A Closer Look at Common Scenarios Causing SQL Database Corruption

Database, a repository of data, grows larger and larger each day. User stores precious data in database, however, database corruption is one of the most unfavorable and intimidating situations one can come across. Particularly in organizations, database corruption does not only bring risks to data but also threatens business flow and revenues. The post is committed to shedding some light on database corruption in SQL Server, a widely used Database Management System.

Bugs in driver or firmware are likely to cause database corruption. A fault in hardware including Disk, CPU, Controller, Memory Module etc., is also a major cause of corruption. SQL Server heavily uses Disk Subsystem to store or retrieve data; therefore, issues with Disk Subsystems, Communication Channels, Disk Drivers or Disk Controllers can cause database corruption. In addition to this, the problem of database corruption is also associated with an improper placement of ones and zeros, which is the actual form of data storage at IO sub-system level or disk. It is the root cause of such type of database corruption.

Moreover, Security software like Antivirus, Anti-spyware etc. and Kernel Drivers are also the major causes of database corruption. It is recommended by experts to exclude SQL Server Database files while performing antivirus scans.

Besides, sometimes, people choose to keep database files in compressed form in volumes or folder so that disk space can be conserved. Database files in compressed folders or volumes are not supported, hence probability of corruption increases. Furthermore, keeping backups in compressed folders and volumes may also lead to database corruption. Please note there are built-in data compression and backup compression utilities in SQL Server 2008, it is recommended to use them to prevent corruption.

Additionally, database corruption may also be caused by the bugs itself. To avoid corruption caused by such bugs, it is always recommended to use the latest builds of Windows OS and SQL Server.

So, the next question is 'what are the measurements to consider preventing huge data loss due to database corruption?' The best method is to restore from backup. In case there is no backup available that provides recovery, however many professional SQL Recovery Software are available online. These software are capable of restoring various database objects inclusive of, views, tables, stored procedures etc. Moreover, the applications possess great features, better performance, various recovery options, good UI, better understandability and ease of use and meet users' expectations successfully.