Tips to Move SQL Server Database from One Server to Another - SQL Tutorial by Rajan Singh

Leading organizations always look to find different solutions for high-performance data replication and secure storage environment. One such step is to move SQL Server database from one server to its updated version. In fact, when you migrate SQL server database, it provides an opportunity to scale the organizations data ecosystem efficiently at an optimum cost.

Why should you migrate SQL server database from one server to another?

1. Advancement in Technology: Technology advancement may be a buzzword of today but it is essential to be up-to-date when it refers to Tech-world and to stay ahead, organizations need to accommodate the innovative style of Business Intelligence and ensure agility and higher productivity. Moving database from old SQL version to the latest and advanced technology provides users with an edge over the competition. 
2. Reduce Cost: Moving SQL server database may be time taking and expensive initially, although the costs are lowered significantly in the long run 
3. Achieve higher ROI: One of the significant reasons to switch from a lower version to a higher version or from a different database to SQL server database is to achieve a higher rate of interest on investments. 
4. Consolidate data: Sometimes, data is scattered across different platforms. This is specifically valid in case of mergers and acquisitions. Then consolidating data on a single platform is conducive for users and easy to maintain for SQL administrators. 
5. Secure Storage Environment: Security is a priority for any and all database and database security is ensured through protection rules and compliances. As per the survey conducted by National Institute of Standards and Technology, SQL server is most secure and least vulnerable database and hence the most preferred Storage environment.

Key Challenges in migrating SQL Database from one server to another

Once the organization decides about migration, the Administrator has to analyze the challenges in moving the database from one platform to another. Following key challenges may create hindrance in smooth movement:

1. SQL Database Corruption
   Moving SQL Database from one server to another may lead to database corruption. 
2. Database backup not update
   Many times, when database gets corrupt and backups are also not up-to-date, then the administrator is unable to restore from backup.
3. Database backup not available
   If backup is not implemented and the organization’s database gets corrupt then the chances of database recovery are next to nil unless the organization employs a reliable and performing software like Stellar Phoenix SQL Database Repair.  
4. Cost involved in moving Database
   Moving database from one Database Management System (DBMS) to another involves cost to be incurred in deploying a new server and the cost of data migration and the cost of old server which is rendered non-functional. 
   
   The downtime cost is also considered. Database will remain inaccessible during database migration from one server to another. 

Methods to move SQL Server Database from one server to another

1. Backup SQL Database and Restore to another server
   The easiest solution is to take the latest backup of database and restore on another server. However, in most cases, SQL Admins and Backup Admins are different and there are chances that backup is not up-to-date. 
2. Create a Duplicate Database in SQL Server
   If the earlier database is using SQL database and you want to move database to a higher version, then one of the methods is to create a duplicate copy of database in SQL server. However, Admins need to have more than 100% free space. This is not a feasible option and may lead to corrupt SQL Database. 
3. Move SQL Database to New Server
   SQL Server Management Studio enables copying database from one server to another. To proceed further, you should get acquainted with:
1. Source Server
2. Destination Server
3. Use Windows Authentication
4. Using SQL Server Authentication 
Steps to move:

• Go to Object Explorer and launch SQL Server Management Studio and connect with the Source Server
• Right click on the database to select the ‘Tasks’ option and select ‘Copy Database’ option ‘Copy Database Wizard’ screen displays. 
• Fill in the details of Source Server and select the option ‘Use Windows Authentication’ followed by User ID and Password  
• Next, fill in the details of Destination Server, and its Windows Authentication credentials
• Checkbox for ‘Use the SQL Management Object method’
• Select the Database from the available options and click on Copy option. Click Next to migrate SQL database to the destination server
• Verify MDF files and Log file path on the destination server 
• Copy all other jobs. If the SQL Management Studio fails to copy jobs then opt for the following:
• System Event View
• Local Path
• Click on Windows Event Logs followed by Next button
• To schedule the SSIS page, Click on Run immediately
• Complete the Wizard message displays. Tick mark this option and click on Finish to complete the process. 
4. Stellar SQL Repair to copy SQL Server Database from one server to another
   Deploying a trustworthy software to copy SQL Server Database. One such software is Stellar Phoenix SQL Database Repair software. This software allows users to repair a corrupt SQL server database. Once you have saved the repaired database as a New or Live database, then the next step is to deploy SQL Server Management Studio or SSMS. SSMS detaches the database from the source server and attaches it to the destination server.
   
