SQL Server Health Check
A SQL Server health check is a structured review of how your SQL Server instances are configured and how they run. Ours covers about 70 checks across configuration, performance, indexing, statistics, blocking, backup and high availability, plus security basics, for a fixed price. Data collection is largely automated, and a senior consultant reviews the results, so you get a prioritized fix list and a walkthrough with your team.
What the SQL Server health check covers
- Configuration: instance and database settings, memory, tempdb, parallelism and other settings that affect stability and performance.
- Patch level: whether your instances are on current updates, and whether they run a version that is out of support or close to it.
- Performance: wait statistics, blocking, indexing and statistics, to find what slows your workload down.
- Backup and recovery: whether your backups match what you need to recover, and whether they have been tested.
- High availability: how your Availability Groups, failover cluster instances or log shipping are set up, and where they would fail.
- Security basics: the most important security settings and high-privilege access. For a full security review, see the SQL Server Security Assessment.
What you receive
- A health check report with every finding, its evidence and its priority.
- A prioritized fix list: what to fix first, and how.
- A walkthrough with your team, to go through the findings and answer questions.
How it works
- Short call: we agree on the instances and a date. You get a written order with the fixed price.
- Data collection: remotely, through an access path your team approves. Our collection tools only read, and we tell you in advance which permissions they need.
- Analysis and report: a senior consultant reviews the results and writes the report and the fix list.
- Walkthrough: we go through the findings with your team.
Health check or security assessment?
The health check looks at the whole instance: configuration, performance, backup, high availability and the security basics. The SQL Server Security Assessment goes deep on security, with about 90 to more than 140 checks, privilege escalation paths, encryption and auditing. Many clients start with the health check: its fee is fully credited toward a Security Assessment or project booked within 90 days.
Frequently asked questions
What does a SQL Server health check cost?
$1,950 for one production instance, plus $650 for each additional instance. The fee is fully credited toward a Security Assessment or project booked within 90 days.
What does the health check include?
About 70 checks across configuration, performance, indexing, statistics, blocking, backup and high availability, plus security basics. You get a report, a prioritized fix list and a walkthrough with your team.
Does the health check change anything on our servers?
No. Our collection tools only read, and we tell you in advance which permissions they need. Any fixes are your decision, and we can help you apply them.
Do you need remote access?
The health check runs remotely, through an access path your team approves. Where your policies require it, we work on site.
Who does the health check?
One of our senior SQL Server consultants. Data collection is largely automated; the consultant reviews the results, writes the fix list and walks your team through it.
Is a health check the same as a security assessment?
No. The health check covers the whole instance, including security basics. The SQL Server Security Assessment goes deep on security, with about 90 to more than 140 checks.
Ready for a SQL Server health check?
Tell us how many instances you have. We’ll confirm the price and a date.