CHECKDB and Corruption

How to Run DBCC CHECKDB for In-Memory OLTP (Hekaton) Tables

Last Updated February 15, 2019

CHECKDB and Corruption, In-Memory OLTP (Hekaton), SQL Server

tl;dr – run a copy-only full backup of the Hekaton filegroup to nul. If the backup fails, you have corruption, and you need to immediately make plans to either export all your data, or do a restore from your last good full backup, plus all your transaction log backups since. Yeah, that one’s gonna need a…

How often should I run DBCC CHECKDB?

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Erik Darling

CHECKDB and Corruption, SQL Server

There’s an old DBA saying… May you already have a backup restored A half hour before your boss knows there’s corruption What? There’s no such thing as old DBA sayings? Well, maybe if you all said something other than “no” once in a while, you’d be more quotable. Hmpf. Anyway, this is a serious question! And…

The Top 4 Job Tasks DBAs Forget

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Brent Ozar

CHECKDB and Corruption, SQL Server

It’s easy to get caught up in daily incidents, tickets, and special projects. Like a good scout, though, a core task in a DBA’s job is to be prepared. You have to set time aside in your schedule to: 1. Practice responding to corruption. Gail Shaw’s “Help, my database is corrupt, now what?” post should…

SQL Server 2016 CTP2.4: Maintenance Plan Changes

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Brent Ozar

CHECKDB and Corruption, SQL Server

You can download the next preview of SQL Server 2016 today, and the announcement blog post touted a few improvements to maintenance plans. Oddly, the screenshots in the announcement were apparently done with Microsoft Paint, so I fired up a VM to see how things really look. The DBCC CHECKDB step in the wizard now has…

Why RPO and RTO Are Actually Performance Metrics Too

Last Updated February 23, 2021

Brent Ozar

Architecture, Backup and Recovery, CHECKDB and Corruption, SQL Server

Most companies come to us saying, “The SQL Server isn’t fast enough. Help us make it go faster.” They’re kinda surprised when one of the first things we fill out together is a variation of our High Availability and Disaster Recovery Planning Worksheet: Download the full PDF in our First Responder Kit They say things like, “Wait,…

Getting the last good DBCC CHECKDB date

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Erik Darling

CHECKDB and Corruption, SQL Server

whether it’s a new job or a new (old) server If you’re reading this, you’ve at some point in your career stared at a server, for the first time, with great trepidation. The smarter you are, the greater your trepidation is. The 2nd century mathematician Trepidatius the Wimpy had an equation that described this, but…

Find Corrupted Indexed Views with DBCC CHECKDB

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Kendra Little

CHECKDB and Corruption, SQL Server

If you’ve got indexed views, or are thinking of using them, this is important. First, go read the blog post, “An Indexed View Bug with Scalar Aggregates” by Paul White. It will take a minute, but it’s important to understand. Paul shows a scenario where the data in a certain kind of indexed view can…

9 Ways to Lose Your Data

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Brent Ozar

CHECKDB and Corruption, SQL Server

Every time someone tells me, “This database is mission critical – we can’t have data loss or downtime,” I just smile and shake my head. Technology is seriously difficult. To illustrate, here’s a collection of client stories from the last few years: The DBCC CHECKDB job ran every week just like it was supposed to…

DBCC CheckDB FAQ: Check for Corruption in SQL Server

Last Updated February 9, 2017

Kendra Little

Backup and Recovery, CHECKDB and Corruption

DBCC CheckDB: Frequently Asked Questions It’s eating our logo. Will it stop at nothing??? Q: Do I really need to run DBCC CheckDB? Yes. If you’re even partially in charge of a SQL Server and you’d like to keep your job, you should make sure CheckDB is being run regularly. (Seriously!) Q: But WHY do…

Backups, Restores, Corruption, and You: How Strong are You?

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Jes Schultz

Backup and Recovery, CHECKDB and Corruption, SQL Server

You and your databases have a strong relationship. You back them up, and check them for corruption. They provide the business with information day after day. Don’t let your relationship come to this! Then, one day, your relationship is rocked. The backups are too slow. The restores are too slow. There is…gasp…corruption. Are you prepared…

Top 10 Signs Your SQL Server is Neglected

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Kendra Little

CHECKDB and Corruption, SQL Server

“That’s an interesting configuration you’ve got there.” Sometimes you see someone with toilet paper sticking to their shoe, their shirt tucked into their underwear, or badly in need of a tissue to get rid of whatever that is hanging out of their nose. It’s only right to find a discreet way to let them know…

How to Winterize Your Database

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Brent Ozar

CHECKDB and Corruption, SQL Server

In Michigan where I grew up, we pull the boats out of the water at the beginning of the fall. It’s a bit of a sad time, realizing we’re done having fun on the water, and the seasons are about to change. Winterized boats at Goose Island Boatyard – Daniel X. O’Neil To prepare a…

3 Things You Need to Start Doing to Your Database Server

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Jes Schultz

CHECKDB and Corruption, SQL Server

Taking care of your health is incredibly important (says the marathon runner). Eating right, exercising, and getting plenty of rest help you stay healthy and perform optimally. Does “an apple a day keep the doctor away” apply to cupcake apples? Your database server’s health is important to your company’s health. You need to take regular…

Who’s testing your restores? No, really – who’s testing your restores?

Last Updated April 7, 2021

Jes Schultz

CHECKDB and Corruption, SQL Server

I recently posed the question, “Who’s taking your backups?” This is of utmost importance, because your business’s data is the business. Protecting it and backing it up need to be priorities for DBAs. Now, for my next question: who is responsible for restoring those backups? The saying goes that your data is only as good…