SQL Server Recovery From Page Header Corruption

There is no doubt in the fact that Microsoft SQL Server provides an effective means to manage database with an ease. However, on the other hand there are high chances of corruption in files of the SQL server. The file corruption restrict users to operate their database and thus, all the server storage files becomes inaccessible. When users try to access these file they encounter one or more error messages while trying SQL server recovery. In such situation, a general query arises that why stored files of database becomes inaccessible? The answer to this query is page header corruption, which is caused due to many reasons. Hence, in the following article, we are going to discuss about the reasons involved behind SQL server header corruption and measure to fix such problem.

Causes of Header Corruption in SQL Server

There are following possible instances due to which such corruption takes place:

• Improper System Shutdown: Sometimes a situation occurs in which the machine where SQL application is installed, gets shut down without any warning. Such termination in PC causes corruption in header part of the SQL files.

• Due to Sudden Power Failure: If the server gets accidentally closed then, improper management of the SQL server files result in damage of file header part. Therefore, when one tries to access file after opening their machine, they encounter an error message pop-up window.

• Damage in Hardware Components: If hardware or physical components of the server machine are not properly managed then, this will also affect the storage files of system. Hence, it is recommended to users that they should maintain hardware components of their PC properly.

• Virus Attack on Computer System: A very cause of the corruption i.e., virus attack, which may occur in any disastrous form. The storage files of the SQL server gets instantly corrupted, if a virus           attack has took place on the machine where they were stored.

Measures to Fix SQL Server Header Corruption

If the corruption takes place in any file, which is related to a database then, the page pID goes wrong while going through an auditing test. In some cases, an error message i.e., test string failed the test also occurs because the encountered error is dependent upon the activity, which user is currently performing on the SQL server.

Well, to get rid of such hassled situation, users need to deal with MDF file and repair it for debugging the error. Therefore, users need to go through anyone of the following approaches to fix header corruption in SQL Server:

Approach #1: Perform Different Operations of Hardware Components

This can be performed with help of following steps, which will examine hardware components of the machine in which MDF file is stored:

1. Examine errors, which are related to the hardware by performing analysis on the SQL Server error logs
2. Replace the hardware components to reduce occurrence of error
3. Take help from hardware vendor for fixing the issue, only if the disk controller has activated write-disk caching
4. Now try to execute DBCC CHECKDB utility for examining that whether the data integrity of the database is symmetric or not
5. If not then, make the database symmetric; else skip this step

Now, try to access the file and if you are able to operate it then, no need to proceed further; else go through other approaches.

Approach #2: Restore MDF Files From A Backup

If users are timely creating backup of the SQL server on their machine, then they can permanently delete the corrupted MDF files and then restore those files from backup. This will provide users with healthy files of the SQL server and thus, experience an error-free working on it.

Approach #3: Overwrite A Newly Created SQL Files

This measure is a hit-and-trial way of resolving SQL Server header corruption. Users can go through following set of instructions to fix this issue:

• Stop SQL Server instance from your machine
• Go towards the location where MDF and LDF files are stored and then copy them to some other path
• Permanently delete MDF and LDF files from their original location
• Now, again start a new database with same filename and then stop SQL server
• At the end, overwrite newly created MDF and log database files

 

Observational Verdict

The procedures, which are mentioned till now does not guarantees that they will definitely fix SQL Server header corruption. Therefore, the relevant approach is to use a third-party utility i.e., SQL Server recovery tool (Can be downloaded at repair-sql.net), which rapidly repairs a corrupted MDF file and directly restores data in SQL server database. This procedure does not require any command execution or anything else for its working and simply repair primary database files of the SQL server. Now, one can resolve header corruption in SQL Server without any complications with using this application.

Guest Author Details

Author Name: Tej Pratap Shukla
Author Bio :Tej Pratap is a Server Administrator with diverse expertise in Managing Exchange Server, Windows Server & other works like managing Hyper V & Office 365 with interests ranging from technology to education.He has researched on email clients issues, data recovery solutions as well as data management techniques.

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