Methods to Recover Damaged MS SQL Server Database

SQL Database files are easily prone to corruption or inconsistencies, leading to failure to access the files or certain errors and issues. Your database can go into suspect mode, or you can face integrity errors like 823, 5172, 824, etc.

The MDF/NDF files can get corrupted due to application bugs, freezes, and hardware or system failures. You can repair and recover the damaged or corrupted MS SQL Server database. In this post, we will learn how to recover a damaged SQL Server database.

What Causes Corruption in an MDF/NDF File?

The SQL database file can turn corrupt because of the following reasons:

• Abnormal system termination or crash occurs when the database file is open.
• The system used to store the database file is virus-infected.
• Bugs in SQL server.

Irrespective of the reason behind corruption, the inability to access SQL databases increases the risk of losing data.

Efficient Ways to Repair or Recover a Damaged MS SQL Server Database?

Try the below methods to repair and recover the inaccessible or corrupted MS SQL Server database:

Method 1-Restore your backup file:

You can restore a damaged, unreadable or corrupted SQL database using the .BAK file. The .BAK extension is a backup file in MS SQL. First check you have readable backup file, for this you can run the RESTORE VERIFYONLY statement. If the backup file is not corrupted then it will display a success message else you can use another method to recover the damaged MS SQL Server database.

There are two ways to restore SQL Server backup files: using SSMS and querying.

Following are the steps to restore the backup file in SQL Server using SSMS:

• In SSMS, first, connect to your Microsoft SQL Server database instance.
• Expand the server tree by clicking on the server name
• Expand Databases, right-click on the database, click Tasks, and then Restore.
• Click on the type of restore operation.
• In the Restore dialog box, on the General window, under the Restore source option, click From Device.
• Next, click on the Browse option for the “From device” option, displaying the dialog box named Specify Backup.
• In the text box labeled Backup device, choose the device you need to use for the restore operation.

Alternatively, you can run the below query to restore the damaged SQL database:

RESTORE DATABASE AdventureWorks2022

FROM DISK = 'Z:\SQLServerBackups\AdventureWorks2022.bak' ;

Method 2 – Repair SQL Server Database using DBCC CHECKDB:

If your backup file is not updated, unavailable, or corrupted, run DBCC CHECKDB with repair option-REPAIR_ALLOW_DATA_LOSS to fix corruption in an SQL database. It can resolve all types of corruption-related errors in MDF/NDF files.

However, Microsoft recommends using this option as the last resort, as it can cause data loss. So, it is recommended to create a backup before before using this command,

Steps to repair a corrupt SQL Server database using the DBCC CHECKDB command:

• If the corrupted database is not accessible, then you can set the database to EMERGENCY mode. Setting the database on this mode helps you read-only access to the database. Run the below query:

ALTER DATABASE (Test_Database) SET EMERGENCY

• Once you’re able to access the database, next set the database to SINGLE_USER mode using this query:

ALTER DATABASE Test_Database SET SINGLE_USER WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE

• Next, run the DBCC CHECKDB using REPAIR_ALLOW_DATA_LOSS to repair the SQL database:

DBCC CHECKDB (Test_Database, REPAIR_ALLOW_DATA_LOSS) WITH ALL_ERRORMSGS, NO_INFOMSGS;

• Once the database is repaired, set the database Back to MULTI_USER Mode :

ALTER DATABASE Test_Database SET MULTI_USER

Caution: As discussed earlier, using the REPAIR_ALLOW_DATA_LOSS option involves data loss risk. Also, it does not guarantee the complete data recovery.

Method 3 – Run SQL Database Repair Tool

To avoid data loss while repairing the damaged or corrupted MS SQL database, you can use a professional SQL database repair tool, like Stellar Repair for MS SQL. It can effectively recover all the database objects, including stored procedures, indexes, tables, etc., from the damaged database file without any database.

Also, there are no file-size limitations. You can repair an MDF/NDF file in any condition or any state. It is a quick method to repair and recover SQL databases, including the deleted data. The tool supports MS SQL Server 2022, MS SQL Server 2019, and earlier versions.

Summing Up

This guide outlines some workable solutions to recover and repair a damaged MDF/NDF file using the backup file or DBCC CHECKDB command. If the above methods fail or you want to save your time, effort, and all data in the database, then use professional SQL recovery software. The software can retrieve all the data with complete integrity. Download the free version now!