Avoid Common Pitfalls When Troubleshooting Team Foundation Server
This topic helps you avoid mistakes that are commonly made when troubleshooting Team Foundation Server.
Observe the Effects of Diagnostic Changes
System setting changes do not always take effect immediately. For example, when troubleshooting reporting and data warehouse issues, you must wait for the data warehouse to reprocess. If you do not allow sufficient time to pass, you might prematurely conclude that the change was not effective. To avoid this, become familiar with the feature that you are troubleshooting. Read the information provided by technical support before you judge the effectiveness of a workaround or update.
Document Changes When You Troubleshoot
When you document the steps that you take when you troubleshoot, you can review your actions after you have resolved the problem to verify that you are not duplicating or skipping steps. These documents help you with the problem and let you identify the exact steps to take if the problem recurs.
Restore Previous Settings
If disabling a feature or changing a setting does not produce the results that you want, restore the feature or setting before you try something else. For example, record Web service settings before you change them to diagnose problems. Not restoring settings can make it difficult to determine which of your actions resolved the problem.
If you suspect that your troubleshooting efforts might worsen the problem or risk important data, perform a backup. This enables you to restore the system if you experience data loss or other serious problems. Backups let you partially or completely restore the system and continue where you left off. When you evaluate or create backup procedures, consider the following:
Use the verification option of your backup software to check that your data is correctly written to back up media.
Routinely check the age and condition of backup media and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for using backup media.
Follow the hardware manufacturer's recommendations for maintaining the backup device.
See Also
Concepts
Identify Problem Symptoms When Troubleshooting Team Foundation Server