IDERA SQL Virtual Database - too good to be true?

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IDERA SQL Virtual Database - too good to be true?

Marios Philippopoulos

SSC Guru

Points: 57190
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May 25, 2010 at 2:17 pm

#387013

Has anyone tried this tool?
You can "attach" a database from a backup file, cutting restore times from hours to minutes, while consuming no disk space.
I was also able to make modifications to the virtual database, but I don't know where the changes are persisted; there are no physical files on my disk drive.
The only physical thing I am aware of is the original backup file which resides in a network share.
This tool seems to be simply amazing, but given it is just a black box to me at this point, I don't know what to make of it.
Anyone have thoughts to share?
See:
http://blog.sqlauthority.com/2010/04/06/sql-server-retrieve-and-explore-database-backup-without-restoring-database-idera-virtual-database/
__________________________________________________________________________________
SQL Server 2016 Columnstore Index Enhancements - System Views for Disk-Based Tables[/url]
Persisting SQL Server Index-Usage Statistics with MERGE[/url]
Turbocharge Your Database Maintenance With Service Broker: Part 2[/url]

Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

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Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 736270 More actions · Answer 1

Hyperbac, owned by Red Gate now, does something similar. You can work with a backup file as though it were a real database. The Hyperbac demo I've seen is very, very cool.

Not something I'd do for production now, but for test/dev, or grabbing data from a backup file, it is outstanding.

Marios Philippopoulos SSC Guru Points: 57190 More actions · Answer 2

Steve Jones - Editor (5/25/2010)
Hyperbac, owned by Red Gate now, does something similar. You can work with a backup file as though it were a real database. The Hyperbac demo I've seen is very, very cool.
Not something I'd do for production now, but for test/dev, or grabbing data from a backup file, it is outstanding.

Thank you, I'm just wondering how these tools work to persist changes; it seems like pure magic... 😉

__________________________________________________________________________________
SQL Server 2016 Columnstore Index Enhancements - System Views for Disk-Based Tables[/url]
Persisting SQL Server Index-Usage Statistics with MERGE[/url]
Turbocharge Your Database Maintenance With Service Broker: Part 2[/url]

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004365 More actions · Answer 3

Steve Jones - Editor (5/25/2010)
Hyperbac, owned by Red Gate now, does something similar. You can work with a backup file as though it were a real database. The Hyperbac demo I've seen is very, very cool.
Not something I'd do for production now, but for test/dev, or grabbing data from a backup file, it is outstanding.

So the correct answer to the famous interview question about how to restore a single row from a backup would now be "Do you have Hyperbac?" Can that actually be done because if it can, I'm pretty sure I'm going to bug Tony about a copy so I can do a write up on it and make a recommendation to buy it at work. This is bloody fabulous.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
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Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398890 More actions · Answer 4

Jeff Moden (5/25/2010)
Steve Jones - Editor (5/25/2010)
Hyperbac, owned by Red Gate now, does something similar. You can work with a backup file as though it were a real database. The Hyperbac demo I've seen is very, very cool.
Not something I'd do for production now, but for test/dev, or grabbing data from a backup file, it is outstanding.
So the correct answer to the famous interview question about how to restore a single row from a backup would now be "Do you have Hyperbac?" Can that actually be done because if it can, I'm pretty sure I'm going to bug Tony about a copy so I can do a write up on it and make a recommendation to buy it at work. This is bloody fabulous.

Start bugging Tony.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt

Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
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Lowell SSC Guru Points: 323518 More actions · Answer 5

is there a downloadable demo of this, even crippleware for using only the Adventureworks db or something?

this sounds too good to be true, so I'd like to see it form myself.

Lowell

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Marios Philippopoulos SSC Guru Points: 57190 More actions · Answer 6

Lowell (5/26/2010)
is there a downloadable demo of this, even crippleware for using only the Adventureworks db or something?
this sounds too good to be true, so I'd like to see it form myself.

You can download a free 15-day version of SQL Virtual Database from http://www.idera.com.

__________________________________________________________________________________
SQL Server 2016 Columnstore Index Enhancements - System Views for Disk-Based Tables[/url]
Persisting SQL Server Index-Usage Statistics with MERGE[/url]
Turbocharge Your Database Maintenance With Service Broker: Part 2[/url]

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 736270 More actions · Answer 7

I'm not sure which level of functionality is in which version, but they definitely can "attach" a backup. They have some neat tricks in there and I believe the changes are written back to the backup file.

Bug Tony for a test version.