Download Dell Uses New Database Technology to Consolidate Servers

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2
Customer Solution Case Study
Dell Uses New Database Technology to
Consolidate Servers, Enhance IT Management
Customer: Dell
Web Site: www.dell.com
Customer Size: 76,000 employees
Country or Region: United States
Industry: Professional services—IT
services
“With the new management tools in SQL Server 2008
R2, I can quickly see what caused a problem and
proactively take action to prevent the problem from
happening again. That feature is priceless.”
Reinaldo Kibel, Senior Database Engineer, Dell
Customer Profile
Dell is one of the world’s leading
computer manufacturers. Based in Round
Rock, Texas, Dell employs more than
100,000 team members globally.
Dell runs mission-critical databases to support its global
business of providing computer systems to consumers and
enterprises. To improve database performance, Dell deployed
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 database management software.
Software and Services
 Microsoft Server Product Portfolio
− Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2
Enterprise
New Application and Multiserver Management tools are helping
the Dell IT team to gain more insights into the performance of
key databases and to facilitate server consolidation efforts.
Business Needs
Dell is one of the world’s leading
manufacturers of computer systems,
including PCs, servers, storage, monitors,
and peripheral devices. It also provides IT
solutions and services to other enterprise
organizations. The company—which was
launched by Michael Dell in 1984, when he
was a college student—ships an average
of 140,000 computer systems and
components every day and lists the world’s
largest enterprises among its customers. In
2009, the company reported U.S.$61.6
billion in revenue.
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IT services are a vital aspect of Dell
operations. The company’s IT staff manage
thousands of servers and are responsible
for creating and deploying dozens of lineof-business applications, software utilities,
and websites. Many of the Dell assets are
mission-critical, such as the Dell Premier
site, which facilitates the procurement of IT
products and services for corporate
customers. Premier is one of numerous
applications that carry a “Class 1”
designation, which means that the IT
department has to respond to any
problems, including performance of the
underlying databases, in less than one
hour. Less critical applications carry
designations of Class 2 and Class 3.
Managing the databases that support this
global, around-the-clock company is a
constant challenge. The pressure is
particularly pronounced with Class 1 assets
like the Dell Premier site. Says Reinaldo
Kibel, Senior Database Engineer for Dell, “If
it goes down, Dell Premier customers are
unable to place timely orders for systems
that keep them productive and
competitive.” He adds that finding
technology that can help improve
operations is always a high priority. “In
terms of database administration, the top
issues for us are enhancing performance to
meet our service level agreements, using
servers to their fullest potential, and
controlling costs,” he says.
Solution
Dell, which has a long history of using
Microsoft products for its own business,
runs many of its applications on Microsoft
SQL Server database management software.
To enhance the performance and
management of its databases, the IT team
at Dell decided to implement a beta version
of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Enterprise.
The Dell IT team was especially interested in
several features of SQL Server 2008 R2.
Among these are the Application and
Multiserver Management (AMM) tools,
which help Dell proactively manage its
database environment. An important
technology in AMM is the new Control
Point Explorer in the Microsoft SQL Server
2008 R2 Management Studio, which delivers
dashboard views of general database
metrics along with drill-down utilization
views of database instances and
applications. AMM also provides an easy
way to understand historical performance of
specific databases. Additionally, the
company’s database administrators are
using the enhanced data compression
features in SQL Server 2008 R2 to
consolidate many different databases onto
single server computers and into virtualized
database environments. This will help
improve manageability and control costs.
In late 2009, Dell launched a test of SQL
Server 2008 R2. By early 2010, it had six
servers and more than 45 databases
running the software. “We used it to run
many new applications, tools, and
development projects that we create inhouse to support our growing and fastmoving business,” says Kibel. The
databases ranged in size from a few
megabytes to about 800 gigabytes. The IT
team’s standard deployment process
includes conducting extensive tests to
ensure compatibility with existing
applications prior to scheduling a full
deployment across the company.
Benefits
The initial deployment of SQL Server 2008
R2 quickly demonstrated to the Dell IT
team that the software could help improve
the management and reduce the costs of
running the company’s mission-critical
applications. With the SQL Server AMM
tools, Dell administrators can monitor
database performance more closely. The
AMM functionality helps to improve server
utilization and ongoing efforts to virtualize
and consolidate the company’s databases.
Dell is also able to use the new tools and
features in SQL Server 2008 R2 to reduce
costs.
Enhances Performance Monitoring
By using the SQL Server 2008 R2 AMM
features, the Dell IT team can quickly view
specific performance details in databases
to identify potential problems and review
past performance metrics. “Last year we
had several cases of problems with servers,
including an instance where the Premier
site went down. Customers could not place
orders. We wanted to figure out what was
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS
SUMMARY.
Document published May 2010
going on, but did not have the right tools
for getting a clear history,” says Kibel.
“With the new management tools in SQL
Server 2008 R2, I can quickly see what
caused a problem and proactively take
action to prevent the problem from
happening again. That feature is priceless.”
Improves Server Utilization
SQL Server 2008 R2 makes it easier for Dell
IT administrators to understand server
performance and utilization. “With the new
tools in SQL Server 2008 R2, I can easily
see what servers are not being fully
utilized,” says Kibel. “Any server that is
running below 40 percent utilization is a
candidate for consolidation, and in a
virtualized infrastructure, I can consolidate
10 database servers onto a single virtual
server. Using these tools, we can also
monitor a shared, virtualized database
infrastructure with great precision. This
adds clarity to discussions when business
users request additional server space for
their projects.”
Lowers IT Costs
The technology in SQL Server 2008 R2 is
helping Dell in its ongoing drive to reduce
IT costs. “We use Dell servers, of course,
but in our business model, storage is the
more expensive technology,” says Kibel.
“By using the enhanced data compression
and data storage features in SQL Server
2008 R2, we can add more data to the
same storage volumes. The fact that we
can do more with our existing storage
infrastructure helps us tell a phenomenal
story when management asks us to
describe cost-saving opportunities.”