Whoever coined the term "one size fits all" was not a DBA. Very large databases (VLDBs) have different needs from their smaller counterparts, and the techniques for effectively managing them need to grow along with their contents. In this session, join Microsoft Certified Master Bob Pusateri as he shares lessons learned over years of maintaining databases over 20TB in size. This talk will include techniques for speeding up maintenance operations before they start running unacceptably long, and methods for minimizing user impact for critical administrative processes. You'll also see how generally-accepted best practices aren't always the best idea for VLDB environments, and how, when, and why deviating from them can be appropriate. Just because databases are huge doesn't mean they aren't manageable, attend this session and see for yourself!