Idera, a provider of Microsoft SQL Server management and administration tools, announced SQL virtual database 1.3, the latest release for this solution that enables backup files to look and act just like a real SQL Server database within SQL Server Management Studio and other SQL Server applications. With SQL virtual database , users can run queries, insert and delete data, run reports and perform resource-intensive checks like index fragmentation and database integrity against SQL Server database backup files.
"SQL virtual database is the perfect solution for activities that require information from a database backup, and need to occur quickly," Heather Sullivan, director of SQL Server products at Idera, tells 5 Minute Briefing. "A virtual database can be created and accessed orders of magnitude faster than restoring the database from the backup file. It also doesn't require the storage space that a physical database does. Users can perform a wide range of tasks on a virtual database, for example recovering table data or stored procedures, comparing schemas to identify changes, easing the load on production servers by reporting off the virtual database, or auditing changes."
The newest version provides compressed backup support. Virtual databases can now be created using SQL Server 2008 or SQL Server 2008 R2 compressed backup files, helping save on backup storage space. Cluster support includes virtual databases can now be created on virtual Windows 2003 or Windows 2008 Server instances located on the nodes of a SQL Server Cluster.
SQL virtual database is built on technology that lets DBAs and developers attach SQL Server backup files and query them just like they were real databases. To access data in a SQL Server backup,
the user simply attaches the backup file using SQL virtual database, and then uses native SQL Server or third-party tool to query and extract the data.
Idera doesn't intend to partner with ISVs to support back-end applications, however. "Although it's technically possible, SQL virtual database isn't designed as a platform for running production applications," says Sullivan. "It's more designed to facilitate and accelerate activities requiring access to information in SQL Server database backup, or to offload reporting or analytics from a production database."
For more details, go here.