Database Settings

The 13 checks in the “Database Settings” category of a SQL Server audit: what each one verifies, its severity and the versions covered.

Checks in this category
13
Weight in the score
12
Breakdown by severity
1 critical · 4 high · 5 medium · 1 low · 2 info

Checks in this category

  • DBSET003

    Page Verify Not CHECKSUM

    Critical

    Verifies that PAGE_VERIFY is set to CHECKSUM for each database

    Versions : 2012-2025

  • DBSET001

    AutoClose Enabled

    High

    Detects databases with AUTO_CLOSE enabled, which degrades performance

    Versions : 2012-2025

  • DBSET002

    AutoShrink Enabled

    High

    Detects databases with AUTO_SHRINK enabled, which causes fragmentation

    Versions : 2012-2025

  • DBSET010

    PREVIEW_FEATURES enabled on a database (SQL Server 2025)

    High

    Flags user databases (and the model template) where the PREVIEW_FEATURES database-scoped configuration is ON. Microsoft explicitly recommends preview features for dev/test only, not production; persisted preview objects (vector/JSON indexes) can block disabling it later.

    Versions : 2025

  • DBSET012

    Delayed Durability FORCED (risk of committed-data loss)

    High

    Inspects database-level transaction durability via sys.databases.delayed_durability_desc (DISABLED | ALLOWED | FORCED, SQL 2014+). FORCED makes every commit asynchronous: control returns to the client before the log record is hardened. On crash, shutdown/restart or failover, all committed-but-unflushed transactions are silently lost. ALLOWED only permits per-transaction opt-in (risk only if the application requests it).

    Versions : 2014-2025

  • DBSET004

    Compatibility Level vs Engine

    Medium

    Compares each database compatibility level with the SQL engine version

    Versions : 2012-2025

  • DBSET007

    Auto Update Statistics OFF

    Medium

    Detects databases with AUTO_UPDATE_STATISTICS disabled

    Versions : 2012-2025

  • DBSET008

    Auto Create Statistics OFF

    Medium

    Detects databases with AUTO_CREATE_STATISTICS disabled

    Versions : 2012-2025

  • DBSET009

    Database collation mismatch

    Medium

    Compares each database collation against tempdb and the server. A mismatch raises collation-conflict errors as soon as a query joins a user table to a temp table.

    Versions : 2012-2025

  • DBSET013

    Change Tracking auto-cleanup / retention hygiene

    Medium

    For every Change-Tracking-enabled database (sys.change_tracking_databases) checks auto-cleanup (is_auto_cleanup_on) and retention (retention_period + retention_period_units). Auto-cleanup OFF means the internal side tables (change_tracking_* prefix) and syscommittab are never purged: unbounded internal growth, storage bloat and degrading CHANGETABLE. Excessively long retention causes the same effect more slowly. Default retention is 2 days.

    Versions : 2012-2025

  • DBSET011

    Accelerated Database Recovery (ADR) disabled

    Low

    Reports Accelerated Database Recovery state per online user database (sys.databases.is_accelerated_database_recovery_on, SQL Server 2019+). ADR redesigns crash recovery via a persistent version store, SLOG and logical revert, giving near-instant rollback, aggressive log truncation and constant-time recovery. Advisory check: lists ADR-off databases and escalates only when an ADR-off database currently shows the exact pain ADR relieves (log held by an active transaction).

    Versions : 2019-2025

  • DBSET005

    RCSI (Read Committed Snapshot)

    Info

    Checks if Read Committed Snapshot Isolation (RCSI) is enabled on databases

    Versions : 2012-2025

  • DBSET006

    CDC (Change Data Capture)

    Info

    Identifies databases with Change Data Capture (CDC) enabled

    Versions : 2012-2025

Other categories

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