Tag: Database Backups & Recovery
-
Working with SQL Server Database Master Keys
SQL Server uses an encryption hierarchy to protect secrets such as credentials, asymmetric keys and certificates. At the database level, that hierarchy is anchored by the database master key (DMK). Because all other encrypted objects depend on it, losing access to the DMK can render those objects unusable. This post walks through how to: It…
Written by
-
How to Restore a Database in SQL Server
Restoring a database in SQL Server is a core DBA task. Whether you’re responding to an incident, performing disaster recovery testing, migrating data, or rebuilding an environment, restores need to be predictable, repeatable, and verifiable. This post walks through restoring a database using both T-SQL and SQL Server Management Studio, along with the checks that…
Written by
-
Why Is the Database in “In Recovery” Mode?
Seeing a database stuck in Recovery mode usually happens at the worst possible time. It often appears after a restart, a restore, or an unexpected shutdown, and the immediate question is always the same: Is this normal, or do I need to intervene? This post explains what recovery mode actually means, how to tell whether…
Written by
-
Database Cannot Be Opened – It Is in the Middle of a Restore
🚨Part of the SQL Server Errors series, the exact messages and what actually causes them. You may see this error when trying to access a database during or after a restore: Msg 927 · Level 14 · State 2 Database ‘YourDb’ cannot be opened. It is in the middle of a restore. ⚡Run the first…
Written by
-
Kill All User Sessions on a Database in SQL Server
When you need to drop, restore, or change database settings, active user sessions often get in the way. SQL Server will block these operations until all connections are cleared. In busy environments, waiting is rarely practical. If you arrived here from Msg 5030, the database could not be exclusively locked, or from a restore that…
Written by
-
DBA Scripts: Get Last Database Backup Times
🔧Part of the DBA-Tools Project, copy/paste SQL Server scripts and health checks.In: Backup & Recovery Checking the last backup times is one of the first things worth doing when you sit down at a SQL Server instance, whether it’s one you’ve owned for years or one you inherited an hour ago. Before making changes, running…
Written by
-
Get Last Database Restore Date and Time in SQL Server
Knowing when a database was last restored is useful during incident response, audits, and general environment validation. This is not about backup schedules or restore progress. It is one historical check that answers one question, when was this database last restored, and the query below answers it for every database on the instance. Show Last…
Written by
-
DBA Scripts: Get Backup Coverage
🔧Part of the DBA-Tools Project, copy/paste SQL Server scripts and health checks.In: Backup & Recovery Most production SQL Server environments have backup jobs configured. The question that actually matters is whether those jobs are running, and succeeding, for every database that needs them. A database added last month might never have been folded into the…
Written by
- Set the Default Database for a SQL Server Login
- SQL Server High CPU: What to Check First, in Order
- Cannot Connect to SQL Server: The Checks in the Order That Finds It
- Cumulative Wait Stats Lie: Measuring Waits Over an Interval
- SQL Server Differential vs Log Backup: Which One Restores What, and How the Chain Breaks
- SQL Server MAXDOP and Cost Threshold: What To Set, and Why 5 Is Not a Recommendation
- Backups & Recovery (17)
- DBA Scripts (150)
- High Availability (HA) (12)
- Installation & Configuration (45)
- Maintenance (24)
- Migration & Upgrades (14)
- Monitoring (9)
- Performance Tuning (37)
- Security (Encryption & Permissions) (19)
- Storage & Capacity (14)
- T-SQL Fundamentals (11)
- Troubleshooting (65)
- Wait Types (235)