Computer specs for a large database

Posted by SpeksETC on Server Fault See other posts from Server Fault or by SpeksETC
Published on 2010-11-25T15:56:36Z Indexed on 2011/02/15 7:26 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 524

Filed under:

sql-server

|

Performance

|

database

|

scale

What sort of computer specs (CPU, RAM, disk speed) should I use for running queries on a database of 200+ million records? The queries are for a research project, so there is only one "user" and only one query will be running at a time.

I tried it on my own laptop with SQL Server with an i3 processor, 2GB RAM, 5400 RPM disk and a simple query didn't finish even after 8+ hours. I have an option to connect a SSD via eSata and upgrade to 4GB RAM, but not sure if this will be enough...

Thanks!

Edit: The database is about 25 GB and the indexes are not setup properly. When I tried to add an index, I let it run for about 8 hours and it still hadn't finished so I gave up. Should I have more patience :)?
In general, the queries will run once in a while and its ok even if it takes a couple hours to complete....

Also, the queries will produce probably about 10 million records which I need to process using Stata/Matlab and I'm concerned that my current laptop is not strong enough, but unsure of the bottleneck....

© Server Fault or respective owner

Related posts about sql-server

SQL SERVER – Beginning SQL Server: One Step at a Time – SQL Server Magazine

as seen on SQL Authority - Search for 'SQL Authority'
I am glad to announce that along with SQLAuthority.com, I will be blogging on the prominent site of SQL Server Magazine. My very first blog post there is already live; read here: Beginning SQL Server: One Step at a Time. My association with SQL Server Magazine has been quite long, I have written nearly… >>> More
How to install SQL Server 2005 Configuration Manager without installing SQL Server Management Studio

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
Hi, I need to configure SQL Server aliases on a public-facing production server. To do that, I need to install SQL Server Configuration Manager. I was not able to find a standalone installer for that, so I am having to install SQL Server 2005 Client Components. This approach is not ideal as we don't… >>> More
[MAJ] SQL Server 2005 Express Edition - La version gratuite de SQL Server 2005

as seen on ASP-PHP.net - Search for 'ASP-PHP.net'
Modification technique pour le site de l'article. >>> More
How to create SQL Server Express DB from SQL Server DB

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I have a SQL Server 2008 DB. I want to extract SOME tables (and associated schema, constraints, indexes, etc) and create a SQL Server Express DB. It isn't a sync of the target, we stomp on it. We ONLY need to do this in the file system (not across the wire). We are not fond of the synchronization… >>> More
sql server 2000 error, error trying to connect to sql server 2005

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
i am connecting to sql server 2000 on a remote computer with a dotnet application, but when i try to open the connection it gives the following error: When connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that under the default settings SQL Server does not allow remote connections What… >>> More

Related posts about Performance

Improving VPN performance - stronger encryption = more performance?

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
I have a site-to-site VPN set up with two SonicWall's (a TZ170 and a Pro1260). It was suggested to me that turning off encryption (so the VPN is tunneling only) would improve performance. (I'm not concerned with security, because the VPN is running over a trusted line.) Using FTP and HTTP transfers… >>> More
Inaccurate performance counter timer values in Windows Performance Monitor

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I am implementing instrumentation within an application and have encountered an issue where the value that is displayed in Windows Performance Monitor from a PerformanceCounter is incongruent with the value that is recorded. I am using a Stopwatch to record the duration of a method execution, then… >>> More
Excel-based Performance Reviews transformed into Web Application for Performance Management

as seen on Geeks with Blogs - Search for 'Geeks with Blogs'
HR TMS provides enterprise talent management solutions for healthcare, retail and corporate customers, focusing on performance management, compensation management and succession planning. As the competency of nurses and other healthcare workers is critical, the government, via the Joint Commission… >>> More
How to save a perfmon Performance Counter as a textfile (Reliability and Performance Monitor Version

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
Now the file gets saved as blg, but I would like a txt versin to import in Excel. >>> More
SQLAuthority News – A Successful Performance Tuning Seminar at Pune – Dec 4-5, 2010

as seen on SQL Authority - Search for 'SQL Authority'
This is report to my third of very successful seminar event on SQL Server Performance Tuning. SQL Server Performance Tuning Seminar in Colombo was oversubscribed with total of 35 attendees. You can read the details over here SQLAuthority News – SQL Server Performance Optimizations Seminar – Grand… >>> More