Most users are focused on Dynamics GP performance and the validation of the data within the system. This is extremely important. Yet, we sometimes forget to look under the hood to make sure that everything is humming along the way it should.
The backend of GP is SQL. SQL consists of a Database Engine (among other components) that hosts the GP databases where all GP data is stored. When you create a Journal Entry, the entry is written to the GP database in SQL. When you run a report, the data is pulled from the GP database in SQL. As you can see, GP is reliant on SQL for almost all of its functionality.
So this is where the car analogy returns, and you are reminded to check the oil every once in a while. The good news is that SQL itself provides tools to diagnose potential or existing issues within the GP databases or the SQL Database Engine itself. One such tool is called Check Integrity.
Check Integrity is a SQL Maintenance Task that runs validation tests against the selected databases in SQL. One of the main commands it runs is DBCC CHECKDB (). The long and the short of this command is that it looks for potential allocation and/or consistency errors in your databases. This can help catch database corruption in its early stages.
Most users back up their SQL databases, but what use is the backup if it too is corrupted?
Check Integrity can be resource heavy to run, so SQL Management Studio allows you to schedule it to run whenever you like (typically we recommend weekly on a day your team is out of GP, e.g. Sunday). You can even set up alerts if the Check Integrity task fails. This will allow you to nip the issue in the bud before it becomes an irreparable problem.
So remember don’t forget to check under the hood every once in a while…or in this case make sure your engine is checking itself.
If you would like to discuss the Check Integrity maintenance tasks (or any other SQL or GP question), please contact us at any time. We can also perform a performance and technical review of your GP and SQL system to make sure that it is optimized and protected. At Sikich, we have consultants that specialize in every aspect of GP and SQL, so please do not hesitate to reach out.
