Essential SQL Server Database Maintenance Tasks Every DBA Should Know

August 23, 2023

Database maintenance is a critical aspect of the DBA role, ensuring the smooth operation of SQL Server environments. Some folks will implement a SQL Server maintenance plan without fully digesting what they are doing, but we prefer you to do this with eyes wide open. In this post, we will explore key tasks and areas

Make SQL Server Database Restores Easy With sp_DatabaseRestore

August 16, 2023

If you’ve read the Straight Path blog for any period of time, you’ve probably noticed more than a few posts about database backups. You may have also noticed we’re big fans of the Ola Hallengren Maintenance Solution for backups, which creates stored procedures and jobs to handle your regular backups. These scripts and jobs are

6 Common Mistakes Made With SQL Server Backups

December 12, 2022

People are always saying things about the importance of data, like how it is the lifeblood of a business. It sounds cliché, but there’s a lot of truth to that. You and I can’t survive without any blood, and there’s a good chance your business wouldn’t exist for long if they suddenly lost all their

Restoring SQL Server – Are you Ready?

April 9, 2021

It’s 5 AM on Wednesday. Your CIO has called your cell phone at home. “We need you to log in right now! Someone or something deleted all of the inventory. I tried to help out the team right before the inventory disappeared, and I was running some SQL commands I found and a couple of

How Do You Prevent a SAN Failure?

November 14, 2013

… Well, prevent a SAN failure from ruining your week anyway. Because you can never fully prevent a failure 100% – even in a SAN, even when your SAN vendor says it’ll never happen (hint: anytime a vendor tells you never – be afraid.. Be very afraid). So that’s what this whole post series is