, but I'm sure its out on Google somewhere and you could always give it a shot and see.

    Steve

    http://stevefibich.net

    Steve
    http://stevefibich.net
    http://utilitydb.codeplex.com/

  • david.ostrander (9/14/2011)


    No real-time access to the production data is not a requirement. That is the good news out of all this. 🙂

    The easiest way - which wouldn't even requiere to touch current reporting code is to build a "Reporting Database" in a separate server, on a nightly basis, just by restoring the last backup of your Production Database - provided there is a daily full backup of it.

    Once you do this and OLTP vs. Reporting concurrency is not longer an issue you can plan for a more elegant solution like building a star schema datawarehouse to replace the "Reporting Database".

    Hope this helps.

    _____________________________________
    Pablo (Paul) Berzukov

    Author of Understanding Database Administration available at Amazon and other bookstores.

    Disclaimer: Advice is provided to the best of my knowledge but no implicit or explicit warranties are provided. Since the advisor explicitly encourages testing any and all suggestions on a test non-production environment advisor should not held liable or responsible for any actions taken based on the given advice.

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