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SmartDBA Your Power Solution for Database Backup & Recovery

Today's Intelligent Choice for Data Assurance

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TODAYS INTELLIGENT CHOICE FOR DATA ASSURANCE

Increasing business pressures challenge database administrators (DBAs) to ensure database availability 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Technology-dependent businesses require that more data be delivered to more people with more speed, reliability, and performance than ever before. Down time is expensive and simply not tolerated in today's competitive environment. Yet, in spite of your best management efforts, database failures do occurhuman error, electrical outages, or other unplanned events are unavoidable. When a problem arises, DBAs need database tools that quickly and accurately bring the database back online and restore it to its fully functional state. And as more companies use multiple database platforms, DBAs need integrated, consistent solutions that work across heterogeneous database systems, rather than database-specific utilities. Pre-packaged point products simply cannot handle today's availability demands and heterogeneous environments. For example, an Oracle DBA may have built-in Oracle utilities at his disposal that can do simple point-of-failure backup on an Oracle database, but these tools lack the intelligence to manage application and disaster recovery and do not support mixed database environments. SmartDBA from BMC Software gives DBAs an intelligent solution that simplifies database backup and recovery, advises DBAs on key issues, and executes operations quickly to ensure high data availability. SmartDBA provides consistent management for Unix and Microsoft Windows NT operating systems across all major

database platforms: Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2 Universal Database, and Sybase. This paper addresses how DBAs can use SQLBackTrack, the cornerstone of the SmartDBA recovery solution, to automate and simplify the recovery process and assure high data availability and integrity.

FAST, EFFICIENT BACKUP AND RECOVERY

To assure reliability of your database systems, SQL-BackTrack offers an intelligent, highperformance solution that simplifies and automates database administration tasks associated with backup and recovery. For DBAs of all experience levels, the product is easy to install, implement, and use. By using intelligent, database-aware backup and recovery operations, SQL-BackTrack automatically adapts to changes in a database's physical design, recovers from logical data errors as well as physical outages with no application down time, and automates disaster recovery actions. Only SQL-BackTrack offers a coordinated, predictable backup and recovery strategy across multiple DBMSs, operating systems, and storage systems. The remainder of this paper describes key SQLBackTrack functionality: archive log management, guided recovery, logical extraction, simplified backup management, catalog architecture, efficient backups, version control, large-scale backups, restartability, process monitoring and integration with storage management systems. The paper concludes with five customer case studies.

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ARCHIVE LOG MANAGEMENT Because many companies require point-in-time recovery, they must run their databases in ARCHIVELOG mode. If the file system to which the archive logs are being written fills up, the database will crash. It is extremely important to manage archive log destinations to prevent this from happening. To prevent outages, DBAs are required to both continuously monitor available disk space and initiate backup operations as disk space limits are approached or to write scripts to perform these tasks. SQL-BackTrack relieves DBAs from the responsibility of monitoring archive logs. DBAs can define thresholds beyond which SQLBackTrack automatically backs up archive logs and then removes or renames them. SQL-BackTrack also provides sophisticated archive log recovery. For sites with large transaction volumes, it might not be possible to restore all archive logs to disk prior to recovery if the total volume of archive logs exceeds the space available. SQL-BackTrack restores files in batches and applies them in a rolling fashion, ensuring that recovery remains possible no matter how many archive logs need to be restored. SQL-BackTrack manages archive logs during the backup and recovery process.

PrepareDecide where and how to restore from a backup RestoreCopy all appropriate database files from the backup location to disk RecoverPerform the actual database recovery (step-by-step procedure) RestartReset the log if needed, start the database, and perform a new backup The tasks differ greatly from one recovery to the next. For example, in the case of an incomplete recovery, the DBA must manually determine the time, SCN, or log sequence number to use for the recovery. After the recovery, the DBA must remember to open the database with the RESETLOGS option and then do an immediate database backup. Choosing the right approach in the middle of a stressful recovery can be very difficult. Even an experienced DBA could have difficulty performing these complex, manual tasks under time pressure. To reduce errors and ease stress, the exclusive guided recovery feature SQL-BackTrack's greatly simplifies recovery tasks as follows: Detects missing data files, control files, online redo logs, parameter files, or data files Presents options appropriate for the situation and allowing the DBA to select from the available recovery types Issues all Oracle Server Manager commands required to implement the recovery Restores the database files, prompting to load media when necessary Restores and applies archive logs Brings the database online SQL-BackTrack makes complex recoveries fast, simple, and error-free.

