A healthy database is a critical component of the business, and it is vital for staff efficiency and customer satisfaction. As a business owner, you should never neglect performance tuning and maintenance, as there are chances where you will run into a wide array of performance problems.

When the database starts to get slow, so will your business. However, it might sound simple; some companies still do not know what a database health check means and why they should get it done to move ahead. The following are some of the answers to these questions-

An insight into a database health check

As the term suggests, the database health check refers to its inspection to determine how efficient and healthy it is. To gain a total understanding of the problems, a skilled DBA will need to evaluate the total query performance, the safety of the data, the overall configuration, the procedures embraced for data maintenance, index efficiency, and security.

When companies approach skilled DBA professionals for a database health check, the following questions are asked- 

1. Are the operating system and the database tuned properly?
2. Are there adequate resources, both virtual and physical, for all database tasks?
3. Does the database need engine or performance tuning?
4. Have the database schemas been denormalized or normalized where needed? 
5. Have the proper indexes been made?
6. Can critical administrative resources operate regularly?
7. Does the database get a backup, or is it replicated as and when needed for operating environments? 
8. Has all the procedures for disaster recovery been tested and documented?
9. Is the staff of the company competent enough to maintain an efficient database system? 

Experts from leading database administration and support companies, RemoteDBA.com, state these are just some of the common questions that DBA professionals evaluate regarding a database health check. They can run through the checklist above to identify the cause of stability, performance, data security, and data safety problems. They later document their findings and recommendations in a report given to the company about the database’s health.

The database health check report serves as the baseline for system comparisons in the future, or it can be taken as a base template for migration to the Cloud or new hardware.

When should you get a database health check done? 

Businesses should take out time regularly for conducting scheduled database health checks. This helps them save a lot of time and money. However, most business owners forgo the need to conduct these checks resulting in them facing many problems. If your business experiences any of the following problems, it is time for you to consult a good database administration company to consult a professional for tuning- 

1. You witness poor performance – This is a big indicator that your database requires a complete health check. When you see things like slow applications, slow response to queries, and database crashes, it is time for you to schedule a database health check.
2. Extra hardware – consideration is mandatory sometimes; however, it is not always the feasible route for you to embrace. Many businesses rely on faster storage, extra processors, or maybe another server; however, they need a health check for highlighting areas for optimizing and innovating the system. 
3. The database is neglected – There is no correct time or opportunity for you to update the database system or wait for a service pack to be released. You need to take advantage of the above and ensure they are conducted regularly. However, for some businesses, test restoring from database backups regularly on a schedule is challenging. The reason being they do not have a competent staff or have the knowledge in-house to manage properly or care for the database environment. Qualified DBAs claim that businesses generally do not know what they must address. It is prudent to get a database health check done as this helps you detect those areas that are neglected and need immediate attention. In most cases, it has been seen that businesses are fixed or rigid in their operations. They carry out the business in their set ways without even realizing that new alternatives to the same processes can be embraced to give them better options.
4. There has been an outage – Even though you are aware of what caused the outage, like system damage, malfunction of hardware, or corrupt files, there might be extra lurking out there in the dark that needs arrest. Health checks of your database help you to identify and address the present problem. You can weed out other future risks to your business too.

Note that the basis for every database health check is similar; however, the process differs for every platform. Business owners must bank on reliable DBA companies with experience and versatility if they do not have qualified in-house DBAs of their own. The professionals will check the system extensively to get a hold of the problems and fix them. To better understand their processes for database health checks, you should consult them before hiring to get an overview of how they manage every database.

Therefore, if your database has become slow or has reduced performance over time, it is prudent for you to speak to qualified professionals about database health checks before it comes to a sudden halt. If you are not regular with health checks, your business will suffer drastically, and you can even go out of the market.  

 Consult credible DBA companies with proven track records in the field when it comes to fixing issues. A health check is mandatory for you to weed out problems and supplement your system in those areas that are not performing to its optimal potential. Good database administration companies will ensure you save time and money regarding health checks and their subsequent findings and recommendations.