   Reasons to deploy Stellar software for SQL recovery before using manual method are:

• Database may get corrupt during migration. Stellar software repairs the corrupt MDF file and ensures smooth migration
• In case MDF files or any other associated file is not detached properly, then the SQL Database will not give appropriate results

Conclusion

Error-free Migration of SQL Server database is possible when the different files associated with SQL Database are properly detached from the Source server and attached with the Destination server. However, there are times, when Admins are unable to detach the files and if these files are not detached from the source location, there is low possibility of getting these attached at the destination. In such circumstances, the best solution is to repair the database using Stellar Phoenix SQL Database Repair, save it as New Database and then move this SQL server database from one server to another. By following this procedure, SQL Administrators can ensure error-free and smooth data migration.

Checkout the MVP’s feedback about Stellar Phoenix SQL Database Repair is available here.

About Rajan Singh 
Rajan Singh is a Sr. Technology Consultant at Stellar Data Recovery Inc. and has published several article on MS Exchange emails, IOT, APIs, bug fixing etc.

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Big Data Use Cases in the Manufacturing Industry - A guest Post by Renu Bisht

Big data is processing of data collected from various sources in different formats. Big data may contain sensitive information which is important for the organisation to make decisions. According to a research, the market value of the Big data will achieve around $1.1 billion by the next year. Today, many industries are using Big data, and companies which are not using are going through big data use cases to understand the benefits of stats in the organisation.

The insights of data are only possible because of Big data. Many industries are looking for the professionals which are skilled and knowledgeable about Big data so to become that person you need to enroll in courses like Big Data Certification Course which is available over the internet. Through this course, the person can learn and enhance his/her skills on Big data, without leaving personal systems. After completion of the course, the user gets a proved certification regarding completion.

How Big data assist manufacturers?

1. By data tracing
2. To determine the need of customer
3. To determine the units need to be produced 
4. Helps in the maintenance of equipment
5. Helps in monitoring the production
6. By maintaining the quality level

Why manufacturers need to use Big data cases?

In supply chain management, Big data helps the manufacturer to track the location of the product. Tracking of data is the primary need of the manufacturer. Why? It helps them to know the count of release, goods which are lost and are difficult to trace. The coordinates of the goods can be traced with the help of radio frequency transmission device and barcode scanners.

It provides the data related to the need and requirement of the customer. Prediction of the demand and assisting the product on time is the prominent reason behind the use of Big data. Forecasting is done when the supply chain is referred by companies and this helps in increasing the profit margin and improving the workspace. 

In product designing, the company analyses the behavior of customers with the Big data analytics. The result of the analysis is critical to understand, how to deliver in a profitable manner and on-time goods. 

Around $2billion revenue is generated by the TCS by just following the order/demands while manufacturing. With the help of analysis, the company predicts which product needs to be manufactured and which needs to be scrapped. In this way, the company makes strong contracts. 

In Quality Assurance, Big data predictions reduce the number of choices which in result reduce the time of testing and efforts. According to Intel’s survey, each manufactured chip had to go under 19,000 tests after production. So, to cut down the test time and giving emphasis on some important test was the biggest challenge faced by the Intel. 

The result was enormous, Intel saved around $3 million in manufacturing cost on a single line production of a chip. And the number may increase upto $30 million if Big data is used in the whole process of chip manufacturing.

In machine maintenance, the Big data helps to plan the maintenance of the machinery. It keeps the data regarding the machine operating time, past maintenance details, updation etc such that the machine runs smoothly and continuously. Sensors and other recognition devices help in collecting the data from the machine. Analysis helps the manufacturer in tracking the efficiency of machine continuously and to focus how it can be further improved.  

