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Deploying SQL Server on ME4 Series storage
10 Dell EMC PowerVault ME4 Series and Microsoft SQL Server | 3923-BP-SQL
4 Deploying SQL Server on ME4 Series storage
Proper architecture and configuration of the SQL Server environment is critical to optimize performance and
manageability of the ME4 Series array and SQL Server environment. Apply the following best practices when
designing, configuring, and managing SQL Server databases on ME4 Series storage.
4.1 Volume configuration
4.1.1 Creating volumes
There are many types of files that are part of a SQL Server instance. Those types of data often have different
performance requirements. For performance-sensitive applications, Dell EMC recommends creating at least
five volumes for an instance of SQL Server as shown in Table 1.
Volume-provisioning recommendations
File type
Number of volumes
Typical performance requirements
User DB data
At least 1 per instance
Lower performance may be acceptable
User DB transaction log
At least 1 per instance
High performance required
Data root directory
(includes system DBs)
1 per instance
Lower performance may be acceptable
Tempdb data and transaction log
1 per instance
High performance may be required
Native SQL Server backup
1 per instance
Lower performance may be acceptable
Memory-Optimized Filegroup (if used)
At least 1 per instance
High performance required
4.1.2 Performance considerations
When there is one group of databases that require high performance and another group that does not,
consider creating a set of volumes for each group of databases. This strategy will make it easier to adjust the
storage configuration in the future. It also makes it easier to distribute the I/O load evenly across both
controllers. Databases that have very high performance requirements can be spread across two or more data
files on separate volumes to leverage resources on both controllers.
4.1.3 Flexibility and manageability
For ultimate flexibility, create a volume for each user database file. This provides the ability to independently
optimize the storage for each individual database. With thin provisioning, there is no space penalty for
creating numerous volumes. However, a large number of volumes can be difficult to manage, especially in
virtualized environments. It is up to the DBA or storage administrator to find the right balance between
flexibility and manageability when determining the number of volumes to create. Virtualized SQL Server
environments are a good example where placing multiple file types on a single volume can make sense.
Understanding the database I/O patterns is critical to making the best decisions.
4.1.4 Windows setup and configuration
4.1.4.1 Allocation unit size
Use a 64 KB allocation unit size when formatting volumes that will contain database files (transaction log and
data) or database backups.