GUIDED RECOVERY When a database recovery is required, DBAs are faced with several difficult tasks: AnalyzeDetermine what went wrong and what objects need to be recovered SourceLocate all appropriate backup files required to perform the recovery

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LOGICAL EXTRACTION Except in cases of outright system failure, full database recoveries are rare. The most common reason for a recovery is human error such as accidental deletion of data or accidental dropping of schema objects. To enable fast recoveries from these less than catastrophic failures, SQL-BackTrack supports recovery at the object level. Individual tables can be recovered from a physical backup, with some or all of their data. SQL-BackTrack fully automates the procedure and makes it possible to recover virtually any table to any point in time. Even non-data objects such as stored procedures can be recovered. In a process called logical extraction, SQL-BackTrack extracts these logical objects from physical backups. DBAs use this feature during actual recoveries, and also as a convenient way to copy or move objects between instances, make utility copies of data, and so on. Logical extraction is a feature that can be used all day, every day. SQL-BackTrack makes logical extraction automated and convenient.

DBAs can also specify backup expiration policies that retire backups after a set number of days or copies. All of these features are available through both a simple menu-driven interface and an optional command-line interface. SQL-BackTrack simplifies backup management and increases DBA productivity.

CATALOG ARCHITECTURE To accommodate growth and assure recovery, SQL-BackTrack records backup history and database structure information in a recovery catalog, a set of flat files local to the database server. SQL-BackTrack manages this catalog without DBA intervention. For example, if a database is expanded to use an additional data file, the SQL-BackTrack catalog is automatically updated with the new data file information at the beginning of the next backup operation. Because catalog files are local to each database server machine, they can be included in the same file system backup as the actual database, guaranteeing synchronization of the catalog and database backup files. SQL-BackTrack features a simple, yet robust, catalog architecture.

BACKUP MANAGEMENT SQL-BackTrack allows DBAs to select from several backup types: Database, tablespace, data file, archive log, or control file Physical or logical Full or incremental Open or closed Consistent or inconsistent

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EFFICIENT BACKUPS At a file level, databases are optimized for access, not storage efficiency, so they can be very resource-intensive to back up and recover. SQL-BackTrack uses advanced compression techniques to reduce the time, network resources, and storage resources needed for backup and recovery operations. SQL-BackTrack minimizes backup size by excluding never-used blocks from backups. SQL-BackTrack also compresses data content before directing data to the storage management layer. SQL-BackTrack achieves at least a 3:1 compression ratio. The result is smaller backup files, reduced media requirements, and faster backups, especially when backups are written across a network to remote storage devices. SQL-BackTrack efficiently uses limited staff time and resources.

the database. Cold backups require the database to be offline and unavailable to applications for several hours on end. Either way, the backup is disruptive to business operations because the database is unavailable to customers or it is available with marked performance degradation for a prolonged period of time. To remedy this situation SQL-BackTrack offers the unique Enterprise Snapshot capability. With Enterprise Snapshot, DBAs can save precious time by taking a logical snapshot of a database at a point in time and then taking a backup from that copy rather than from the live database. SQL-BackTrack for Oracle uses snapshot technology in two ways: Hardware snapshot - If intelligent storage devices (ISDs) such as Hitachi 7700E or Hewlett-Packard XP256 are configured within the environment, Enterprise Snapshot exploits the mirroring capabilities of the storage device to create a point-in-time image of the database from which to perform backups.

ASSURED VERSION BMC Software believes that you should not have to manage your management tools, so SQLBackTrack is simple to deploy and maintain. It is installed as a single set of native executables on each database server,so components do not get "out of sync" with each other. When an urgent recovery becomes necessary the DBA is assured that SQL-BackTrack is ready to roll. With SQL-BackTrack, you can install it and forget about it

Software snapshot - If no ISDs are configured within the environment, SQL-BackTrack with Enterprise Snapshot uses proprietary BMC Software snapshot technology to create a point-in-time image of the database from which to perform backups.