About Renu Bisht

Renu Bisht is a doyen of governing the digital content to assemble good relationships for enterprises or individuals. Renu is specialised in digital marketing, cloud computing, web designing and offer other valuable IT services for organisations, eventually enhancing their shape by delivering the stupendous solutions to their business problems. 

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Turn on fraud alerts in O365 MFA - An Additional security step

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a great feature for securing access to Enterprise applications but when a user receives a multi-factor authentication request when they aren’t expecting it, what they do? They can ignore the call or answer and hang up without pressing # to deny access to the person attempting to use their credentials.

This new feature "Fraud Alert" adds more value to the security by taking it to the next step by allowing the user to be more proactive about attempted attacks. They can answer the phone and enter their configured fraud alert code to report the attempted access. Not only it will deny the authentication taking place, but will block the user’s account so that additional authentication attempts are automatically denied without continuing to bother the user. It can also send an email notification to any configured email addresses so that they can take action, investigate, and change the user’s password. Once they have taken appropriate action, they can unblock the user’s account in the MFA Management Portal.

Turn on fraud alerts

• Sign in to the Azure portal as an administrator.
• Browse to Azure Active Directory > MFA Server > Fraud alert
  
• Set the Allow users to submit fraud alerts setting to On
• Select Save

Configuration options

Block user when fraud is reported: If a user reports fraud, their account is blocked for 90 days or until an administrator unblocks their account. An administrator can review sign-ins by using the sign-in report, and take appropriate action to prevent future fraud. An administrator can then unblock the user's account.

Code to report fraud during initial greeting: When users receive a phone call to perform two-step verification, they normally press # to confirm their sign-in. To report fraud, the user enters a code before pressing #. This code is 0 by default, but you can customize it

Note: The default voice greetings from Microsoft instruct users to press 0# to submit a fraud alert. If you want to use a code other than 0, record and upload your own custom voice greetings with appropriate instructions for your users.

View fraud reports

• Sign in to the Azure portal
• Select Azure Active Directory > Sign-ins. The fraud report is now part of the standard Azure AD Sign-ins report

Trouble in Opening MDF File because it Says SQL Error 5171? - A guest Post by Andre Williams

MS SQL Server is the most widely used and deployed database server in organizations. But, there are times when the SQL Server database gets corrupted due to various reasons. Error messages like SQL Error 1571 are also frequent with SQL Server. Let’s learn more about the SQL error 1571, its reasons and solutions.

Symptoms of SQL Error 5171:
With SQL Error 5171, you may face failures while logging in to SQL Server, restoring SQL database files, creating a tempdb database, and attaching MDF files successfully to the SQL Server database. Instead you will receive an error saying – “.mdf is not a primary database file. (Microsoft SQL server 5171)”

Possible Reasons for SQL Error 5171:
MDF file saves data in the form of pages, and each page occupies space of 8KB. The initial first page is the header page containing important database details such as signature, file size, compatibility, and much more. Rest all the other pages stores the actual data.
When the header page or related page of the file does not get recognized by the SQL Server database, it results in the SQL Error 1571 as the entire MDF is not considered to be a valid file.

Solution to Fix SQL Error 5171:
There are multiple reasons due to which SQL Error 5171 occurs. Some scenarios are mentioned below with their possible fix solution.

Scenario 1:
Usage of a mirror database in MS SQL Server by a user encounters the Error 5171, when database is set online by executing ALTER DATABASE command

Scenario 2:
When the SQL Server is upgraded to a latest or newer version, there are possible chances of Error 5171. As, you will have to first detach the database and then upgrade it to the new version. Hence, when you will try to attach it back to the MS SQL Server, it will fail to do so and error 5171 might encounter.

