This past month I ran a poll asking this question: “Does your company have a formal, tested, disaster recovery plan for your SQL Servers.” While this was not a scientific poll, nor do I purport that it is representative of the real world, the results are still scary.
As you can see, only about 9% of responders said they have in place a complete, up-to-date, and tested DR plan. And another 9% said that they didn’t even know what a DR plan was.
About 45% said they “sort of” have a DR plan, but it is not complete and/or up-to-date, nor is it regularly tested. And then about 27% said that they wanted to put a DR plan in place, but that they just didn’t have time to complete one. The 9% who answered “other” were consultants, and the question didn’t really apply to them.
It’s disconcerting to think that only about 9% of companies have a valid DR plan, 45% have a “sort-of” plan, and another 36% have no plan at all.
I wonder if the owners of the companies that have “sort of” or no DR plan know about this. If they don’t, then it’s the responsibility of the DBA to inform them. If the owners do know, and have chosen not to invest in the resources to put a DR plan in place, I wonder if they understand the potential consequences of their choice. In any event, I am really dismayed by these results.
For those DBAs who don’t have a complete, up-to-date, and tested DR plan, you might want to consider checking out some of the following resources.
Disaster Recovery for SQL Server Databases
How to Write a Disaster Recovery Plan
So, You Want to Write a Disaster Recovery Plan?
Sample Disaster Recovery Planning Guide Provided by Michigan State University
Description of Disaster Recovery Options for Microsoft SQL Server
If you have any more links you would like to suggest, please do so below.
