Interview Question - SQL Server Forums

Please start any new threads on our new site at https://forums.sqlteam.com. We've got lots of great SQL Server experts to answer whatever question you can come up with.

All Forums

SQL Server 2008 Forums

SQL Server Administration (2008)

Interview Question

Author

Topic

sophie1
Starting Member

17 Posts

Posted - 2014-03-15 : 11:29:19

Hello ,
Can anyone here answer this question Please?

A DBA accidentally dropped a critical highly transactional table in production. Walk me through the exact procedure to restore it without taking the application offline.

sophie1
Starting Member

17 Posts

Posted - 2014-03-15 : 23:40:01

looks like everyone is enjoyng weekend :)

nagarjuna_a2006
Starting Member

16 Posts

Posted - 2014-03-16 : 08:24:46

Hi,

I think up to my knowledge we cannot restore it back

let us see if any one post the answer for this kind of problems.

Regards,
Nagarjuna

denis_the_thief
Aged Yak Warrior

596 Posts

Posted - 2014-03-17 : 13:58:36

I would restore the whole database to another machine (or temporary database), then copy the table by scripting it out.

tkizer
Almighty SQL Goddess

38200 Posts

Posted - 2014-03-17 : 14:02:45

1. Update resume
2. Update Linkedin
3. Contact head hunters
4. Restore database with different name or to different server
5. Copy table from restored database into prod database
6. Add any dependent objects such as foreign keys
7.

Tara Kizer
SQL Server MVP since 2007
http://weblogs.sqlteam.com/tarad/

Kristen
Test

22859 Posts

Posted - 2014-03-24 : 13:54:41

I'd get the DBA to do it - after all HE dropped it!!

Ah, hang on. He's gone and now I am the DBA?

Bustaz Kool
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker

1834 Posts

Posted - 2014-04-16 : 19:24:36

In re: #7

- Hilarious....

===============================================================================
“Everyone wants a better life: very few of us want to be better people.”
-Alain de Botton

Bustaz Kool
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker

1834 Posts

Posted - 2014-04-17 : 11:53:40

I couldn't stop thinking about this last night and came up with:
1. (Minor point but c'mon) A "critical highly transactional table" has been dropped yet the application is still running....?
2. You can't just take an earlier backup since you'd lose data. You'd want to do a point in time restore, if possible.
3. To get restored the quickest, wouldn't you want to consider a Filegroup restore. It may be too messy depending on what else is in the filegroup and what data may have changed.
4. Perhaps the most important of all, find the person who recently left the company and blame the whole thing on them! Mention that you had warned people that this was gonna happen and that to prevent it you'll need additional authority and a MUCH larger budget!!!

===============================================================================
“Everyone wants a better life: very few of us want to be better people.”
-Alain de Botton

TG
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker

6065 Posts

Posted - 2014-04-17 : 13:51:05

The correct response to this interview question is one of these two depending on if you want the job or not:

- If you hire me that scenario would NEVER happen.
or
- <standing up> Thank you for considering me but I would never work for a company where such incompetency exists.

Be One with the Optimizer
TG

Bustaz Kool
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker

1834 Posts

Posted - 2014-04-17 : 14:36:00

With apologies to Groucho Marx...

I would never work for any company that would have someone like me as an employee.

===============================================================================
“Everyone wants a better life: very few of us want to be better people.”
-Alain de Botton

Subscribe to SQLTeam.com

SQLTeam.com Articles via RSS

SQLTeam.com Weblog via RSS

- Advertisement -

Resources