This topic describes considerations in planning the database storage and infrastructure.

Steps in planning database storage

Appropriate planning of database infrastructure and storage is a critical requirement for optimal Microsoft Dynamics AX performance. This topic provides a high-level view of factors you need to consider when planning storage for your Microsoft Dynamics AX business database or the online transaction processing (OLTP) database. You will also need to follow carefully the design guidelines of your chosen database server when planning storage.

This topic provides details based on Microsoft SQL Server best practices. For detailed information about Oracle Database Server, consult the Oracle documentation. For considerations in planning a reporting and analytics environment in the Microsoft Dynamics AX implementation, see Planning business intelligence – analytics and reporting.

Designing a data storage solution involves multiple and integrated aspects. We recommend that you follow these ordered steps when you approach this task.

  1. Characterize the input/output (I/O) load of the Microsoft Dynamics AX application. The I/O characteristics will depend on your business requirements and the Microsoft Dynamics AX modules and components you plan to deploy. Some of the questions you can ask to determine your I/O characteristics are:

    1. What is the read versus write ratio of the application?

    2. What is the typical I/O volume (I/O per second)?

    3. How much of the I/O is sequential in nature and how much is random in nature?

  2. Determine availability and performance requirements for the database system.

  3. Determine the hardware required to support the decisions made in steps 1 and 2.

  4. Configure SQL Server to take advantage of the hardware in step 3.

  5. Track performance as workload changes.

Step-by-step guidance on database architecture and storage is beyond the scope of this document. See Microsoft SQL Server storage top 10 best practicesand Physical Database Storage Designfor more information.

The Microsoft Dynamics AX Performance Team's blogprovides a configuration checklist for SQL Server that covers the following components:

  • Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2003

  • SQL Server instance and service

  • Tempdb storage

  • Microsoft Dynamics AX business or OLTP database

See Also