ENTERPRISE SNAPSHOT There are typically two forms of backupshot and coldboth of which disrupt normal operations. Hot backups require a database to be in backup mode, resulting in performance degradation for applications that are accessing
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Enterprise Snapshot delivers nondisruptive database backups, significantly reducing the impact of backups.

Performing backups with SQL-BackTrack for Oracle - Enterprise Snapshot Edition offers these advantages: Enables near 24x7 database availability Shrinks the backup window to a very short time period Stretches the batch window or adds hours to the online day Exploits advanced technology already in place by using both software and hardware snapshot technology to ensure valid backups while maintaining database availability Improves recovery time by eliminating the need to apply transaction logs to recover to the point-in-time (snapshot) copy of the database. Enterprise Snapshot allows cold backups to be made in minutes instead of hours. Hot backups experience substantially reduced time that each

tablespace must spend in backup mode to minutes, or even seconds, greatly improving performance during the backup. SQL-BackTrack - Enterprise Snapshot Edition saves time, conserves space, and maintains database performance during large-scale backups.

RESTARTABILITY Backup and recovery operations can fail for any number of reasons-missing media, insufficient disk space, hardware outages-but SQL-BackTrack insulates DBAs from the full impact of these failures by allowing processes to restart from the point of failure, rather than requiring processes to be rerun from the first step. During a timecritical recovery operation, this capability can greatly reduce the total time to recovery. SQL-BackTrack provides granular control of the restart process.

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REAL-TIME MONITORING To provide full visibility and control, SQLBackTrack allows DBAs to monitor the completion status of its current processes. This feedback can be very useful for scheduling backups or tracking percentage-complete progress during a time-critical recovery. SQL-BackTrack tracks the execution status of current processes.

third-party developers who are part of the BMC Software OBSI Partner Program. In addition, SQL-BackTrack offers full integration with thirdparty scheduling products, allowing you to generate standard operating-system scripts for backup and recovery. Even though database backup and recovery is a DBA responsibility, DBAs in most organizations have to rely on a separate storage team to administer the storage-management subsystem. What happens if a database recovery is urgently needed, but the storage system is offline or has had its own disaster? The backup cloning in SQL-BackTrack helps DBAs avoid this problem. During recovery, SQL-BackTrack can dynamically switch to a secondary copy if a primary device fails or is offline. It is easy to configure, and DBAs can make as many copies from one read as they want. For example, one copy can go to Tivoli Storage Manager and another copy can be directed to disk. SQL-BackTrack integrates with storage managers and optimizes database availability with cloning.

INTEGRATION WITH STORAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND BACKUP CLONING BMC Software understands the importance of complete integration with your current storage environment. Open Backup Stream Interface Modules (OBSI Modules) enable physical backups and exports directly to tape, magnetic disk, and various third-party storage management systems such as VERITAS NetBackup, Legato NetWorker, and Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM). OBSI Modules are available from BMC Software and from

SQL-BackTrack Architecture
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Backup cloning eliminates the backup storage medium as a single point of failure

CUSTOMER CASE STUDIES

Now that we have outlined the numerous features and benefits of SQL-BackTrack and the SmartDBA Recovery Solution, it is important to demonstrate how these were used to address real situations.

They chose PATROL and SQL-BackTrack from BMC Software, which are both available for Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase, DB2 Universal Database, and Informix. PATROL enhances the contribution and value of the database administration group by automating critical but routine administrative functions and spotlighting the information necessary to make faster, better decisions. SQLBackTrack simplifies and automates many database administration tasks associated with backup and recovery. It speeds up the recovery process and saves time for DBAs, increasing productivity on day-to-day tasks.

CASE 1: AN OIL AND GAS COMPANY MERGER

A large oil and gas company recently acquired several large companies and is merging the information systems of each of these companies. They have legacy systems to maintain, and they must consolidate systems that are on multiple database platforms, multiple releases of software, multiple releases of tools, and multiple hardware platforms. Keeping track of all these elements is a big challenge, and so is backup and recovery. The average DBA has experience with two or three platforms. What criteria did they use in choosing tools to manage this complex environment? They looked for tools that can be used by the widest range of people and that work across platforms.

