Hi Thomas,

I agree with you, no database is 100% fail-safe, including Oracle, SQL Server, DB2 and others. But unlike DBF's, there is a lot that can be done with SQL Server/MSDE to minimize downtimes if something really bad appends.

This includes:
- Daily backup (of course)
- Transaction Log backup, let's say every 10 minutes
- Replication (Subscriber of the transaction log)
- And much more... Lots of books cover all the possibilities.

If the company you work looses $36,000 per minutes of downtime, i hope they are not using DBF....

>> I do not use MSDE but I do use SQL Server. What tools are available to rebuild a MSDE database that has been corrupted? SQL Server can rebuild itself after a crash (with human intervention)

MSDE IS SQL SERVER. Anything you can do with SQL server you can with MSDE. The only limitation on MSDE is the database size (2GB) and the number of concurrent queries 5-7, it can bo more but the speed decreases.

Stephane

>>If we have to stop using any freely distributable software, what do we have left ?
>
>Stephane;
>
>Granite tabloids and iron chisels!
>
>One other viewpoint on the use of MSDE and SQL Server that might be of interest is stability. Many people tend to thing that MSDE and SQL Server are 100% stable and this is not true, at least not true of SQL Server!
>
> I do not use MSDE but I do use SQL Server. What tools are available to rebuild a MSDE database that has been corrupted? SQL Server can rebuild itself after a crash (with human intervention) when everything is designed correctly. However, you can still loose records and transactions that were in process when the crash occurred.
>
>Back Up is always an imperative. Even better is Back Up that works! Have you ever created a Back Up that would not work? I have! Thank you HP!
>
>The company I work for makes cars and trucks. One minute of down time costs $36,000. When an application, computer, Server, network, printer or data goes down we are in trouble! Let me assure you that we have had SQL Server go down and had to rebuild the database.
>
>My question goes back to, “What tool can be used to recreate or repair a MSDE Database”? What tool can be used to recreate or repair a DBF? Stonefield Database Toolkit is the one I use.
>
>
>By the way we also run Oracle and have had no crashes or lost data thus far. (He says while looking for a piece of “real” wood to knock on!)
>
>Now where is Fred Flintstone, just in case we need him for traditional data entry techniques?
>
>Tom