Backup and Recovery

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…

How Many Databases Can I Put on One SQL Server?

Last Updated February 9, 2017

Architecture, Backup and Recovery, ISV and SaaS Database Design, SQL Server

I’ve seen servers with thousands of databases on a single SQL Server, and it works. Sure, opening the databases list in SQL Server Management Studio is painful, and a lot of third party monitoring tools fall over, but it’s not so bad once you know how to work around these issues. But there’s two issues…

How to Restore a Page in SQL Server Standard and Enterprise Edition

Last Updated February 13, 2017

One of the many restore features in SQL Server is the ability to restore one or more pages of data. This can be very convenient in some narrow situations – for example, corruption occurs on one page or an oops update is made to one record. The page restore process is not straightforward, however, and,…

How to Back Up Terabytes of Databases

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Backup and Recovery, CHECKDB and Corruption

When you weren’t looking, your databases went and grew up. Now your backup window has grown so large that you’re about ready to open it and jump. Time to make a choice. The Native Way: Tuning SQL Server Backups You can theoretically pull this off by using a combination of tactics: Back up as infrequently as the…

DBCC CheckDB FAQ: Check for Corruption in SQL Server

Last Updated February 9, 2017

Kendra Little

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

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…

Doug Broke It: Reporting Services Encryption Keys [Video]

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Doug Lane

Backup and Recovery, Videos

In this 5-minute video, Doug tells about the time he deleted the Reporting Services encryption key, and what it took to fix the damage. You’ll learn about what the SSRS encryption key protects, as well when to: Back up the encryption key Restore the encryption key Change the encryption key Delete the encryption key

New High Availability Planning Worksheet

Last Updated February 23, 2021

One of the questions we ask every new client is, “How much data is this application allowed to lose, and how long is it allowed to be down for?” This leads to some really fun conversations. The business users assume that the database will never lose data and cannot go down. The IT admins assume…

Back Up Transaction Logs Every Minute. Yes, Really.

Last Updated February 9, 2017

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Right now, your transaction log backups are set up to run every 15 minutes, every hour, or maybe every few hours. It’s time for a reality check. Figure out what internal customer owns the data inside the database, and walk into their office. Ask them how much data they’re comfortable losing. You’re probably going to…

Improving the Performance of Backups

Last Updated February 13, 2017

There will come a time when your database backups will not be as fast as you would like them to be. Over time, the volume of data you’re storing will grow, and backups will take longer – but your weekly or daily maintenance windows don’t grow as well. Backups can be resource-intensive, using I/O and…

Top 10 Signs Your SQL Server is Neglected

Last Updated February 13, 2017

Kendra Little

“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

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

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…

Answers to Common High Availability and Disaster Recovery Questions

Last Updated December 5, 2017

Backup and Recovery, Clustering

In our recent webcast on HA & DR basics for DBAs, we got a bunch of questions that couldn’t be answered fast enough. Here you go: Q: Do any of these techniques work for companies with just 1-2 IT staff? To keep things simple, I’d check out virtualization replication like VMware SRM. SRM isn’t…

My ex-girlfriends would have been surrounded by red and yellow.

The First Step to the Poor Man’s Runbook

Last Updated February 9, 2017

Backup and Recovery, Processes and Practices

In theory, before you introduce a new system – database server, load balancer, virtualization infrastructure, etc – you build a robust runbook that documents how you’ll handle every conceivable scenario. When there’s any kind of failure, you’ll simply turn to chapter X and start going through a precise checklist that will guide you to the…

Backups Gone Bad: The Danger of Differentials

Last Updated February 13, 2017

As your databases get bigger, you’re going to run out of time to do nightly full backups. You’re going to be tempted by the siren song of differential backups. The idea is that you’ll do full backups on the weekends, and then differential backups each night of the week. Differential backups aren’t just the sum…

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

Last Updated April 7, 2021

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…

Who’s taking your backups? No, really – who’s taking your backups?

Last Updated February 13, 2017