As any long-term database administrator knows, the challenges associated with managing a frequently accessed and modified database are varied and possibly dangerous. Businesses store years worth of critical files, trade figures, client details, and a smorgasbord of other information, often completely digitally, and these files are imperiled by malware and less malevolent forces like software errors and power issues. When confronting these safe database issues there are several procedural rules to be followed that minimize risks.
The first procedural step database controllers can take to limit the likelihood of malware intrusion and file corruption is to limit all nonessential access to the SQL code of which it is constructed. Only those personnel whose work is dependent on the database should be authorized to access it, and that access should only come after a proper vetting of the software and hardware through which the access will be granted. Following this protocol will drastically limit the window of opportunity for malware to infect a database. Ideally an important database will be stored on hardware that is isolated from general networks in order to avoid possible crossover infection.
A second concern when managing a database is ensuring complete database back up controls are in place. This means that when significant additions or restructurings occur within a database, they are promptly copied on a protected medium. Following immediate backup procedure will reduce the damage that could occur during an instance of malware intrusion to only that information which has been uploaded or in some way modified since the last backup occurred. Simple steps like this can prove to be the difference between anxious hours of database reconstruction and stress free recovery following a malware attack.
Finally, if all steps taken to ensure safety fail to prevent data corruption, do not lose heart, for there are still ways to repair the damage. These include software products specializing in SQL recovery. SQL is the coding format that many databases employ. MDF repair can process records or database files showing signs of corruption or damage. It processes the files to recover not only literal data but the structural SQL formatting as well, in order to represent the data in as closely as possible to the original state. This tool is a powerful resource in the event of critical file damage.
These steps can be followed, along with many others, to help protect and maintain a safe and secure database, and if these measures fail, recover from malware damage.
Alan Chen is President and Chairman of DataNumen, Inc., which is the world leader in data recovery technologies, including word recovery, excel repair, outlook repair and sql recovery software products. For more information visit www.datanumen.com.