Administering SQL Server
Below are the topics every Administrator has to keep up with.
Backup / Restore:
Understand the backup / restore options SQL Server provides for you.Implement those on your databases to meet your users' needs.Test those backups regularly to make sure they are good and to give you an idea of how long the restores take.
Configuration / Performance (OS):
Understand the various types of RAID and how those can impact your performance.Understand how to deploy SQL Server on those RAID configurations to meet cost vs. performance.Understand how to measure performance on your SQL Servers (CPU, memory, disk I/O).Understand what can cause bottlenecks on those areas.
Configuration / Performance (SQL Server):
Understand clustered vs. non-clustered indexes and what situations to apply them.Understand statistics and how to keep them up to date.Understand how to determine when indexes are needed and when they're not.Understand how to deploy database and log files to maximize the performance of the disk.
Growth / Capacity Planning:
Understand how to measure the growth of your databases.Understand how to forecast growth over time.Understand how to communicate your growth needs to management before it's critical.
Security (SQL Server):
Understand the difference between users/loginsUnderstand how to determine what permissions a login has, down into each database.Understand ownership chaining.Understand how to get a user the rights that are needed, no more and no less.
Disaster recovery:
Know how to fix corruptionKnow what to do when someone drops a table (though if you've done the security right, that shouldn't be possible)Know how to restore to any point given your backup strategyPractice various scenarios so that if something does happen, you know exactly what to do.
