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Reduce SharePoint Content DB size by up to 95%
FREE BLOB management for WSS v3, MOSS 2007, SharePoint Foundation, and SharePoint Server 2010
Free full-featured EBS/RBS provider for Microsoft SharePoint
Reduce the size of your SharePoint Content DB’s by up to 95% with the free DocAve Extender. Instantly offload SharePoint BLOBs to file-based storage for optimal platform performance and reduced database costs. Utilizes Microsoft EBS and RBS interfaces for a truly seamless user experience.
Though this tool is FREE, it is an integrated part of the DocAve Storage Optimization Suite, which includes DocAve Archiver and DocAve Connector. As part of the suite, this tool is fully supported and can be further fortified with AvePoint’s top-flight, 24 x 7 service and support.
The Case for Extending BLOBs
Databases like SQL Server are designed to handle relational data of relatively small size (typically less than 1MB). However, when it comes to larger, non-relational data streams, known as Binary Large Objects (or BLOBs), databases like SQL are not optimal. This is because managing BLOB I/O calls takes up substantial SQL CPU and memory resources.
Since more than 95% of the data a typical organization uploads into SharePoint are BLOBS, SharePoint’s SQL resources become quite overburdened, and have less capacity to perform transactional data operations and queries.
To avoid this, organizations have a few options. The first option is to spend money on additional SQL Server resources. But SQL Server licensing is relatively expensive when compared to file-based storage, so this is not the most cost-effective route.
The second, more cost-efficient option is to extend this BLOB content directly to file-based storage, while providing unfettered user access to the BLOB content via SharePoint. To do this, administrators can either:
Write custom code that leverages Microsoft’s APIs to create their own BLOB management functionality
Buy some expensive third party tool
Use AvePoint’s FREE DocAve Extender.
With DocAve Extender, BLOBs are never stored on the SQL Server database, meaning SharePoint can perform optimally, your SQL Server resources can be utilized efficiently, and your database costs can be kept to an absolute minimum.
BLOB Management – Native SharePoint vs. DocAve
What can extending SharePoint data off of the Content Database do for your organization? Well, it delivers a whole host of benefits, from increased platform performance to significant database cost savings. The table below lists out some of the benefits of using the FREE DocAve Extender to manage your SharePoint BLOB content.
Capabilities | SharePoint without DocAve Extender | SharePoint with DocAve Extender |
|
Manage Multiple Terabytes of Content within a single Content Database | NO | YES | With DocAve Extender, you can reduce the size of your Content Databases up to 95%. This means you can manage multiple Terabytes of data in a single 100GB database |
Extend BLOBS in both SharePoint 2007 and 2010 | NO | YES | DocAve Extender fully supports WSSv3, MOSS 2007, and SharePoint 2010 |
Encrypt your BLOB content | NO | YES | Up to 256 bit |
Compress your BLOB content | NO | YES |
|
Leverage SharePoint management and search on extended BLOB content | NO | YES | All SharePoint management and search functionality (including FAST search) |
Store SharePoint BLOB content on SAN and NAS storage | NO | YES | With DocAve your BLOB content can reside on any network addressable logical device |
Store BLOBs on WORM-compliant Devices | NO | YES | Full support for EMC Centera |
Delete BLOB via SharePoint | NO | YES | Optional “Delayed Deletion” allows for BLOB removal via SharePoint interface |
Key Business Advantages of DocAve Extender
Efficiently Manage SQL Storage Resources and Ensure Optimal Platform Performance
BLOB content never resides within the SQL database, but instead is instantly offloaded to file-based storage. This unburdens the database of large, cumbersome files that reduce performance and increase management costs.
Leverage all of SharePoint’s Document Management and Media Presentation Functionality
All extended content is amenable to all SharePoint management features, including workflows, alerts, search, custom content-typing, metadata tagging, and permissions management.
Transparent and Seamless for End-Users
From the end-user perspective, there is no difference between SharePoint content residing in SQL and content that has been offloaded to file-based storage via DocAve Extender.
Technical Advantages of DocAve Extender
Comprehensive Support:
DocAve Extender leverages Microsoft’s BLOB APIs to securely offload Binary Large Objects with full fidelity to tiered storage. No metadata is lost when content is transitioned to file-based storage.
Full-Featured Management of Content:
Content offloaded to file-based storage with DocAve Extender can be managed using all of SharePoint’s management and collaboration tools, including versioning, workflows, and alerts, all as if it was residing directly in SharePoint’s SQL database.
Administrator-defined Rules for Automatic Off-load Based Upon File Size:
Determine what BLOB files are transferred to file-based storage by file size. DocAve Extender will automatically analyze all content attempting upload and transfer it to the appropriate storage resource.
Transfer Content to any Network File Shares, FTP system, or Cloud Storage System:
Offload to any network addressable file share, File Transfer Protocol system, or cloud-based storage system (including Rackspace, Amazon, and Microsoft).
Seamless Integration with SharePoint Search:
All data residing in file-based storage is fully integrated with SharePoint’s native, full text search functionality, as well as all other search tools that leverage the standard SharePoint API.
Comprehensive Support for Custom Metadata and Column Types:
All content transferred to file-based storage via DocAve Extender can be associated with all of SharePoint’s standard and customized metadata fields, and appended with any variety of column types.
Integrated Permissions Management:
Securities and permissions for content residing in file-based storage are fully integrated with SharePoint’s permissions management. Both unique and inherited permissions can be delegated to extended content as if it were residing directly in SharePoint’s SQL database.
Total Interactivity with Client Office Applications and Third-party Tools:
Extended content can be presented and modified directly through Office applications, or acted upon by third-party tools, just as if the content resided in SharePoint’s SQL database.
DocAve Extender Resources
DocAve ROI Calculator:
Product Brochure:
- DocAve Extender Product Brochure
Extend SharePoint storage beyond SQL to improve performance and increase scalability
eGuides:
- Intelligently Reducing SharePoint Costs through Storage Optimization
This eGuide by Don Jones reviews the major limitations of native storage options within SharePoint and discusses the goals necessary for implementing scalable storage optimization solutions.
- The Essential Guide to Optimizing SharePoint Storage
This eGuide by Satish Jakka discusses options for ridding SharePoint's SQL database of Binary Large Objects (BLOB's) to siginificantly decrease database costs and improve content lifecycle management in SharePoint.
Technical Advisor:
- Storage Optimization for SharePoint
Learn the key components of a successful storage optimization strategy for SharePoint.
User Guides:
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