sqlmaint Utility

The sqlmaint utility performs a specified set of maintenance operations on one or more databases. Use sqlmaint to run DBCC checks, back up a database and its transaction log, update statistics, and rebuild indexes. All database maintenance activities generate a report that can be sent to a designated text file, HTML file, or e-mail account.

Syntax

sqlmaint [-?] |
[
    [-S server_name[\instance_name]]
    [-U login_ID [-P password]]
    {
        [ -D database_name | -PlanName name | -PlanID guid ]
        [-Rpt text_file]
        [-To operator_name]
        [-HtmlRpt html_file [-DelHtmlRpt <time_period>] ]
        [-RmUnusedSpace threshold_percent free_percent]
        [-CkDB | -CkDBNoIdx]
        [-CkAl | -CkAlNoIdx]
        [-CkCat]
        [-UpdOptiStats sample_percent]
        [-RebldIdx free_space]
        [-WriteHistory]
        [
            {-BkUpDB [backup_path] | -BkUpLog [backup_path] }
            {-BkUpMedia
                {DISK [    [-DelBkUps <time_period>]
                            [-CrBkSubDir ] [ -UseDefDir ]
                         ]
                | TAPE
                }
            }
            [-BkUpOnlyIfClean]
            [-VrfyBackup]
        ]
    }
]

<time_period> ::=
number[minutes | hours | days | weeks | months]

Note  The parameters and their values must be separated by a space. For example, there must be a space between -S and server.

Arguments

-?

Specifies that the syntax diagram for sqlmaint be returned. This parameter must be used alone.

-S server_name[\instance_name]

Specifies the target instance of Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2000. Specify server_name to connect to the default instance of SQL Server 2000 on that server. Specify server_name\instance_name to connect to a named instance of SQL Server 2000 on that server. If no server is specified, sqlmaint connects to the default instance of SQL Server 2000 on the local computer.

-U login_ID

Specifies the login ID to use when connecting to the server. If not supplied, sqlmaint attempts to use Windows Authentication. If login_ID contains special characters, it must be enclosed in double quotation marks ("); otherwise, the double quotation marks are optional.

-P password

Specifies the password for the login ID. Only valid if the -U parameter is also supplied. If password contains special characters, it must be enclosed in double quotation marks; otherwise, the double quotation marks are optional.

-D database_name

Specifies the name of the database in which to perform the maintenance operation. If database_name contains special characters, it must be enclosed in double quotation marks; otherwise, the double quotation marks are optional.

-PlanName name

Specifies the name of a database maintenance plan defined using the Database Maintenance Plan Wizard. The only information sqlmaint uses from the plan is the list of the databases in the plan. Any maintenance activities you specify in the other sqlmaint parameters are applied to this list of databases. You can get the plan name from SQL Server Enterprise Manager.

-PlanID guid

Specifies the globally unique identifier (GUID) of a database maintenance plan defined using the Database Maintenance Plan Wizard. The only information sqlmaint uses from the plan is the list of the databases in the plan. Any maintenance activities you specify in the other sqlmaint parameters are applied to this list of databases. This must match a plan_id value in msdb.dbo.sysdbmaintplans.

-Rpt text_file

Specifies the full path and name of the file into which the report is to be generated. The report is also generated on the screen. The report maintains version information by adding a date to the file name. The date is generated as follows: at the end of the file name but before the period, in the form _yyyyMMddhhmm. Yyyy = year, MM = month, dd = day, hh = hour, mm = minute.

If you run the utility at 10:23 A.M. on December 1, 1996, and this is the text_file value:

c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\Mssql\Backup\Nwind_maint.rpt

The generated file name is:

c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\Mssql\Backup\Nwind_maint_199612011023.rpt

The full UNC file name is required for text_file when sqlmaint accesses a remote server.

-To operator_name

Specifies the operator to whom the generated report will be sent through SQL Mail. The operator can be defined by using SQL Server Enterprise Manager.

-HtmlRpt html_file

Specifies the full path and name of the file into which an HTML report is to be generated. sqlmaint generates the file name by appending a string of the format _yyyyMMddhhmm to the file name, just as it does for the -Rpt parameter.

The full UNC file name is required for html_file when sqlmaint accesses a remote server.

-DelHtmlRpt <time_period>

Specifies that any HTML report in the report directory be deleted if the time interval after the creation of the report file exceeds <time_period>.

-DelHtmlRpt looks for files whose name fits the pattern generated from the html_file parameter. If html_file is c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\Mssql\Backup\Nwind_maint.htm, then -DelHtmlRpt causes sqlmaint to delete any files whose names match the pattern c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\Mssql\Backup\Nwind_maint*.htm and that are older than the specified <time_period>.