Below mentioned are the possible solutions for this error:

Method 1: For database mirroring
Step 1: First set, the principal database
Step 2: Use ALTER DATABASE MODIFY FILE command to modify the information.
Step 3: Now, stop the SQL server instance.
Step 4: Copy MDF and LDF files in a separate directory
Step 5: Now, restart SQL Server and attach the database files

Method 2: For attaching the database
Step 1: To troubleshoot the error, use the sp_attach_db command
Step 2: The command will attach the detached database files after upgrading is completed.
Please note: This method will work only in the case where you have used the sp_detach_db command to detach the database

Method 3: Automated Method to FIX SQL Server Error 5171
The above methods can easily remove the SQL Error 5171. However, if you still face the error after trying the above workaround methods, then you can opt for the automated solution. You can use Kernel for SQL Database Recovery tool, one of the most recommended methods by the database experts. The tool smoothly repairs and recovers all the database objects of corrupt or inaccessible MDF and NDF files. It flawlessly recovers large-sized MDF and NDF files.

Final Words:

You can always opt to use the manual methods for SQL recovery if you are an experienced database professional. But if you’re a naïve user of SQL database and you are not skilled enough to understand the errors of the database, then we suggest you restore your database files with the help of the automated solution.  

Hope the solutions help you to resolve the issues related to MS SQL Server. If you have any queries, please mention in the comments. We will get back to you with a possible resolution.

About Andre Williams

Andre Williams, with more than three year's experience in SQL related technologies, contributes articles, blogs, and how-to tips regularly.

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Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)

Cloud computing has matured way too much in the recent years and with its truly innovative, increased speed to collaborate, communicate, and ease of use is becoming the integral part of the business. However, with the increased use of cloud computing, the data that should have resided within the organizations perimeter is now being moved beyond the walls of the organization. And In this era of Cloud and BYOD, CYOD, COPE, it is much easier to make the data available anytime and anywhere at the same time maintaining an efficient security posture is becoming a big challenge.
Security is at the top of every organizations list and is a shared responsibility between the service provider and the customer. Even though the cloud service provider provides an optimum level of security for the applications hosted on their platform, it is difficult for them to gain deeper visibility and control at the risks associated with user behavior. Also, the visibility of access from outside of an organizations network or with a personal device is limited and lays path for the relook at the security in the cloud in a different way.

Cloud Access Security Brokers are a category of security tools that help enterprises safely enable cloud apps and mobile devices.  A Cloud access security brokers (CASBs) are on-premises, or cloud-based security policy enforcement points, placed between cloud service consumers and cloud service providers to combine and interject enterprise security policies as the cloud-based resources are being accessed. CASBs consolidate multiple types of security policy enforcement. Example security policies include authentication, single sign-on, authorization, credential mapping, device profiling, encryption, tokenization, logging, alerting, malware detection/prevention and so on.

CASBs work by intermediating traffic between cloud apps and users. Once proxied, these tools provide:

• Visibility—audit logs, security alerts, compliance reports, etc.
• Data Security—access control, data leakage prevention, encryption, etc.

Together, these functions fill in the gaps otherwise encountered when an enterprise moves from internal, premises-based applications to cloud. For enterprises in heavily regulated industries, like Finance and Healthcare, use of a CASB might be the only practical approach to enabling cloud apps. More broadly, any organization with sensitive data to protect would be well served by considering this emerging solution category.

The Four Pillars of CASB are 

• Visibility
• Compliance
• Data Security 
• Threat Protection

By using cloud access security brokers, organizations can:

• Identify what Shadow IT cloud services are in use, by whom, and what risks they pose to the organization and its data
• Evaluate and select cloud services that meet security and compliance requirements using a database of cloud services and their security controls
• Protect enterprise data in the cloud by preventing certain types of sensitive data from being uploaded, and encrypting and tokenizing data
• Identify potential misuse of cloud services, including both activity from insiders as well as third parties that compromise user accounts
• Enforce differing levels of data access and cloud service functionality based on the user’s device, location, and operating system

Choosing a CASB is not an easy task. While many providers focus on limited areas of the four CASB functionality pillars, most organizations prefer to select a single provider that covers all use cases. Skyhigh Networks, Symantec and Netskope are some of the leaders in CASB while CipherCloud and Cisco are challengers according to the Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Cloud Access Security Brokers.