Patent ID: 8005803

Claim:
A system for scanning a database server for conformance with a set of guidelines, the system comprising: a computer having a best practices analyzer for performing at least one of an analysis of a database programming language, a check for correct execution of a common administrative task, or a check of a data repository or computer parameter for improper configuration settings or unexpected failures, the best practices analyzer being configured to: receive a set of best practice rules including procedural rules for implementation of a best practice for database design features, at least one of the best practice rules being user-defined; periodically scan at least one database server instance to provide an upgrade readiness check to enable preparation for upgrade compatibility and determine if the at least one database server instance complies with the set of best practice rules, prior to each scan an online check for new best practice rules and updated best practice rules being conducted and the set of best practice rules being updated automatically whenever a scan is initiated and at least one new or updated best practice rule is detected; provide a list of one or more features of the database server to be deprecated in a future release of the database server, an explanation of the need for removal of the one or more features to be deprecated, information on feature replacement, and information regarding migration alternatives; generate data from which at least one report detailing conformance or nonconformance of the at least one database server instance with the set of best practice rules are generated, the at least one report indicating an extent of usage of the one or more features of the database server to be deprecated; and store said data in a physical memory comprising a data repository, the data repository storing the set of best practice rules, at least one input parameter provided by a user, the at least one input parameter associated with a particular best practice rule, and at least one output parameter resulting from processing the particular best practice rule associated with the at least one input parameter.