Beginning SQL Server™ 2005 Administration

Chapter 9. Disaster Prevention and Recovery

"There are two things that every database administrator can't live without. The first is an effective backup-and-restore plan. The second is an up-to-date résumé. If you have the first, you may never need the second, but if you don't have the first, sooner or later the résumé will be critical to your future employment."

I give that speech to every group of database administrators that I address, and I address a lot of them. It is a fact that disks fail and data gets corrupted. We have all probably suffered from some form of data loss that could have been prevented if the data had been properly backed up. As the individual responsible for the stability and integrity of the organization's data, the database administrator must be diligent and meticulous about planning a database backup strategy so that, in the event of equipment failure, user error, or intentional data corruption, the database can be returned to service in as short as time as possible with minimal loss of data.

This chapter is about the mechanics of database backup and recovery, with a little bit of strategy thrown in for good measure. I will try not to give specific recommendations, because no cookie-cutter recommendation will work for each situation. It is up to you as the database administrator to examine all the possible backup-and-restore operations, and come up with a plan that will prevent data loss and minimize downtime. People are counting on you, and the very organization ...