SQL Server 2012 - Database Recovery Advisor

There are a number of fantastic enhancements and features available in Microsoft SQL Server 2012, one particular new feature being the Database Recovery Advisor.

This new feature provides useful administrative functionality, which is especially useful for junior DBAs or those not very familiar with T-SQL restoration method. What this is handy about this tool, is that is visually displays the transaction log back-ups available for restoration. This is useful for taking the burden away from analysing database log chain, and working out the sequence of the LSNs for a transaction log restore.

The Database Recovery Advisor is a fantastic new tool, released with SQL Server 2012. It is a GUI extension of the restore process in SQL Server management studio. It provides the function to visually set a time line restoration for a database. SQL Server will determine the historic time line, for how far back a database can be recovered from the available full; differential and transaction log backups it has. Once the restoration point has been selected, the wizard to automatically grab the available backups to restore.

The DRA is available in all versions of SQL Server 2012. The benefits of using the tool are that:

• The DBA will be able to visually and accurately predict a SQL database restoration.
• Reduce the amount of time the DBA uses to manually link the transaction log backup files together, for restoration.

The Database Recovery Advisor is a handy tool for any DBA to have in their back pocket. For a DBA to be able to reduce the lead time for restoring production databases it will allow for databases that do not have a high availability solution implemented, to react faster to data recovery situations.