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Petersecrethandshake
Starting Member
5 Posts |
 Posted - 2012-01-19 : 15:08:56
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| I don't know a thing about servers, and when I searched the web for answers to this question everything I could find assumed a level of technical knowledge I lack. I saw plenty of questions like this in this forum's FAQ, but the support I found there was a. for much older software versions, and b. total Greek to me. Here's my situation:-The company I work for is switching net hosts,-I have a .bak of an SQL server database,-I just downloaded SQL Server Express 2008,-For some reason I'm in charge of getting the database online.My budget is $0 and clients are barking at me on the phone, demanding the site go back up. What do I do? Help! |
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X002548
Not Just a Number
15586 Posts |
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Petersecrethandshake
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-19 : 17:31:08
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| 1. I'm not the tech guy. We don't have one. This is a very small company and everyone else is just as confused as I am, but I happen to have the most time this afternoon so I'm the guy handling it.2. If I knew how to "do a restore," I probably wouldn't be here!Again, sorry for my ignorance everyone, but I'm in the dark here. Any other suggestions? |
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tkizer
Almighty SQL Goddess
38200 Posts |
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Petersecrethandshake
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-19 : 17:59:02
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| Yes, I have access to both the old and new accounts-- usernames, passwords, FTP info, etc. I don't know what you mean by "jobs" though. |
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Petersecrethandshake
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-19 : 20:34:25
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| Hate to be that guy who bumps his own thread, but this is a time-sensitive issue. I'm trying other forums and getting no luck. Anybody willing to help me out here? |
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Kristen
Test
22859 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-20 : 03:58:36
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| There are no GUI tools installed by default for SQL Express (and I use the full product, rather than Express, so I have no knowledge of how to tell you to even run a SQL command or install some GUI tools). On the full product the GUI application "SSMS" has a point-and-click tools to restore a file, which would make the job farily trivial.If you work out how to run SQL commands here's a guide to working out what your backup file contains (i.e. logical names and locations etc) and how you can use them to create a RESTORE command:http://www.sqlteam.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=54300#214941Personally I think that starting from the level of knowledge you have its going to take a lot of too-ing and fro-ing on a forum to get you to where you want to be. Some hands-on help would get you much further ahead to the point where you could then start asking some specific questions, when you get stuck / errors etc., and forums will give you much better assistance. If you are not having any results on other forums that may be because folk over there feel the same??P.S. You said you are using "SQL 2008 Express", I'm pretty sure there is a newer "SQL 2008 R2 Express". IF your backup file was made with R2 version you will not be able to restore it on an earlier version; also if you restore it to R2 (which will work fine for versions from SQL 2005 onwards), you will not then be able to backup/restore to an earlier version - e.g if the new host you move to is using an earlier version. Probably not a problem, a new host will presumably be using the latest version, so just something (one of many!) to be aware of. |
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GilaMonster
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
4507 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-20 : 04:13:59
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| No offense, but to be brutally honest, you're probably going to need to get someone in person, someone that knows at least a little SQL, and work with them. The reason you're getting no replies on other forums is that this is not trivial to do in person, 10x more complex to do across a phone line and a couple hundred times more complex across the net, via blocks of text and it's likely to take several days of back-and-forth on the forums to get resolved. We also all have our own jobs and do this in our spare time.At a minimum you need to:Install SQL ExpressInstall the management tools (separate or different download depending on the version)Create any logins necessary for the app (and hope they're not windows authentication ones)Restore the backups (and hope that they're not too big for Express)Check that the database logins and users map correctly (they almost certainly won't)Change the connection strings in the application to point to the new serverTest the app and make sure it worksYou said your budget is 0, but how much are you losing per hour/day that the site is down?--Gail ShawSQL Server MVP |
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Petersecrethandshake
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-20 : 10:03:19
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| No offense taken-- I had no idea how complex this issue really was. The replies I'd gotten from other forums were along the lines of "do a restore" or "use Management Studio," so I guessed that if the question could be answered so simply, a step-by-step explanation must not be far off. I showed some of these threads to my employers, and now our plan is to get in touch with the guy who programmed the database initially and see what he can do for us.Sorry for jumping into your spare time with a big dumb question! I'm thankfully just overseeing this process now, rather than doing it all myself, so I won't be bothering you all with "several days of back-and-forth." Thanks for all the advice, though, and anything else you have to say is much appreciated. |
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Kristen
Test
22859 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-20 : 10:15:46
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"use Management Studio," would be relatively easy, but that's not included, as standard, in the Express version I'm afraid. Although I think there is a "Management System" [i.e. provided by Microsoft] that you can download for Express.That would still leave you having to synchronise the Database Users with the SQL Server Logins ...Getting the original DB-DEV guy involved sounds like a good way forwards  It might be handy for you to have some self-help documentation in case this scenario (e.g. Change Hosts) arises againCome back with any follow-on questions that might arise. |
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GilaMonster
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
4507 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-20 : 10:26:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Kristen
"use Management Studio," would be relatively easy, but that's not available, as standard, on the Express version I'm afraid.
Yes it it, it's just a different/separate download.--Gail ShawSQL Server MVP |
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Kristen
Test
22859 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-20 : 10:38:48
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| Sorry, meant "not included as standard" |
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Transact Charlie
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
3451 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-20 : 11:58:10
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| and take a backup of your backup before you loose access to the old hosts. Just in case.....Also -- your backup can't be trusted until you've successfully restored it at least once.Charlie===============================================================Msg 3903, Level 16, State 1, Line 1736The ROLLBACK TRANSACTION request has no corresponding BEGIN TRANSACTION |
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Restoring .bak with SQL Server Express 2008