When things are going well, there is no need to be particularly conscious of what the Transaction log does or how it works. You just need to be confident that every database has the correct backup regime in place. When things go wrong, an understanding of the transaction log is important for taking corrective action, pasrticularly when a point-in-time restore of a database is required, urgently! Tony Davis give just the right level of detail that every DBA should know.  Read more...

In FULL recovery mode it is possible to do a point-in-time restore of a database. It is thankfully a rare event. Tony explains what's involved  Read more...

A great article that should answer all your questions about the transaction log from MVP Gail Shaw. A must read for all DBAs.  Read more...

Tony describes in more detail the SIMPLE recovery model, and the way it works, its advantages and disadvantages.  Read more...

This article discusses the different types of backup and recovery models and gives the essential facts that will guide you to being able to achieve a recovery of a database to a point in time.  Read more...

In order to make it easier to understand truncation, space reuse and fragmentation in the log file, Tony gives a brief explanation of how the transaction log works.  Read more...

The transaction log is used by SQL Server to maintain data consistency and integrity. If the database is not in Simple-recovery mode, it can also be used in an appropriate backup regime to restore the database to a point in time.  Read more...

It seems that some people think that you can perform actions in SQL Server without logging them in the transaction log. Steve Jones talks about this myth and says it's not even an option he'd like to have.  Read more...

Why does the transaction log fill up? There are a variety of reasons, and MVP Gail Shaw walks you through the various things to check.  Read more...

This question comes up constantly in different venues. I see it sometimes 2-3 times a day on SQL Server Central....  Read more...

This article shows how you can read the [RowLog Contents] in the Transaction Log, for Real!  Read more...

SQL Server transaction log files have an internal structure called the Virtual Log File or VLF. When the number of VLFs grow out of control due to autogrowth the log can become fragmented and cause delay. In this tip we look at how to see how many VLFs exist as well as how this can be reduced to a more reasonable number.   Read more...

A great article that should answer all your questions about the transaction log from MVP Gail Shaw. A must read for all DBAs.  Read more...

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One of the most common questions asked about SQL Server has to do with the transaction log and why does it grow. James Rea brings us a good explanation here of what happens and what you should do about it.  Read more...

Understanding the transaction log seems to be a very difficult concept fro mos DBAs to grasp. Jason Brimhall brings us a new article that helps to troubleshoot the cause of log growths.  Read more...

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The Transaction Log provides the means by which either the complete set of tasks of a database transaction are performed or none of them are. It ensures that , via rollback, only valid data is written out to the database, and it allows transactions to be played back to recreate the system state right before a failure. Robert Sheldon explains the various basic tasks involved in managing the transaction log.  Read more...

The transaction log is a fairly complex construct in SQL Server and present in every database installation. New author James Rea brings us a great introduction to how the log works and how to maintain it.  Read more...

This script is basically used in SQL Server 2005/2008 as that version not having the option to perform the same activity in the single window.  Read more...