SQL Server Backup and Restore

Description

The duties and responsibilities of a Database Administrator (DBA) make for a long and dynamically changing list, ranging from offering query tuning advice, to cutting stored procedures, all the way through to system process design and implementation for high availability. A DBAs tasks, from day-to-day, are rarely constant with one exception: the need to ensure each and every day that any database in their charge can be restored and recovered, in the event of error or disaster. This means that if a database, for whatever reason, gets corrupted, dropped, or otherwise becomes unusable, then it is the DBAs responsibility to restore that database to the state it was in before the problem occurred, or as close as is possible. Of course, this doesnt mean that a DBA is required to restore a database each and every day, just that if disaster does strike the DBA must be prepared to deal with it, regardless of when or why it occurs. If a DBA isnt prepared, and significant data is lost, or databases become unavailable to end users for long periods of time, then that DBA probably wont be in their job for too long. This is why a good, and tested, SQL Server backup and restore plan must be on the top of every administrative DBAs list of tasks. In this book, youll discover how to perform each of these backup and restore operations using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), basic T-SQL scripts and Red Gates SQL Backup tool. Capturing backups using SSMS or simple scripts is perfectly fine for one-off backup operations, but any backups that form part of the recovery strategy for any given database must be automated and youll also want to build in some checks that, for example, alert the responsible DBA immediately if a problem arises. The tool of choice in this book for backup automation is Red Gates SQL Backup Pro. Building your own automated solution will take a lot of work, but we do offer some advice on possible options, such as PowerShell scripting, T-SQL scripts and SQL Server Agent jobs.