Summary

Although you can choose among many schemes, it is well worth the initial effort and time to develop standards. Standards lower development costs and mistakes and provide an infrastructure and framework for future development.

There are a number of SQL Server names that need to be defined in your environment. Too many SQL Server customers approach development without established standards. This is likely to result in costly rework to bring an existing system up to standard after the standards are defined. Sometimes, customers decide not to change the database because of the cost of conversion. This results in a nonstandard SQL Server implementation in their environment.

It is important to define naming standards as early as possible and stick with them. Naming standards apply to the operating system as well as to SQL Server. With a consistent approach to naming, you can build upon the underlying structure. Scripts can be written to automate activities on the server, decreasing the overall workload.

You should apply standards to many other areas that were not covered in this chapter: testing standards, documentation and commenting standards, and application standards. These areas are critical to a professional information-systems organization and should also be a part of a cohesive approach to database system development and maintenance.