backup basics

Can anyone provide a laymans interpretation and view on the following issue (ideally keep your responses basic to a level of someone who has never managed backups at DB level). We have an audit related SQL express database that basically logs entries about actions taken in one of our ERP apps.The data can be useful for investigations when trying to determine what activity a user took in the application.

It has recently come to our attention the audit database isnt being regularly backed up. The DBA suprisingly doesnt seem to concerned, he stated the audit logs go back 12 months, and they dont overwrite themselves, so will continue to log to the database as long as required, so he could provide logs going back to october 2012.For audit log type databases, what is the risk in not doing backups of the DB? For what scenarios does a backup of this kind of data save you? I am struggling to challenge their verdict of this being a low risk issue, it doesnt sound good practice to me.

October 14th, 2013 5:06am

>>>For audit log type databases, what is the risk in not doing backups of the DB?

It depends on the policy of the company.

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October 14th, 2013 5:23am

Lol, I knew that would be the response I would get.

Take company policy out the equation though, back to the question, what is the risk of not backing up audit log database? Regardless of whether your company says yes do it or no don't, there must be risks and issues in not backing up the database.

October 14th, 2013 5:27am

Backup is at most Important  for everyone because you never know that what it can happen to the database or to the server either Human mistake or any of natural disaster or any h/w or s/w failure, so if the backup it is not there then it is not possible to recover the data(the data recover also depends on the recovery model of the databases) until unless if we have file system backup then we can try but none of the integrity scheduled on that database for an very long time then it is difficult to deal & also if any file corruptions happens then it is tough to retrieve so you will loss the data.

so Backup plays very important role not only SQL in general data backup should be Must  &  Maintaining  that also very important as well.

since as you are saying it is Audit it should backed up , but keep in mind that if the database is in full recovery then you need to schedule frequent log backups in place.

Incase if you donot have any option like purging( you should keep care full what you are purging) or other server to archive  your data(best option youcan move very old data to other databaselike data warehouse so that you can reduce from the size also need to ensure that that database alsobacking up ) from the database then it will continuously  to grow then it requires from your side proper capacity Management along with your data backup size also will increase.

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October 14th, 2013 5:32am

FYI for SQL express you have to use windows task scheduler to schedule the backup by defining the t-sql queries in it.


http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2019698

October 14th, 2013 5:43am

1..For audit log type databases, what is the risk in not doing backups of the DB?

2.For what scenarios does a backup of this kind of data save you? I am struggling to challenge their verdict of this being a low risk issue, it doesnt sound good practice to me.

1. Risk of not doing database backup is you will loose critical data if disaster stirkes whatever be your scenario please take daily or weekly backup of your DB(ofcorse backup policy depends on your configuration and architecture RPO RTO)

2.My friend, audit data is very important when you have task of drilling down to question like  who when and what changed /logged in your system.If you are somehow responsible for DB you would be sole person responsible for it now .Management would catch you to get the answer and if in that case you have data loss due to H/W failure database corruption ,table getting deleted accidently how would you answer your managent and satisfy there queries.

So my friend backup is very important ,please if possible take full backup of your system once in a day.If it is big scedule weekly b

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October 14th, 2013 6:27am

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