Does anyone know a tool which will read LDF/MDF files or how to restore an un-backed up db?
Heres the issue. I have SQL Server 2000 on different showsites collecting lead information from the event (through web forms). I then put all data collected into a text file and FTP it to the lead collection company in the format they request. I use a stored procedure and scheduled task to accomplish this because I am rarely onsite.
For the first time, I got a server back last week that had faileded FTPing. So I manually generated the file and saw it was blank. I looked in the database and it, too, was empty. This is a show which normally has 5,000+ leads and I had zero. So I looked at the MDF/LDF files. The MDF was 16M and the LDF was 26M. I opened them in Notepad and although mostly garbage, there were some definate leads in there (English intermixed with symbols). I was able to parse through the 4000 pages of the LDF and recover 147 complete leads using Notepad. Now heres my question. There was obviously stuff entered and since we expected 5000+ leads, could it be that most of the "garbage" were leads, also? If so, how can I extract the data? I tried all sorts of restoring and rolling back the database but it was never backed up so I cant. But I KNOW there is data in those files. So is there another tool I can use (I tried restoring using Enterprise Manager) to see what all of that garbage says? Or a way to use those files to restore the database to a point in time (not using Restore Database since I have exhausted that option I think).
I am desperate here. I have never seen this - and still have no idea how this happened. Please give me any ideas on how to extract this data!!!
Jenn
Heres the issue. I have SQL Server 2000 on different showsites collecting lead information from the event (through web forms). I then put all data collected into a text file and FTP it to the lead collection company in the format they request. I use a stored procedure and scheduled task to accomplish this because I am rarely onsite.
For the first time, I got a server back last week that had faileded FTPing. So I manually generated the file and saw it was blank. I looked in the database and it, too, was empty. This is a show which normally has 5,000+ leads and I had zero. So I looked at the MDF/LDF files. The MDF was 16M and the LDF was 26M. I opened them in Notepad and although mostly garbage, there were some definate leads in there (English intermixed with symbols). I was able to parse through the 4000 pages of the LDF and recover 147 complete leads using Notepad. Now heres my question. There was obviously stuff entered and since we expected 5000+ leads, could it be that most of the "garbage" were leads, also? If so, how can I extract the data? I tried all sorts of restoring and rolling back the database but it was never backed up so I cant. But I KNOW there is data in those files. So is there another tool I can use (I tried restoring using Enterprise Manager) to see what all of that garbage says? Or a way to use those files to restore the database to a point in time (not using Restore Database since I have exhausted that option I think).
I am desperate here. I have never seen this - and still have no idea how this happened. Please give me any ideas on how to extract this data!!!
Jenn
