Quick Scan Report – Page Verify Options

What Is the Page Verify Option?

The Page Verify setting in SQL Server helps detect corruption in database pages. It determines how SQL Server checks for page integrity when reading and writing data.

Recommended Setting: CHECKSUM

SQL Server offers three Page Verify options:

  • CHECKSUM (Recommended) – The best option, as SQL Server calculates and stores a checksum when writing pages, then verifies it on reads. This provides the strongest corruption detection.
  • TORN_PAGE_DETECTION (Not Recommended) – Detects partial page writes but does not provide full corruption detection.
  • NONE (Not Recommended) – Disables page verification, making it difficult to detect corruption.

How to Check and Change Page Verify Setting

Run the following query to check the current setting:

SELECT name, page_verify_option_desc  
FROM sys.databases;

To enable CHECKSUM:

ALTER DATABASE [YourDatabase] SET PAGE_VERIFY CHECKSUM;

Why Use CHECKSUM?

  • Better Corruption Detection – Identifies data corruption early.
  • Prevents Silent Data Loss – Ensures data integrity.
  • Required for Best Practices – Recommended for all production databases.

Need Help?

If you’re concerned about database integrity, Stedman Solutions’ SQL Server Managed Services can help optimize settings and detect corruption early.

Contact Stedman Solutions Today for expert SQL Server support.