How to manage SharePoint content database?

[Fanishwar]

I am working in a company where SharePoint farm management involves monitoring growth. Indeed, all of SharePoint data is stored in SQL Server databases (called Content Databases). The issue of distribution of these collections in databases, content is very important. I have saved in a plane defined with the DataBase Administrator (DBA). A second important point is the distribution of the data contained in databases. Thus this distribution is not random, but is done through site collections. So, it should correctly predict the configuration of its farm in its logical architecture. Now I am here to know more about the managing SharePoint. Please tell me how to manage SharePoint content database? I am expecting some help from your side as soon as possible.

[Adley]

The content database management involves time backup of the databases. During this time the foundation should not be sought. This can be very fast if the database is small but can quickly become complicated when they grow. Indeed, if a content database starts with a few collections and a few documents in these collections, it can progress rapidly to hundreds of collections and a large volume of data. At this time, the time required for the database backup is no longer the same, which can block this step. Before starting to change anything, knowing the situation of our environment. We are not talking about the hardware (even if it is of course to be taken into account), but rather the logical configuration.

[Khushal]

You have a list of site collections in each of these Web applications, through an STSADM command:

Stsadm.exe-o-Enumsites http://myWebApplication url> enumsites.xml

This command is going to generate an XML file such as this one:

Site> Count="xxx"> 
... 
<Site Url = "http://myWebApplication/sites/mySiteCollectionTrial1" 
Owner = "DOMAIN \ UserLoginTrial1" 
SecondaryOwner = "DOMAIN \ UserLoginTrial2" 
ContentDatabase = "myDataBaseTrial01" 
StorageUsedMB = "156.1" 
StorageWarningMB = "0" 
StorageMaxMB = "0" /> 
<Site Url = "http://myWebApplication/sites/mySiteCollectionTrial2" 
Owner = "DOMAIN \ UserLoginTrial1" 
ContentDatabase = "myDataBaseTrial02" 
StorageUsedMB = "256.1" 
StorageWarningMB = "900" 
StorageMaxMB = "1000" /> 
... 
</ Sites>

Once this file is generated, simply open it with Excel 2007 to view the data as a PivotTable. You can see the distribution database (if one has many) collections of sites in your Web Application. This allows you(with sizing) to define the largest collections of sites. Thus our example, we provide the first three site collections with volumes ranging from 3.5 GB to 1.5 GB.

[Mecurtis]

This allows you(with sizing) to define the largest collections of sites. Thus our example, we provide the first three site collections with volumes ranging from 3.5 GB to 1.5 GB.

These collections can be outsourced to a dedicated content database (which would have three collections for a total of 7 GB). The total of the base in question is 12 GB on this database. We will transfer at the end of two databases with a distribution volume of almost homogeneous under 10 GB. This is of course a case example, SQL Server can handle much larger databases, but it shows the principle of the transfer action. If you create the content database via the STSADM command, you must go to the admin page to set the index server on the new basis. By using the Web interface when creating this specification is possible before creation.

[Timothi]

I think that you should also know about the moving a site collection. This step is certainly the most difficult of all because it means that users no longer change the contents of this collection (cons they can work on others). This stage is divided into five distinct parts:

• Backup the site collection
• Remove site collection
• Changing the settings of the database content
• Restore the site collection
• Reconfiguration of the parameters of the base content

We need to first identify the site collections to be moved from one database to another. In our example, we will take one of the largest so that they do not penalize all because of a significant size.

[shilong]

To perform the backup, you need to use the STSADM command with the Backup as follows:

stsadm.exe-o backup-url -filename

url --> http://WebApplication/mysites/MySiteCollection
filename --> C: \ BackupFolder \ MyCollection.dat-overwrite
This gives the backup file after a few minutes (depending on the size of your collection). It should then delete this collection of the list. After this you will have to remove site collection. This step is of course compulsory and remains the most dangerous, because we can not restore the contents of the file previously saved. Thus, if changes were made between the backup and the deletion of the collection, they can not be applied. It is therefore essential to link these steps without delay so that users are impacted as little as possible. The removal is done by the STSADM command or via the administration Web application. It is best to do this step in command mode (which is faster).

stsadm.exe-o-deletesite url Force

After a few seconds or minutes depending on the size of your collection of sites, we can change the settings database.