SQL Server Backup, Restore and Business Continuity Self Assessment
SQL Server Environment and Backup Practices:
Welcome to this self-assessment survey. Fill out all of the questions to the best of your ability and a self-assessment survey report card will be mailed to you with your results. Use this to see how well you are doing with your backup, recovery and business continuity strategy. Find out your strenghts, weaknesses and areas needing the most improvement.

How many SQL Servers are you responsible for in your organization?

When was the last time you or a team member practiced restoring a database from a backup?

What is the duration of your backup history retention? Please specify how long you keep your backup files.

Are your backups stored on the same drive, server, or network location as your databases? Check all that apply

Backup Strategies and Recovery Preparedness:

How frequently do you perform off-site or cloud-based backups?

Have you tested your ability to restore from the off-site or cloud-based backups? If yes, how often?

Do you utilize immutable backups (backups that cannot be overwritten for a specified duration)?

In the event of a ransomware attack, do you have an alternative location where backups can be restored and utilized?

Types of Backups and Recovery Objectives
Do your backups meet your recovery expectations.

Which types of backups are implemented for your SQL Servers?

What types of SQL Server backups do you perform? (select all that apply)

Are you aware of your Recovery Time Objective (RTO)? This refers to the maximum acceptable downtime after a failure.

Are you familiar with your Recovery Point Objective (RPO)? This indicates the maximum acceptable amount of data loss after a failure.

Does your current backup and recovery or business continuity solution meet your RTO and RPO requirements?

Restoration Process and Emergency Preparedness
Are you ready?

In the event of a restoration requirement, do you have predefined scripts ready for use, or would you consult external resources?

Do you have established processes or procedures for regular training on emergency restoration practices?

How do you ensure the integrity of your SQL Server backups? (e.g., regular backup validation checks or restore tests)

Do you have a documented disaster recovery plan that specifically covers SQL Server outages, including step-by-step recovery procedures?

In case of a major SQL Server failure, do you have a designated secondary site or cloud environment for quick resumption of operations?

Are your SQL Server backup and recovery processes audited, and how frequently?

Does your organization employ any form of monitoring or alerting system for SQL Server that can notify you of potential backup failures or performance issues?

Database Integrity

How often do you run DBCC CheckDB against all your database to ensure they are not corrupt in any way?

Do you have monitoring in place to notify you when a database check fails, or has not been run lately?

Contact Information

Your email address to receive the completed survey at:

Would you like to talk with one of the Stedman Solutions team about how we can help meet your backup, recovery and business continuity needs?