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Database Decoded

Safeguard Your Data: Mastering Backups, Recovery, and Disaster Planning

by isaac Muteru Feb 20, 2025
Safeguard Your Data: Mastering Backups, Recovery, and Disaster Planning

Week 3, Day 4: Backup and Recovery Strategies

Welcome to Day 4 of Database Decoded Week 3! Today, we’re tackling one of the most critical yet overlooked aspects of database management: backup and recovery. Whether it’s a server crash, accidental deletion, or a ransomware attack, your ability to restore data quickly can mean the difference between a minor hiccup and a business catastrophe. Let’s dive into full backups, point-in-time recovery, and disaster planning—with real-world examples and actionable SQL scripts.

Why Backup and Recovery Matter

Imagine this:

  • A developer accidentally runs DELETE FROM Customers; at 2 PM.

  • A ransomware attack encrypts your database at midnight.

  • A hardware failure wipes out your server.

Without a robust backup strategy, these scenarios could spell disaster. Let’s ensure your data is always recoverable.

Topics Covered

1. Full Backups: Your Safety Net

A full backup captures the entire database at a specific point in time. It’s the foundation of any recovery plan.

How to Create a Full Backup in SQL Server

Using T-SQL:

BACKUP DATABASE TestDB  
TO DISK = 'C:\Backups\TestDB_Full.bak'  
WITH INIT, STATS = 10;

  • INIT: Overwrites existing backups on the disk.

  • STATS = 10: Reports progress every 10%.

Using SSMS GUI:

  1. Right-click your database > Tasks > Back Up.

  2. Choose Full backup type.

  3. Specify the destination file (e.g., TestDB_Full.bak).

Best Practices:

  • Schedule nightly full backups during low-activity periods.

  • Store backups off-site or in the cloud (e.g., AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage).

2. Point-in-Time Recovery: Undo Mistakes

Point-in-time recovery uses transaction logs to restore a database to a specific moment (e.g., right before a data loss event).

Step 1: Ensure Log Backups Are Enabled

-- Set the database to "Full" recovery model  
ALTER DATABASE TestDB  
SET RECOVERY FULL;

Step 2: Restore the Full Backup and Logs

Scenario: A user deletes critical data at 2:00 PM.

-- Restore the full backup (taken at 12:00 AM)  
RESTORE DATABASE TestDB  
FROM DISK = 'C:\Backups\TestDB_Full.bak'  
WITH NORECOVERY;  

-- Restore transaction logs up to 1:50 PM  
RESTORE LOG TestDB  
FROM DISK = 'C:\Backups\TestDB_Log1.trn'  
WITH STOPAT = '2025-02-27T13:50:00', RECOVERY;

  • NORECOVERY: Leaves the database in a restoring state for additional logs.

  • STOPAT: Specifies the exact time to restore to.

Why This Works: Transaction logs record every change, letting you "rewind" the database.

3. Disaster Planning: Prepare for the Worst

A disaster recovery plan (DRP) ensures minimal downtime during catastrophic events.

Key Components of a DRP:

  1. Backup Redundancy:

    • Store backups in multiple locations (local, cloud, off-site).

    • Use Azure SQL Managed Instance or AWS RDS for automated geo-redundant backups.

  2. Replication:

    • Set up Always On Availability Groups for real-time failover.

  3. Documentation:

    • Outline step-by-step recovery procedures (e.g., who to contact, how to restore).

  4. Testing:

    • Regularly simulate disasters (e.g., delete a table, restore from backup).

Disaster Recovery Checklist:
✅ Daily full backups + hourly log backups.
✅ Off-site/cloud backup storage.
✅ Quarterly recovery drills.

Practice Tasks

Task 1: Perform a Full Backup and Restore

  1. Create a full backup of your TestDB database.

  2. Simulate data loss (e.g., delete the Employees table).

  3. Restore the backup and verify data recovery.

Task 2: Test Point-in-Time Recovery

  1. Insert a new record into Employees.

  2. Take a transaction log backup.

  3. Delete the record.

  4. Restore the database to the moment before deletion.

Task 3: Automate Backups

Use SQL Server Agent to schedule nightly full backups and hourly log backups.

Pro Tip: Analyze Query Execution Plans

While practicing backups, revisit Day 3’s advanced queries! Compare the performance of CTEs vs. subqueries using SQL Server’s Execution Plan:

  1. Run a complex query with a CTE.

  2. Run the same logic with a subquery.

  3. Check which has lower CPU/IO costs.

Example:

-- CTE Version  
WITH HighEarners AS (  
    SELECT EmployeeID, Salary  
    FROM Employees  
    WHERE Salary > 70000  
)  
SELECT * FROM HighEarners;  

-- Subquery Version  
SELECT EmployeeID, Salary  
FROM Employees  
WHERE Salary > 70000;

Key Takeaways

  • Full Backups: Your first line of defense. Schedule them daily.

  • Point-in-Time Recovery: Use transaction logs to undo errors.

  • Disaster Planning: Redundancy, replication, and testing save businesses.

  • Automate Everything: Manual backups are prone to human error.

What’s Next?

Day 5: Query Optimization Masterclass

  • Execution Plans: Diagnose slow queries.

  • Index Tuning: Eliminate bottlenecks.

  • Statistics: Keep your database’s performance data up-to-date.

Pro Tip: Experiment with restoring backups to a test server to avoid downtime in production.

Challenge: Can you configure a DR drill where you restore your database to a different server within 1 hour? Share your strategy below! 

Enjoyed this guide? Let us know how you’ve safeguarded your databases! 

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