Overview of Project Server 2010 databases

 

Applies to: Project Server 2010

Topic Last Modified: 2011-08-05

When defining a database maintenance plan, you must understand where Microsoft Project Server 2010 stores data. Project Server 2010 data is partitioned into five databases in Microsoft SQL Server:

Database Purpose Usage pattern

Archive

Used to store online backups of data from the rest of the site.

Light usage.

Draft

Contains tables for editing unpublished projects from Microsoft Project Professional 2010 and the Project Server Interface Web services. Project data in the Draft database cannot be accessed by using Microsoft Project Web App. This database also hosts the tables that are used by the Project Queue.

Light usage.

Published

Contains all of the published projects. Published projects are visible in Project Web App. The Published database also contains tables that are specific to Project Web App (timesheets, models, views, and so on), and global data tables (which contain resources, custom fields, security definitions, and other metadata). This database also hosts the tables that are used by the Timesheet Queue.

Most frequently accessed by direct user interaction: expect usage to follow user behavior patterns such as time spikes based on user work hours and procedural deadlines.

Reporting

Contains the same data as the Published database, but optimized for generating reports and online analytical processing (OLAP) cubes. Data in the Reporting database is updated almost in real-time, is comprehensive, and is optimized for read-only report generation.

Two main sources of load:

  • Populated more constantly (proportional to published usage) and may have a large, unpredictable ad-hoc load.

  • Off-hours burst load because of subscription push reporting.

Experiences rapid log-file growth.

SharePoint Content database

Contains project site content such as custom pages, workflows, management settings, documents, and lists of issues, risks, and commitments.

Light usage.

Note

If the content database is shared with Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, then usage may vary depending on SharePoint Server 2010 usage.

For additional information about Project Server 2010 architecture, see Project Server 2010 Architecture (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=221724) in the Project 2010 SDK on the MSDN Library Online.