[dba-VB] Backups and the art of Zen

jwcolby jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com
Thu Mar 11 14:51:07 CST 2010


 > As least your c# is coming on a-pace.

LOL, it is indeed.  I started taking a C# class at the local community college last fall semester 
(sept).  At that time I couldn't do much of anything in C# directly.  Since then I have done 
hundreds of hours in C# and am finally feeling somewhat comfortable in it.

I live by example code.  I get something running and then look back at that to see how I did it 
before.  It sure wouldn't be the same without the internet though.  I have learned so much from 
googlin stuff.

I have to also say that the state of the art in .Net and SQL Server has advanced so much in just the 
last 5 years.  AMAZING!

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com


Max Wanadoo wrote:
> Never mind John,
> 
> As least your c# is coming on a-pace.
> 
> Max
>  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dba-vb-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:dba-vb-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of jwcolby
> Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 8:33 PM
> To: VBA; Dba-Sqlserver
> Subject: [dba-VB] Backups and the art of Zen
> 
> I spent many hours searching for a free SQL Server backup tool (Idera) and
> writing stored procedures to automatically back up all of my databases,
> mount them, unmount them etc., from C#.
> 
> Then I updated to SQL Server 2008 and it all broke.  The Idera Free backup
> was a DLL and apparently it is simply incompatible with SQL Server 2008.
> Sigh.
> 
> Luckily my other server still has 2005 installed so... I need to get all of
> my backups restored to
> 2005 so that they are available in case I need them, then write them back
> out using 2008 and its wonderful compression.  I have written C# code to do
> that, so once I get the backups restored I should be able to re-backup using
> the latest and greatest and don't even need the Idera Free backup
> - which is a good thing since it has since gone away entirely.
> 
> Lesson learned - free is only free until it's not.
> 
> So, I had never automated restoring the lot of backups in a directory.
> Never needed to.  However the Idera Free restore does that and I have that
> working on the 2005 server so... all I need is a method of reading the files
> in a directory.
> 
> I go a googlin' and what pops up but Phil Factor.  I LOVE Phil Factor to
> begin with.  Just a cool guy.  Anyway within a few minutes I discover a
> largeish piece of code that looks like it will work. 
>     Except that it needs the OLEDB stuff turned on in surface area config.
> Except that I've shut down all of the extraneous SQL Server services
> (because this server normally just hosts my VMs).  I finally get the right
> service started, the OLEDB stuff enabled, turn off / on all the services one
> last time and voila, TSQL code that hands me a recordset of file names in a
> query.
> 
> And on, and on, and on.  With luck, before I go to bed tonight, I will have
> restored my backups to the alternate server.
> 
> I'm a wondering now... can I backup a database on server A running SQl
> Server 2005 from Server B running 2008?  I guess I'll find out.
> 
> How to waste a day.
> 
> Ahhhoooooommmmm this is what I do for a living...
> Ahhhoooooommmmm this is what I do for a living...
> Ahhhoooooommmmm this is what I do for a living...
> 
> 
> --
> John W. Colby
> www.ColbyConsulting.com
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