[dba-SQLServer] A couple of quick questions

[Borge Hansen]

Hi all,
We are finally in the process of migrating an Access application backend
having been in production since 2000 to SQL Db backend.
At the same time we are upgrading the Frontend from Access2003 to
Access2010.
And the client is transferring from 2003 Terminal Server to 2012R2 Terminal
Server (I think they call it something else now other than Terminal Server).

We upsized to 2005 SQL Standard Edition Db using the Access2003 Upsizing
wizard and looking out for the various gotchas.

The SQL Backend is now in production on existing 2003 Server

It is about to be transferred to SQL 2014 Express on new 2012R2 Server

A couple of questions:

*1*.
Each table has lots of extended table properties - probably carried over
from Access.
Is there any need to keep these extended properties?

*2*.
I backed up a version of the 2005SQL production Db and restored on SQL2014
Express as a development / staging Db.

In Db general properties the Db is reported as being 1390.31Mb in size with
80.61Mb available.
The .mdf file is report as being 780Mb in initial size;
The .ldf file as being 612Mb in initial size.

I changed the auto growth from default 10Mb for the .mdf and 10% for the
.ldf to 1,024Mb for each with maximum of 10,240Mb (10Gb - max size for a
SQL Express Db).

An incremental growth of 1Gb - is that best setting?
Or what do you people suggest?

*3*.
I did another full backup from the SQL 2005 Db using SSMS. The .bak file is
727Mb.

What happens to the .ldf log file during a full backup?

At a high conceptual level I understand the function of the log file: It
helps restore a Db to the point of  last committed transaction before a
crash by using a combination of the last full backup and the log file.

When we do a full backup is the log file "reset" somehow or does it still
keep a lot of history information?
A log file can grow very big.
Some say to never shrink the log file...
What is the abc of dealing with / handling the log file?

*4*.
Anyone got a link to a good step by step walkthrough of how to do a restore
using a full backup + existing log file to a specific point, i.e. just
before a Db crash.


Thanks,
/borge