SQL Server with Mr. Denny:

Backup & recovery

Aug 25 2008   11:00AM GMT

How to setup a server to read log files nightly.



Posted by: mrdenny
SQL Server 2005, xp_delete_file, xp_dirtree, RESTORE LOG, KILL, Log Shipping, Recovery, Backup & recovery

So you’ve been tasked with setting up a quick and dirty reporting server.  The goal is to restore the log files from the production server to the reporting server nightly.

 The backups are simple, use the SQL Maintenance plan to backup the logs, and then copy them to the remote machine.  But how do you restore the logs to the reporting server nightly.

 Well I’ve got a two step SQL job which should help you out.

Step 1 kills all current sessions in the database, and step 2 does the actual restores.

The code for step 1 is: 

declare @spid varchar(20)
declare cur CURSOR FOR
select spid
from sys.sysprocesses
where dbid = db_id(’Your Database Name Here’) /*<—Put your database name here*/
and spid > 50
open cur
fetch next from cur into @spid
while @@FETCH_STATUS = 0
BEGIN
exec (’kill ‘ + @spid)
fetch next from cur into @spid
END
close cur
deallocate cur

The code for step 2 is:

create table #Files
(FileName nvarchar(4000),
Depth int,
IsFile bit)
insert into #Files
exec xp_dirtree ‘d:\’, 1, 1

delete from #Files
where IsFile = 0

declare @FileName nvarchar(4000)
declare cur CURSOR FOR SELECT FileName from #Files
open cur
fetch next from cur into @FileName
WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0
BEGIN
SET @FileName = ‘D:\Path\To\Your\Log\Backups\’ + @FileName
RESTORE LOG YourDatabaseNameHere FROM DISK=@FileName WITH STANDBY=’D:\Path\To\Your\StandBy\File.standby’
IF @@ERROR <> 0
exec xp_delete_file @FileName
fetch next from cur into @FileName
END
close cur
deallocate cur

I hope this makes your process easier. Now this code only works on SQL Server 2005 and up as the system stored procedures which I use were not included until SQL Server 2005.

Denny

Apr 1 2008   6:43PM GMT

New Article: Tips for scheduling and testing SQL Server backups



Posted by: mrdenny
Article, Backup & recovery

I’ve just published a new tip on SearchSQLServer.com called Tips for scheduling and testing SQL Server backups.  In it I’m talking about server backups including how to schedule those backups on SQL Server Express edition which doesn’t have the SQL Server Agent.

Denny


Mar 16 2008   9:39PM GMT

Webcast Recover the data, the whole data and nothing but the data you need available for viewing



Posted by: mrdenny
Webcam, Backup & recovery, Quest Software

The webcast which I did with Quest Software a couple of weeks ago “Recover the data, the whole data and nothing but the data you need” has had the recording posted for viewing on the Quest website.  If you missed the webcast live now is your chance to view it.

 Denny


Feb 29 2008   12:01AM GMT

Webcast: Recover the Data, the Whole Data and Nothing but the Data You Need



Posted by: mrdenny
Quest Software, Webcam, Lightspeed, Backup & recovery

Coming on the heals of the extremely successful webcast “Under The Hood of SQL Server - Checking Out Internals”, Quest Software has asked me to co-present another webcast.  This one is entitled “Recover the Data, the Whole Data and Nothing but the Data You Need” and will be on March 6, 2008 at 8am Pacific (11am Eastern).  I’ve been told that so far the sign up rate has been incredible so far.

If you are interested in the product or doing object level restores (restoring one table or stored procedure, etc instead of restoring the entire database) then I highly recommend the webcast; granted I am a little biased.

See you at the webcast.

Denny