Kroll Ontrack fchanges SQL Server table restores with the launch of Ontrack PowerControls for SQL

An expansion of Kroll Ontrack’s signature data restoration tool is tackling one of the biggest headaches faced by SQL database administrators (DBA).

The company today announced it has expanded its award-winning Ontrack® PowerControls™ suite to include a granular search and restoration tool for Microsoft® SQL Server®. The expansion is in direct response to feedback from customers who say restoring SQL tables from backups or storage-tier snapshots is a frequent request that can easily add hours of disruption per day. The new capabilities can drastically cut the time spent restoring these tables, literally from hours to minutes.
Kroll Ontrack research revealed that 64 per cent of the DBAs surveyed report regular SQL restore events per month, which are the result of dropped tables, missing row or column data, or table data that is needed for development or analysis. Thirty-nine per cent report between one and five SQL restore requests a month, and a further 25 per cent cite more than six restore requests per month. When asked how long it typically takes to restore a table from a SQL Server database, 52 per cent report more than an hour.

“SQL is the foundation of many enterprise applications. When a critical SQL-based revenue application is down, it’s not uncommon to find the CIO standing over the DBA’s shoulder hoping for a quick restore process, as organisation downtime can cost companies thousands of pounds,” said Paul Le Messurier, Programme and Operations Manager at Kroll Ontrack. “Today, the restore process typically takes hours – timing that is determined by the size of the database coupled with current SQL Server restoration methods that require the entire database to be restored and the SQL Server to be present during the restore – even if just one table is needed. Ontrack PowerControls changes restores as DBAs know them today, giving the user the ability to granularly restore SQL tables without having to restore the entire database or use SQL to read the backups.”

“Dropped or missing tables are an all too familiar aspect of my job, but are far more challenging and time consuming than they should be. I have to locate the required backup, locate a server that has space, and then restore the entire database just to address the table in question,” said James Dorame, Database Systems Manager, Questar Assessment Inc. “Ontrack PowerControls saves me hours of time compared to native restore methods, allowing me to focus on my planned to-do list and strategic business initiatives.”

Specifically, Ontrack PowerControls for SQL allows DBAs to quickly and easily address regular SQL table restoration requests through the ability to:
· Drag and drop single tables from native SQL backups or storage tier snapshots to the desired environment, eliminating the need for to restore the entire database
· Preview table content to verify the point-in-time version of the table prior to performing the restore
· Eliminate the need for T-SQL or PowerShell scripting when restoring a table

“We get as many as three requests a day to recover dropped tables,” said Mark Classen, DBA Consultant. “If we had this tool, we can easily handle these situations, recovering the tables for the departments that request them. Without this tool, we just have to say ‘no, we can’t do it.’”