In SQL Server 2008, we will have access to the DMF, the Declarative Management Framework. I wrote about this feature in a previous blog. It allows DBAs to set policies across multiple servers so that non-standard settings can be prevented or at least logged. Recently I have been testing RC0 for the latest and greatest functionality. One aspect of this feature is that the policies can be enabled against previous releases of the product, effectively providing capability that was not available before.
Using SSMS, I set up a policy that would log any server in a Local Server Group that had either SQLMail or DatabaseMail enabled. This is a good example of something we would want to keep an eye on, especially given the security vulnerabilities and performance problems of SQLMail, for instance. When “evaluating” this policy, SSMS will tell us which servers have these features enabled and will allow us to disable the features interactively if we wish. The great thing again is that we can set a policy that applies to multiple release levels, as appropriate. SSMS 2008 supports SQL Server 2000, 2005 and 2008, so we can set a policy that applies to all three versions of SQL Server if necessary.
Another example of cross-release policy management is with object naming conventions. I set up a policy that enforces table naming conventions and specified that violations of the policy should be “prevented”. When a CREATE TABLE statement was issued against any other the servers for which the policy was enabled, the naming convention was verified. A violation would cause the statement to fail. Again, this type of policy is effective across the multiple releases that SSMS now supports.
Microsoft is recognizing that most companies support multiple servers at multiple releases and rather than forcing us to upgrade, is supporting us in that venture by providing additional functionality. This is great news for DBAs – and for Microsoft.
cheers
Brian
