From managing databases, monitoring its performance, performing backups and restore operation, to ensuring recovery of databases in the event of disaster recovery, etc. are responsibilities that every SQL administrator must prioritize. With the right tools in hand, SQL admins can streamline their routine tasks while significantly improving their efficiency.
There are countless tools to help improve productivity, manage backup, performance, and recover SQL Server databases. But, finding the most effective tool can be challenging. To help you, we’ve listed the top 5 utilities SQL database admins for 2022.
Top 5 Utilities for SQL Database Admins for 2022
-
Tool for Database Management
Are you finding it difficult to boost productivity while administering SQL development and deployment tasks? dbForge Studio for SQL Server is a multi-functional tool you can use to perform complex and time-consuming database administration tasks, which helps increase efficiency and productivity.
Essentially, the tool helps automate routine administration tasks like configuring user accounts and permissions of a SQL database, backing up and restoring databases, generating database schema and scripts, etc. – via a single GUI.
The dbForge Studio for SQL Server GUI also provides capabilities like database development, database design, and creation of data reports. It even comes built-in with an Index Manager tool that helps resolve issues with index fragmentation. Furthermore, the tool helps find databases that need maintenance. In addition, the T-SQL Debugger tool in dbForge Studio for SQL Server helps debug stored procedures, triggers, SQL queries, etc.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the dbForge Studio for SQL Server utility by downloading its free trial version.
-
Tool for Monitoring SQL Database
Monitoring SQL Server performance is critical to ensure that the databases on the server work as intended. With growing deployments of databases, some performance issues may go unnoticed. But, having a dedicated monitoring tool can help identify and resolve any performance bottlenecks quickly.
IDERA SQL Diagnostic Manager is a great solution that provides much more than basic monitoring capabilities. The Diagnostic Manager provides administrators with real-time information about health, performance, and database availability issues within SQL Server environments. The best thing about the tool is that it uses predictive alerts to provide insight into performance issues before they even happen. Also, you can view alerts and monitor all your databases from a single place.
A 14-day trial of the Diagnostic Manager tool is available to assess how the software works.
-
Tool for SQL Database Backup
Though SQL Server comes inbuilt with backup and restores functionality, deploying a third-party backup utility such as IDERA SQL Safe backup provides several benefits. The tool helps provide faster backup time and better compression features to streamline backup and restore procedures. Also, it minimizes storage requirements and provides capabilities to perform backups across multiple SQL Servers simultaneously.
The tool also restores databases from backup instantly to eliminate downtime. Further, it helps restore a database to point-in-time.
Choosing the SQL Safe Backup tool provides flexibility and speed, mainly required for disaster recovery situations. Try the 14-day trial of the backup tool to determine how it works.
-
Tool for Database Recovery
If we are talking about a comprehensive solution to recover databases in various downtime situations, the best choice is Stellar Toolkit for MS SQL. The software suite comprises a bundle of tools that helps SQL admins to perform database recovery, analysis, and conversion. The toolkit includes:
Repair MS SQL Database, a powerful tool tofix corrupted database (MDF and NDF) files and restore all the objects. It supports restoring tables, deleted records, views, keys, stored procedures, etc. Also, the repair tool supports parallel processing of multiple tables simultaneously and provides a Fast Saving option to speed up database recovery.
Extract from MS SQL Backup,a useful tool torecover data from a corrupt backup (BAK) file.
Recover MS SQL Password is a great tool for resetting lost or forgotten SQL Server passwords.
Apart from these tools, the toolkit includesSQL Log Analyzer tool that helps perform forensic analysis of SQL logs. Also, it comprises a Database Converter tool allowing the users to interconvert MS SQL, MS Access, SQL Anywhere, MySQL, and SQLite databases.
A free demo version of the tools is available for download, which helps preview the results and determine if it’s the right fit for your database recovery needs.
-
Tool for Database Security
Despite following security measures, like managing logins, regularly applying security patches, securing backups, etc., your SQL Server databases could still be at risk of getting attacked by malicious users. However, continuously monitoring the databases for security can help you discover and resolve any databases issues as quickly as possible.
One of the most comprehensive and useful security tools for SQL admins is SolarWinds® Security Event Manager (SEM). The tool helps discover policy violations, detects security threats, and provides real-time responses to ensure database compliance with industry regulations. In addition, the SEM software offers several tools to meet the security needs of a SQL database:
Security Incident Management Software is a useful tool to get an active response to potential threats that need to be investigated.
Compliance Reporting Software helps obtain actionable insights from SIEM log data to handle security risks in real-time.
File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) Software. The FIM software helps protect business-critical data from malicious attacks or theft. The tool discovers and alerts any changes made to the registry settings, key files, or folders.
Log Monitoring Tool comes with a threat intelligence feed that helps analyze activities conducted by known malicious threat vectors. It also alerts you if any bad actors break into your database environment.
You can use the free trial version of the SEM tool for 30 days to evaluate how the software works.
Conclusion
Plenty of utilities are available for SQL admins that improve productivity and performance, perform database recovery and other tasks. However, finding the right tool can help you easily perform complex SQL Server administration tasks with ease and efficiency. This article discusses the top 5 utilities that automate database administrators’ routine monitoring, backup, restore, and other tasks. Choose one that fits your needs as a SQL administrator or the needs of the organization you’re working for.