CASE 2: A FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPANY WITH SYBASE, ORACLE AND TIVOLI STORAGE MANAGER
A large financial company running both Sybase and Oracle uses Tivoli Storage Manager. SQLBackTrack has allowed them to implement an enterprise backup and recovery strategy because it supports both Oracle and Sybase.

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Because one DBA can support both Sybase and Oracle backup and recovery, the staff is more efficient and flexible. The use of SQL-BackTrack has also enabled integration with Tivoli Storage Manager, without the need for a TSM administrator.

CASE 5: A PUBLIC UTILITY DIVERSIFYING

A large public utility is splitting into two companies-one regulated and the other deregulated. The new deregulated company is starting nearly from the ground up on their database systems, and they are challenged with inherited legacy systems in production. They do not plan on standardizing their database platforms, so it is critical that they implement a solution that works consistently across the platforms. In addition, they have very large systems to back up and recover and require a solution that provides maximum availability, performance, and scalability. They chose SQLBacktrack because it delivers rapid database recovery through right sizing-that is performing the smallest, most efficient recovery possible.

CASE 3: AN INVESTMENT BANKING FIRM COPING WITH DISASTER

When a disaster wiped out the data center at a large investment-banking firm, the company was able to use SQL-BackTrack to bring their environment back on line with zero data loss from their databases. SQL-BackTrack minimizes down time by simplifying the entire recovery process. It restored database files and actually guided the DBA through every step of the recovery process while automatically detecting and restoring all missing files.

CASE 4: A TECHNOLOGY COMPANY RECOVERING ORACLE DATABASES

A large technology company runs numerous Oracle databases. The manager of the DBA group has years of experience with Oracle and has even attended Oracle backup and recovery training. Until using SQL-BackTrack for Oracle, however, he was never able to successfully recover a database that was missing control files and system files. With SQL-BackTrack for Oracle, he has successfully performed a full recovery as well as a point-in-time recovery. He now has confidence that he can perform a recovery in the event of a disaster.

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SUMMARY One of the major benefits of SQL-BackTrack is the way that database recoveries are performed. SQL-BackTrack automatically analyzes the system, asks questions, monitors the progress, and generates the proper commands to perform the recovery. If the recovery halts, for example, because a tape drive has jammed or a cable was loose, it can be automatically resumed without having to repeat the entire procedure. Native utilities can provide basic capabilities, but they require an experienced DBA to perform a recovery. With these utilities, the DBA must first examine the system and determine which parts are damaged or missing and then enter the proper database commands to perform the recovery. This manual process is tedious and time-consuming, and it is completely unnecessary when using SQL-BackTrack. Although experienced DBAs might be able to accomplish backups and recoveries using native utilities, the time, effort, and expertise required you are great because the DBA must select the step-by-step procedure that best fits a given recovery situation and know the required command syntax. SQL-BackTrack is a proven backup and recovery solution that works in the real world. DBAs of all skill levels can immediately use its simple, menudriven interface. Its unique guided recovery process helps DBAs to select a recovery process and then automates the recovery processpreventing manual errors and false starts.

With the most critical database administration time savings occurring during the recovery process, SQL-BackTrack can perform recoveries two to five times faster than with other methods and in many cases without an application outage. Part of the SmartDBA family of products, SQL-BackTrack enables you to work faster, easier, and smarter.

To learn more about SmartDBA data management products for distributed and mainframe database systems, visit our Web site at www.bmc.com/database.

BMC Software, Inc. is a leading provider of enterprise management solutions. The company focuses on Assuring Business Availability for its customers by helping them proactively improve service, reduce costs and increase value to their business. BMC Software solutions span enterprise systems, applications and databases. Founded in 1980, BMC Software has

BMC Software, the BMC Software logos and all other BMC Software product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of BMC Software, Inc. All other registered trademarks or trademarks belong to their respective companies. 2003 BMC Software, Inc. All rights reserved. 26977 May 2, 2003