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BP1014 Enhancing SQL Server Protection using Dell EqualLogic Snapshot Smart Copies

3.4.2 Impact on system and database performance while creating Smart Copy snapshots

We also measured system and database performance impact while creating a series of Smart Copy

snapshots. Figure 9 shows database server CPU utilization and database transactions per second (TPS)

while creating a series of ASM/ME Smart Copy snapshots. Figure 10 shows the difference in average

application response time, as measured from Quest Benchmark Factory, during creation of SQL

Server® snapshots vs. ASM/ME Smart Copies.

We can draw the following conclusions from the results shown in Figure 9 and Figure 10:

 We measured no significant increase in CPU utilization during creation of ASM/ME Smart Copy

snapshots of SQL Server® databases under a heavy transactional workload.

 Transactions per second (TPS) was also not affected during creation of Smart Copy snapshots.

 We did not measure a noticeable increase in average response time when creating ASM Smart

Copy snapshots. We measured a much higher transient increase in average database response

time during creation of native SQL Server® snapshots than during creation of ASM/ME Smart

Copy snapshots.

Figure 9 – Performance impact while creating a series of ASM/ME Smart Copy snapshots