MaxParallel for SQL Server Best Practices Guide

Cumulative Change Summary Date

Version: R1.0 July 13, 2017

Overview
The following are recommendations for getting the highest performance from MaxParallel For SQL
Server.

Sizing Cores and Memory

Assure that your machine size (whether physical or virtual hardware) has enough cores and memory to
allow MS-SQL and MaxParallel services to co-exist. The hardware should have at least 4 cores and a
minimum of 16GB of memory.

System Volumes
System and Page file volumes (e.g. the C: drive) will not be managed by MaxParallel services. In Azure
VM's, a non-persistent disk is provided for use as temporary storage and holds the system page file. It is
typically assigned drive letter D:. This volume will not be managed by MaxParallel services.

SQL Logs Volume

For critical databases, it is advisable to set the Logs volume(s) into Write-Through in the MaxParallel
management dialog to avoid losing committed data in case of an unexpected power outage or hardware
failure. In those cases where the data is temporal and used for report generation or tests, leaving the
Logs volume(s) in Write-Back will further enhance performance.

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SQL Server Configuration
By default, tempdb will be located on the C: drive in the corresponding MS SQL Server folder under
Program Files. Moving tempdb to volumes managed by MaxParallel services will yield an overall
improvement in database performance.

Open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and log in.

In the toolbar, click the "New Query" button to produce a query/results window.

Confirm the current location where tempdb files are located. In the query section, enter the following:
SELECT name, physical_name AS CurrentLocation
FROM sys.master_files
WHERE database_id = DB_ID(N'tempdb');
GO

(Note, the "N" in DB_ID(N'tempdb') specifies the string is Unicode.)

In the result section note the logical file names. They will likely be "tempdev" and "templog".
Adapt the following SQL statements to correspond to your case to move the tempdb files to
MaxParallel-managed drives. The statements below will move the tempdb data file to "F:\MyData"
and will move the log file to "G:\MyLogs".

USE master;
ALTER DATABASE tempdb
MODIFY FILE (NAME = tempdev, FILENAME = "F:\MyData\tempdb.mdf");
GO
ALTER DATABASE tempdb
MODIFY FILE (NAME = templog, FILENAME = "G:\MyLogs\tempdb.ldf");
GO

Execute your adapted SQL statements in the query window. Assure that the new paths (e.g.
"F:\MyData" and "G:\MyLogs") exist. It is not necessary to copy the existing tempdb files to the new
location -- SQL Server will automatically create them the next time the service is started.

After changing the location of the tempdb files, you must stop and start the SQL Server service to affect
the change.

SQL Server Default Database Location

In default installations of SQL Server, the default location for new databases will be set to a directory on
the C: drive. In that case you will need to change the default locations to use MaxParallel-enabled
volumes. In Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, right-click your server object in the Object
Explorer and select "Properties". In the left panel on that Properties page, click the Database Settings
tab. In Database default locations, change the default locations for new data files and new log files.

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In the Azure "MaxParallel For SQL Server" VM deployments, the default location for new database files
has been pre-configured to "F:\Data" for data files while for logs it is set to "G:\Logs". Adjust these to
correspond to your VM's actual volume configuration.

After changing the default locations, you must stop and start the SQL Server service to complete the
change.

Configuration Tweaks
For On-Premises Installations (R1 Lighthouse / Fast Track Partners)

In the MaxParallel folder in Program Files, find the dcsx.exe.config file. Edit with NotePad. Change the
setting for DisableCrashProtection to True so that MaxParallel will always start up:

<setting name="DisableCrashProtection" serializeAs="String">

<value>True</value>
</setting>

In the next update release, DisableCrashProtection will be set to True by default.

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