-RmUnusedSpace threshold_percent free_percent

Specifies that unused space be removed from the database specified in -D. This option is only useful for databases that are defined to grow automatically. Threshold_percent specifies in megabytes the size that the database must reach before sqlmaint attempts to remove unused data space. If the database is smaller than the threshold_percent, no action is taken. Free_percent specifies how much unused space must remain in the database, specified as a percentage of the final size of the database. For example, if a 200-MB database contains 100 MB of data, specifying 10 for free_percent results in the final database size being 110 MB. Note that a database will not be expanded if it is smaller than free_percent plus the amount of data in the database. For example, if a 108-MB database has 100 MB of data, specifying 10 for free_percent will not expand the database to 110 MB; it will remain at 108 MB.

-CkDB | -CkDBNoIdx

Specifies that a DBCC CHECKDB statement or a DBCC CHECKDB statement with the NOINDEX option be run in the database specified in -D. For more information, see DBCC CHECKDB.

A warning is written to text_file if the database is in use when sqlmaint runs.

-CkAl | -CkAlNoIdx

Specifies that a DBCC NEWALLOC statement or a DBCC NEWALLOC statement with the NOINDEX option be run in the database specified in -D. For more information, see DBCC NEWALLOC.

-CkCat

Specifies that a DBCC CHECKCATALOG statement be run in the database specified in -D. For more information, see DBCC CHECKCATALOG.

-UpdOptiStats sample_percent

Specifies that the following statement be run on each table in the database:

UPDATE STATISTICS table WITH SAMPLE sample_percent PERCENT

For more information, see UPDATE STATISTICS.

-RebldIdx free_space

Specifies that indexes on tables in the target database should be rebuilt by using the free_space percent value as the inverse of the fill factor. For example, if free_space percentage is 30, then the fill factor used is 70. If a free_space percentage value of 100 is specified, then the indexes are rebuilt with the original fill factor value.

-WriteHistory

Specifies that an entry be made in msdb.dbo.sysdbmaintplan_history for each maintenance action performed by sqlmaint. If -PlanName or -PlanID is specified, the entries in sysdbmaintplan_history use the ID of the specified plan. If -D is specified, the entries in sysdbmaintplan_history are made with zeroes for the plan ID.

-BkUpDB [backup_path] | -BkUpLog [backup_path]

Specifies a backup action. -BkUpDb backs up the entire database. -BkUpLog backs up only the transaction log.

[backup_path] specifies the directory for the backup. [backup_path] is not needed if -UseDefDir is also specified, and is overriden by -UseDefDir if both are specified. The backup can be placed in a directory or a tape device address (for example, \\.\TAPE0). The file name for a database backup is generated automatically as follows:

dbname_db_yyyyMMddhhmm.BAK

where

• dbname is the name of the database being backed up.
  
  
• yyyyMMddhhmm is the time of the backup operation with yyyy = year, MM = month, dd = day, hh = hour, and mm = minute.

  The file name for a transaction backup is generated automatically with a similar format:

  dbname_log_yyyymmddhhmm.BAK
  

  If you use the -BkUpDB parameter, you must also specify the media by using the -BkUpMedia parameter.

-BkUpMedia

Specifies the media type of the backup.

DISK

Specifies that the backup medium is disk.

-DelBkUps <time_period>

Specifies that any backup file in the backup directory be deleted if the time interval after the creation of the backup exceeds the <time_period>.

-CrBkSubDir

Specifies that a subdirectory be created in the [backup_path] directory or in the default backup directory if -UseDefDir is also specified. The name of the subdirectory is generated from the database name specified in -D. -CrBkSubDir offers an easy way to put all the backups for different databases into separate subdirectories without having to change the [backup_path] parameter.

-UseDefDir

Specifies that the backup file be created in the default backup directory. UseDefDir overrides [backup_path] if both are specified. With a default SQL Server 2000 setup, the default backup directory is c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\Mssql\Backup.

TAPE

Specifies that the backup medium is tape.

-BkUpOnlyIfClean

Specifies that the backup occur only if any specified -Ck checks did not find problems with the data. Maintenance actions run in the same sequence as they appear in the command prompt. Specify the parameters -CkDB, -CkDBNoIdx, -CkAl, -CkAlNoIdx, -CkTxtAl, or -CkCat before the -BkUpDB/-BkUpLog parameter(s) if you are also going to specify -BkUpOnlyIfClean, or the backup will occur whether or not the check reports problems.

-VrfyBackup

Specifies that RESTORE VERIFYONLY be run on the backup when it completes.

number[minutes | hours | days | weeks | months]

Specifies the time interval used to determine if a report or backup file is old enough to be deleted. number is an integer. Valid examples are 12weeks, 3months, and 15days. If only number is specified, the default date part is weeks.

sqlmaint -S MyServer -U "sa" -P "SaPwd" -D Northwind -CkDB -CkAl -CkCat -Rpt C:\MyReports\Nwind_chk.rpt

sqlmaint -S MyServer -U "sa" -P "SaPwd" -PlanName MyUserDBPlan -UpdOptiStats 15 -RmUnusedSpace 110 10

sqlmaint -S MyServer -U "sa" -P "SaPwd" -PlanName MyUserDBPlan -BkUpDB -BkUpMedia DISK -UseDefDir -CrBkSubDir -DelBkUps 2weeks