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TN WW203 Should a SQL Server to be dedicated to an instance of a Historian Server?

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With regard to dedication of a SQL Server to a Wonderware Historian Server, there are no current Wonderware or Wonderware sanctioned documented Best Practices which call for a SQL Server to be dedicated to an instance of a Historian Server. However, the following should be considered when making a decision about how to configure the SQL Server.

1. Historian Server is a complex package of interconnected services over and above SQL Server. There are limitations about service accounts in the way that SQL Server can be configured. Adding other databases and products could conflict with the requirements of Historian.

2. Use of Historian as a repository for ArchestrA distributed data sources adds considerable resource requirements for disk access, CPU, and memory. Each Wonderware ArchestrA platform creates a unique data stream which must be accommodated by the available resource. Other database loads on the SQL Server may inhibit the performance of the Historian in both storing data and in data retrieval.

3. Databases other than Runtime, may incur unknows in the form of resource loading as might be the case with large or complex stored procedures, SQL locking of shared resources, etc. If the data being historized is mission critical or is required for regulatory compliance, then it may be worth dedicating SQL Server to that purpose.

4. Maintenance of other databases might require patch updates tested for one product and not for Historian, system restarts, etc. In general, it is a sure bet that management of a SQL Server hosting multiple databases is more complex, time consuming, and can unexpectedly become impractical.

5. Multiple databases can create multiple points of failure.

There may be other considerations around dedication of SQL Server for a Historian, but these alone could be compelling depending of the value of the data being stored.