SQL Server Consolidation Tactics and Best Practices – A Complete Guide

Managing SQL Server databases in an organization is complex. Especially when numerous employees are working on different databases, the SQL Server environments tend to grow often. For such cases, database administrators learn and follow SQL Server consolidation tactics and best practices. These steps allow them to manage their database in a much more efficient and convenient way without compromising data security. With the help of this article, we will learn more about this consolidation and learn the best ways to help users with easy management.

What is SQL Server Consolidation? Overview

When we talk about SQL Server database consolidation, the first thing we must know is why we use that. The process of consolidation means moving multiple SQL Server database or SQL Server instances from different servers to a smaller number of SQL Server setups. To simplify the definition, we can understand it this way: when users work on different servers, it increases the workload as well as the issues in the SQL Server environment; to resolve such issues, it is convenient to run multiple SQL Server instances on a shared, well-configured infrastructure. 

There are two commonly used types of SQL Server database consolidation:

• The first one is the instance-level consolidation. In this consolidation type, multiple SQL Server instances from various servers are moved to a single physical or virtual server. 
• The next type is the database-level consolidation in SQL Server. In this type, individual databases are joined or merged into the instances that exist already. 

The entire SQL consolidation process is meant to lessen the load on the servers as well as the SQL Server environments. Now, to learn more about SQL Server consolidation tactics and best practices, it is important for us to know what are the benefits of implementing this method. 

Why is Consolidating the Database Beneficial?

Let’s now take a look at the advantages of merging the databases or moving them to smaller servers for the database administrators. 

• The most common benefit for which this method is highly recommended is the reduced infrastructure and hardware cost. As the consolidation helps with reducing the number of machines and allows database administrators to run different SQL Server instances on a shared environment.
• Another benefit is the improved resource utilization among the shared environments. This process helps users optimize memory and storage resources in a shared environment, rather than overusing such resources in an isolated SQL setup.
• The SQL Server patching and updates are much simpler with this process. For database administrators, the consolidation of SQL Server instances enables them to manage fewer servers. 
• With the help of SQL Server consolidation tactics and best practices, users often get the benefit of centralized monitoring of the SQL Server instances and get performance insights like capacity, availability, and workload. 
• SQL Server database consolidation also helps users with improved database scalability and capacity planning. This means that when the databases are consolidated, it allows users and database administrators to understand the workflow and the load and helps them plan the scalability as per their needs and requirements. 

These are some of the benefits of consolidating the databases. This is why organizations often prefer proceeding with this method. However, there are a few challenges that the users might encounter while proceeding with the process. Let’s discuss them first to know the do’s and don’ts of the process in a much clearer way. 

Common Challenges of SQL Server Database Consolidation

Here are some of the challenges the users might find or come across while carrying out the database merge task. 

• Even if different databases merge to a single SQL Server instance or environment, it might lead to a competition for the CPU resources, memory, or disk resources, and can often lead to slowed performance of the databases.
• If the server doesn’t have proper sizes for consolidation, it can result in performance issues in the database. 
• If the databases are consolidated and configured with several applications in the shared server, the failure will have more impact on the database administrators as several applications depend on the same server. 
• Another common challenge is that the users might face limitations with the compatibility of the databases. This can create issues with the process affect a smooth consolidation. 

With these challenges, it becomes important for the users to carry out the database merge process with complete precision and accuracy. Let’s now take a look at the steps that can help with the process. 

SQL Server Consolidation Tactics and Best Practices – Effective Steps

We will now learn the best ways for database administrators to carry out the merge database process in a more effective way.

• Check SQL Server dependencies: The first thing to identify and check is the SQL Server instance and other relevant components, such as databases, SQL Server Agent jobs, the server linked, connected applications, etc. This inspection includes verifying all the database components and the dependencies of the server. 
• Record workload insights: It is also important for the database administrators to check and record the CPU, memory, waits, and the peak usage for some weeks to get an insight into how to size the specified server, depending on the workload pressure and behaviour. 
• Categorize SQL Server databases by workload: As we now know, consolidation is mainly used to reduce the load on database administrators by reducing the number of servers to manage. Now, the users need to understand their databases and categorize them by similarity. It is also crucial for them to avoid mixing up low-priority and business-critical databases on the same server. 
• Prevent over-consolidating the server: Even though SQL Server consolidation will help the users reduce workload. But over-consolidating can lead to various issues, including performance degradation. It is better to use a specific number of databases on a single server.  
• Test backup & restore after consolidation: This is also an important step for the users. After the migration, it is important for the users to check the backup windows and also the restore times to ensure these operations work fine after merging. 
• Document the process: Record everything. Identify and record the database groups, the workloads that are similar for hosting alongside, and the workloads that must remain in isolation for future reference. 

These are some SQL Server consolidation tactics and best practices for users to merge their databases securely. 

How to Consolidate SQL Server Database Professionally?

Now, the most important part, as we discussed, is to choose the right migration strategy for the database consolidation. We will now see how a professional approach can help the users with a safe and secure database migration. To make the process easier for the users, it is optimal to choose a smart solution. The solution we suggest here is the SysTools SQL Server Migration Tool. It is an advanced utility that allows users to migrate the desired databases to a specified SQL Server in a hassle-free way. Let’s take a look at how the tool works and how it will help with the SQL Server database consolidation. 

1. Install and launch the tool. Click on Open button to connect with the server.
2. Choose from Online or Offline mode. Add the database authentication details of the source server.
3. After connecting the database, preview the SQL table data in the software panel.
4. Click on the Export button and select the destination database to transfer data.
5. Add the authentication details of the destination server and choose the database objects for SQL Server consolidation.
6. Lastly, click on the export button to proceed with the data transfer process.

These steps allow the users to efficiently migrate the data from the SQL Server database to a consolidated environment for centralized server functioning. By following the steps, it becomes easier for the users to proceed with their tasks. 

Conclusion

Through this write-up, we have discussed SQL Server consolidation tactics and best practices for user efficiency. We have also learned about SQL Server consolidation. To make the process clearer for the users, we have mentioned the benefits of the consolidation process. Also, the best practices to consolidate their SQL Server databases are available in the guide.