restore

Many users don't test their backups. This is because they don't take the time or they don't know the steps to take. This means that there is a risk that the restoration of their system will not work nor can they be sure that they are able to retrieve individual files.

At many organizations I doubt red lights flash with the sound of blaring sirens when backups fail in production environments, but I believe at every organization backups are one of the most critical IT functions. Of all backups, database backups, by most accounts, are considered the most critical. I know this is certainly true for me as a SQL Server DBA. I am sure at one point in all of our careers we were too busy to check all of our backups across all SQL Servers, with a million responsibilities on a daily basis. I know some of us were lucky and made it unscathed, while others were not so lucky with backup failures that caused extensive data loss and long downtimes. Now when IT Departments are forced to "do more with less," it is time to put the necessary SQL Server Alerts in place for backup and restore operations in order to more easily monitor and streamline this critical process.

Needless to say, just about every system administrator has come across a situation where they installed a patch or application and then had to deal with a system that didn't work as it was supposed to. To that end, you may also have some trigger-happy user on your network who managed to install an application that later caused you grief. Windows XP helps you better deal with these problems through a great feature called System Restore - a utility that literally takes your desktop back to a previous point in time.

Hi Carey, I am trying to reduce the number of emails I receive. I see under messages, there is a block senders list; however, I guess I don't fully understand what to do. Please explain how to use this list and how it works.

Backing up your data can be one of the most important things that you do in your IT and/or home life. You never seem to miss something until it is gone. If you want to spend more time making money and not redoing things that you have already done then make sure you back it up.