Frequently Asked Questions about Backing Up Your Databases & Fixing Uptime Issues

Databases need to be resilient and reliable to avoid unplanned downtime, data loss, and all sorts of other costly conundrums.

Companies that want to preserve mission-critical information and ensure server availability meets expectations can face an uphill struggle.

Thankfully by taking a few of the following FAQs onboard, you can both backup vital infrastructures and preserve downtime as much as possible, so read on to revolutionize the way you manage your databases.

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How Can I Prevent Database Downtime and Keep Services Up and Running?

The good news is that there are native tools for most database platforms that aim to provide failsafe mechanisms to protect information and also ensure the apps which rely on it still function flawlessly.

In the case of SQL Server, for example, there are Always On Availability Groups which deliver high availability across as many databases as you require.

With a SQL AlwaysOn Availability Group replica node, you can have a maximum of eight secondary stand-ins for your primary database which can kick in the moment issues arise.

So even if a hardware failure, power outage, or other disaster derails your main SQL Server setup, the replicas will keep things ticking over until you can bring it back online.

Replica databases are entirely configurable according to your needs, so if you want to make them read-only, or tweak them for full-blown data backup purposes, this is up to you.

This does mean that there will be more assets within your infrastructure to monitor and manage, as well as additional costs to bear. However, since unplanned downtime can be catastrophically expensive, this is worthwhile.

How Do I Avoid Hardware Failures?

Uptime issues are commonly caused by hardware components failing, either through some fault or as a result of general wear and tear which means that breakages are inevitable over time.

Aside from the backup solutions mentioned earlier, there are a few ways to account for this eventuality and make sure data is recoverable.

You should generally schedule regular updates to refresh database hardware so that its lifespan does not become a limiting factor, specifically in the case that you are responsible for managing these resources on-premises.

Arguably the better option for lots of businesses, especially those with limited in-house resources, is to outsource this to a third party by embracing cloud-based hosting instead.

You can still retain control over the hardware if you opt for a bare-metal solution, or share system resources in a virtualized environment.

Whatever the case, proper planning and investment in hardware can minimize the likelihood of failures, and having a backup in place through Always On Availability groups will give you peace of mind.

There are many other variables at play depending on the hardware you pick and the database software you select, so use these to guide further research into downtime prevention, backup, and continuity planning.

You will be thankful that you thought this through in advance, rather than having to struggle to recover only once an outage occurs.