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ClearDent IT support and SQL database optimization
ClearDent IT support and SQL database optimization
ClearDent keeps your practice in a SQL database. When it’s not tuned, the whole office feels it. We look underneath the software.
Why does the ClearDent database matter?
It’s often not optimized. It may be tuned for the 2008 version of SQL, or run an older schema. We see this even in new implementations in 2026. We check the SQL version, schema, indexes, maintenance jobs, backups and performance, and report in plain words.
Software and database don’t match
The database may be tuned for the 2008 version of SQL, or use an older schema.
Reviewed and tuned
We check the version, schema, indexes, upkeep jobs and backups.
The setup we build
Clinics grow, and one-off setups get outgrown. This foundation is built to grow with you, and one team looks after all of it.
- Hyper-V, not bare metal. The SQL server runs as a virtual machine on a Hyper-V host, so it can be backed up whole and restored on other hardware. Most practice software works on a VM, and we confirm your version first.
- RAID 10 storage, our recommendation. Fast disks that keep working if a drive fails. RAID 6 is the budget option.
- Gigabit, wired. 1GbE is the standard baseline: cabling to the server and every workstation, with no Wi-Fi for practice computers. Have a CBCT? Consider 10GbE for smooth image loading.
- Room to grow. Free disk space, capacity for more operatories, and a database and images that keep getting bigger. We never build to the vendor’s bare minimum.
- Planned changes. Every database change has a written plan, a tested backup and a short lived checkpoint taken just before the change, so there’s a planned way back.
We advise coordinating database changes with the ClearDent vendor first. We’re independent IT support, not the vendor, and this service isn’t endorsed by the vendor.
Run like a proper IT shop
ITIL style practice, in plain words.
- Incidents. Every problem is logged, ranked and closed with your office manager, then reviewed so it doesn’t repeat.
- Monitoring. We watch the server, storage and backups, and act early. Backups follow 3-2-1, with restores tested.
Why it matters, in plain words
The tech behind this page, and why it’s there. See all the plain guides.
Hyper-V
Why one dead server shouldn’t stop the clinic
On Hyper-V, the server is a set of files that can come back on other hardware. Restores from local storage have taken less than 2 hours.
RAID 10
Why two healthy drives still aren’t a backup
RAID 10 keeps the server running when a drive dies. It also copies a mistake or ransomware to every drive instantly.
Immutable backups
Why ransomware goes after the clinic’s backups first
Without backups, the clinic has to pay or rebuild. Our copies are locked for 30 days, and no one, not even us, can delete them early.
ClearDent questions
Why would a ClearDent database need optimizing?
The database is often tuned for the 2008 version of SQL rather than the latest, or uses an older schema. The schema is the structure of the database, and an older one makes it do more work than it needs to.
Will changing the database affect ClearDent support?
It could. Coordinate with the ClearDent vendor before any change. We don’t speak for the vendor.
Is our data safe while you work on it?
We take a backup before any change and test the system afterward. If something isn’t right, we go back to where we started.