How to cover monitoring gaps for a large SQL Server data infrastructure

Our client is a large pharmaceutical company with a sophisticated data infrastructure. Along with the company’s rapid growth, its data infrastructure started growing as well. At one point, their data infrastructure exceeded 140 SQL Servers united by multiple scripts and connections. This growth made its maintenance more challenging and time-consuming. The customer created a professional support and monitoring team to handle any data infrastructure issues, but this did not solve the entire problem.

The customer still had issues with organizing a full-scale 24/7 database support and maintenance because of:

• Large size of the infrastructure;
• Customer’s exceptional focus on data security, which made them implement extra infrastructure safeguards that did not allow automated monitoring tools to reach some of its parts;
• Very specific monitoring needs due to the complex server connections and the customer’s infrastructure upgrade plans;

Inability of the monitoring team to support the infrastructure during US afterhours including nighttime, holidays and weekends.

This company did not mind external help, and we knew that our tools and experience would be of great help. It was decided that the ABCloudz team would step in and provide the necessary review and support.

Three tiers of support from ABCloudz

It was an easy choice because our company already proved our excellent competency while helping them with building SharePoint web system.

The ABC team researched the customer’s most specific requirements and developed 3 tiers of support for database infrastructure.

These included:

• Integration of monitoring tools customized specifically according to the client’s needs;
• Development of SOPs (Standard operating procedures) for continuous database monitoring and upgrades;
• Provision of the experienced team that would help schedule 24/7 monitoring of the customer’s database.

Here’s what you should know about these services.

Monitoring tool configured according to client-specific needs

The ABC team integrated an efficient and flexible database monitoring tool to ensure 24/7 database monitoring. We also updated and configured this tool to fit other client’s requirements.

Our customer wanted to have their infrastructure optimized. For that, we integrated a monitoring tool with DMO (Data Management Optimization) module that provided reports to help customers understand their data infrastructure, and plan consolidation and migration activities.

Monitoring system is also integrated with our custom license inventory script that helps keeping all server software versions and licenses updated and consolidated. Make sure to read our related-topic article for more information.

Client-specific SOPs for the most common database challenges

SOP is a set of written instructions that describes the step-by-step process that must be taken to properly perform a routine activity. It is a procedure specific to your operation that describes the activities necessary to complete tasks in accordance with industry regulations, provincial laws, or even just your own standards for running your business. To keep the SOPs up to date, our team reviews them every 12 months.

All SOPs are project-specific and are created in a way that any newly onboarded team member can easily understand them and follow as step-by-step instructions.

1. Use a custom script to gather information on server, dependencies, jobs, and mirroring associated with the database;
Here’s the script:

2. Communicate the found dependencies to your customer’s business units and get their approval for database decommissioning;

3. Agree on the time for database decommissioning with owners;

4. Backup the database to the archive location;

5. Script out all the dependent objects to the corresponding folder;

6. Disable all database-related jobs and processes and take them offline;

7. Move the database to the “Decommissioned” inventory tab;

8. Proceed with a Change Request at the scheduled time.

There are dozens of SOPs that provide detailed instructions on handling potential situations that a data infrastructure monitoring team can encounter during 24/7 support.

A team for 24/7 data infrastructure monitoring

ABCloudz onboarded a team of DBAs, support engineers, and operators that keep monitoring databases and solving issues during the customer’s support team off-hours.

We organized a schedule and distributed roles between our team and the customer’s in-house support specialists.

According to this schedule, the ABC team handles database monitoring tasks for around 240 full days/per year. Before the cooperation with the ABC team, the client could not cover some database monitoring gaps. Our team handles database monitoring in the following cases:

• On weekends;
• During US holidays;
• When the customer’s support team has nighttime (hours between 6 PM and 8 AM PST).

Customer’s data infrastructure is under constant monitoring

The benefits that our customer got as a result:

• Customized database monitoring solution that helps them plan further migrations and database consolidations;
• Efficient SOPs that reduce by at least 50% onboarding time for new team members;
• Infrastructure that consists of 140+ SQL Servers is under 24/7 monitoring without gaps.

Our customer’s struggle has ended – we continuously keep their database infrastructure healthy, updated, and ready for database consolidation activities that are essential.

Our experience and custom practices are at your service – from delivering a solution that will help your specific requirements, to ensuring efficient monitoring of your data infrastructure, regardless of its size and complexity. Contact us and have your database infrastructure taken care of today.