SQL Server 2005 : Automating Maintenance with Job Scheduling

Many of the maintenance features discussed so far in this chapter are important, but they can be time-consuming. However, that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Essentially any task that can be performed from SQL Server Management Studio or through the use of a T-SQL query can be automated through the creation of a job or a schedule.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have an agent working on your behalf to get the regular database maintenance activities done on a scheduled basis? Of course, the agent would have to provide feedback when things didn’t quite go as expected. It would also be essential for summaries to be received from time to time, perhaps by email, providing documentation of exactly what had happened, when it was performed, and what activities failed. Fortunately, SQL Server framework has just such functionality: the SQL Server Agent.

The SQL Server Agent runs as a Microsoft Windows service. When running, the agent executes scheduled tasks. Each task is defined within SQL Server as a job. The agent performs the steps defined in the job and stores the job information and history within the msdb database. SQL Server Agent can run a job on a schedule, in response to a specific event, or on demand.

Most jobs contain multiple steps, although it is possible for a job to be made up of a singular process. You define a workflow to instruct the agent on how to proceed between the individual tasks. The workflow allows for decision making in a job with a variety of outcomes, based on the results of completing or not completing steps within the job.

Viewing Job Details and History

Whereas most object information is stored in the master database in SQL Server, when you create a job, the information about the job is stored in several tables of the msdb database. You could query these tables, like any others, to find information about the jobs in the system. Among other tables used in msdb, the most useful are the following, which store the job, schedule, and history information. SELECT operations can be performed on the following objects to acquire information on jobs and schedules that have been created.

• msdb..sysjobs— Stores information for jobs created.

• msdb..syschedules— Contains information about schedules.

• msdb..sysjobschedules— Stores schedule associated job information.

• msdb..sysjobhistory— Contains the history of job executions.

Although you can query these tables directly or you can formulate a complex join query to obtain the information you want, it is far easier to use the existing system stored procedures that have already been formulated for that purpose. The following stored procedures can be used to provide information about jobs and related schedule objects.

• sp_help_job— Returns information about all jobs created.

• sp_help_jobschedule— Returns information about jobs and their associated schedules. (You provide a job ID or job name as an input parameter.)

• sp_help_jobhistory— Returns information about the historical execution of jobs. (You provide the job ID or job name as an input parameter.)

It is easiest to view the job information from within SQL Server Management Studio. You can view job history by right-clicking a job name and then selecting View History. You can even see step breakdown information in Server Management Studio if you expand the details of a step. To view schedule information for a specific job, you simply double-click the desired job and then select the Schedules page. A sample schedule is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. The Job Schedule Properties dialog.