Now that v8 is in release candidate and many people from all over the world have started testing and upgrading to it, the helpdesk here at PRD Software is getting quite busy.  In particular we are seeing a lot of database conversion issues when upgrading previous HelpMaster Pro databases to the new version.

In many cases, timeout problems and other issues are simply a result of a poorly maintained HelpMaster Pro database.  If database indexes and statistics are not regularly reorganized, rebuilt or updated, then the whole performance of the database will be slow and potentially cause other errors.

It's surprising to see so many large HelpMaster Pro databases that have never had a basic SQL Server maintenance plan executed against them.  This includes things like backup - yes backup!, reindexing, compacting and statistics updates.  If you're not sure when the last time you did this kind of maintenance on your HelpMaster Pro database, then perhaps it's time to ask your DBA "How are those database maintenance schedules going?".  If they look stunned and say something like "What's a database maintenance plan!?", then it's time to start firing and hiring.  Any good DBA will have these things under control.

There are so many good resources on the net and other places that describe in detail what is required and what should be done on a regular basis.  For some places to start, try our useful links page.

If you need help, please let us know.  The better and more often every HelpMaster Pro database is maintained, the better off we all are ;-)

Go on, track down your DBA right now and pop the question.  Let me know what you get....