Foundation: Select your Deployment Target

TimeXtender Classic supports two deployment options, each with their own unique benefits and considerations, depending on your organization’s needs. Keep in mind that if you wish to re-deploy you solution later, TimeXtender makes this as easy as changing your connection strings.

On-Premises SQL Server

This option provides full control over your infrastructure, making it an excellent choice for organizations with strict security, compliance, or performance requirements. It is particularly suitable for environments where data must remain in-house or when existing servers are already available.

Key Considerations:

  • Supports separating Business Units, DSA, and MDW into separate databases for flexible architecture.
  • Simplifies security, privacy, and regulatory compliance by keeping data on-premises.
  • Reduces data movement overhead when data stays within your servers.
  • Requires administrators to manage server maintenance, patching, and performance optimization.
  • Configuration:
    • Store Database files and Log files on separate drives for improved log I/O.
    • Implement table compression, partitioning, & index settings to maximize performance.

Azure SQL Database

A fully managed Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solution designed for scalability, reliability, and reduced administrative overhead. With elastic scaling up to 100 TB and a 99.99% uptime SLA, it is ideal for cloud-based deployments of TimeXtender Classic.

Key Considerations:

  • Service Tier Selection:
    • Hyperscale tier for production workloads requiring high log throughput (up to 100 MB/s) and large storage capacity (up to 100 TB). For development or smaller datasets.
    • General Purpose tier with Serverless Compute offers cost savings through auto-pausing during idle periods.
  • Database Configuration:
    All Business Units, DSA, and MDW must reside in the same database due to Azure SQL’s lack of cross-database query support. Use distinct schemas (e.g., DSA, MDW) to maintain logical separation.
    • Enable Direct Read with the "Matching Server and Database" setting to ensure TimeXtender bypasses intermediate layers and improve data transfer performance.
  • Execution Retries:
    Configure execution packages with a 1-2 minute retry delay to handle potential delays caused by transient packet loss in network communication.

Azure SQL simplifies management but can result in worse performance and higher-cost than On-Premises SQL Server.

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