SSW Rules to Better SQL Server Databases

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I've been putting together Development Guidelines for my employer and in the process have reviewed many published standards (in the .Net arena) from around the world. In each category, the suggestions at SSW are always among the best.

- Leon Bambrick,

Frequently when I'm reviewing a client's SQL Server database design, the in-house developers tell me that "it's a bit of a dog's breakfast." 10 different developers have been working on it for a few years so a lot of the basic defaults have not been changed. Here are some of the typical things that all SQL Server DBAs and Database developers will know. These rules are above and beyond the most basic textbook recommendations of:

Ensuring your databases are Normalized and in 3rd Normal Form
Making sure you have primary keys, foreign keys and simple indexes to improve performance
Making sure you Back up regularly
Basic Naming conventions (see some of our object naming conventions)
Minimizing resultset sizes and data over the wire

Now I don't see a purpose in rewriting applications that work. But - I do see the