Table of Contents
Introduction
My SQL Server database crashed, and the only file I could get my hands on was the primary database file (.MDF). For a moment, I thought I was able to avert a significant threat. But it wasn’t long before I realized that the ‘.MDF’ file is corrupted. Unfortunately, I didn’t have an updated backup. I couldn’t repair the database file using DBCC CHECKDB with the repair option, as it could have resulted in data loss.
So, I planned on giving a 3rd party SQL repair tool a try; this was when I came across Stellar Repair for MS SQL software. Still reluctant to use the software, I read a review done by Grant Fritchey (a Microsoft MVP) for Stellar Repair for MS SQL. After reading it, I went on downloading and installing the software. And it did the job. I was able to recreate my.MDF file with all the data intact.
In this post, I will discuss how the SQL recovery tool helped me fix corruption in the.MDF file and restore the database.
Steps to Repair MDF File with Stellar Repair for MS SQL Software
Here are the steps I followed to perform the repair process:
Step 1: After launching the software, I was presented with the software main interface screen with an Instruction dialog box.
Step 2: Clicking the OK button opened select Database’window with options to browse or search a corrupted SQL database MDF file.
Step 3: Once the file was uploaded, I clicked Repair to begin the repair process.
Step 4: A window appeared with Standard scan and Advanced scan options. ‘Standard Scan’ is the recommended option for fast scanning of the corrupted MDF file quickly. The ‘Advanced Scan option is for thoroughly scanning the corrupted file. After choosing an appropriate scan option, I clicked OK to continue with the repair process.
Step 5: The software displayed the progress of the repair process. Note that the repair process may take time, depending on the database file size.
Step 6: I was presented with a ‘Repair Complete’ message box to complete the repair process.
Step 7: On clicking OK, a preview window opened with a list of recoverable items in a tree-like structure. Clicking on an item displayed its content in the right pane.
Also, the software displayed a log report containing details of the repair process at the bottom of the preview window. The details included when the repair process started and ended, database version, database size, etc.
Step 8: After verifying the data accuracy, I clicked on the ‘Save option from the ‘File’ menu.
Note: For saving the repaired .mdf file, you’ll need to activate the licensed version of the software.
Step 9: I presented a ‘Save Database’ dialog box with multiple file saving options. Under ‘Save As’, .MDF is selected as the default file format. Also, the software provided options to export the repaired file to CSV, HTML, or XLS file formats. However, I chose to recreate the .MDF file.
Next, I chose to save the repaired file and its restored data into a new database. But, the software also allows saving the file directly into a live database.
Step 10: After filling in all the other required details, click on ‘Save’ opened a ‘Save Complete’ message box.
So, that’s it. I had my new database added to the list of databases as ‘Recovered_NewDatabase’ in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). On expanding the database, I could see all the restored database objects and data.
Watch the complete working of the software from here:
Verdict
The SQL recovery tool from Stellar®worked easily and flawlessly. I was able to get my data back without any changes to the original database hierarchy. So, if you’re someone who needs to repair SQL data files (.MDF/.NDF), using Stellar Repair for MS SQL software could be your best bet to restoring the database objects and data from a corrupted .MDF file.
