Backup and restore

Steve Simon

How to automate SQL Server database restores

March 30, 2015 by

Introduction

A few days back I encountered an interesting challenge. The client wanted to have copies of the nightly backups of the transactional databases restored on a warehouse server, to be utilized to update the warehouse.

The over all process

Prior to the pushing the daily backup to the warehouse server, the previous days restore is deleted. The important point being that the “SQLShackFinancial” database is no longer present on the warehouse server. Having been deleted, downloading of the backup file begins and the restore of the current backup version begins. Normal warehouse processing then ensues and so the cycle continues.

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Derik Hammer

Backup testing with PowerShell – Part 2: Reporting results

October 22, 2014 by

Now that Karla’s restore process is mature, it is time to pre-stage the means of reporting on these events. Two major actions have been taken for each database tested. First a restore operation occurred. The restore operation validates that the backup file is well formed and that there is nothing wrong with the data which would cause a failure. Next CheckTables was executed to thoroughly inspect for data corruption and any consistency errors. Each of these two actions will have their own methods of providing evidence of successful completion. Recall the requirements set by Karla, in part 1 of this series, for the reporting piece. Read more »

Derik Hammer

Backup testing with PowerShell – Part 1: The test

October 21, 2014 by

Karla is a production database administrator and she has a lot in common with you. Being responsible for database backups and recovery, she has implemented a well-structured automated backup system. Maybe she’s using Ola Hallengren’s Maintenance Solution, custom T-SQL stored procedures, or a set of PowerShell scripts. She has heard the saying, “a DBA only needs one thing, either a backup or a resume, but never both,” and is confident that she won’t be dusting off the resume any time soon. Read more »

Ivan Stankovic

SQL Server backup – models and types

May 26, 2014 by
A SQL Server backup is one of the most important features DBAs should fully understand and use. It’s not uncommon that the process of backing up SQL Server data is considered as simple and therefore easily overlooked as essential when it comes to disaster or other recovery scenarios. Realizing that a backup is not valid (outdated, corrupted, or even does not exist) at the moment when it’s needed is highly undesirable scenario for any DBA. Read more »