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What is a Disaster Recovery Data Center

September 11th, 2009 by DatabaseGuides

As corporate dependence on IT solutions continues to grow in the early 21^st century, demand for reliable, cost effective disaster recovery data centers is expected to be one of the major growth markets for server and networking suppliers in their search for business continuity solutions in the event of unforeseen disaster striking.

Disaster recovery has taken on more urgency with the growth of computer use within global corporations, and uptake in developing nations. Recent tragedies such as 9/11, North-Eastern power blackouts, or the Asian tsunami underscore how vulnerable networks are to disruption, so emphasis on securing data has taken on new importance.

Major server suppliers are now redirecting efforts toward dedicated disaster recovery data centers using real time synchronization of data between geographically diverse servers and data storage networks. A range of disaster recovery solutions such as portable container sized data centers and larger campus style data centers are now being built and designed.

Disaster recovery data centers have the distinct advantage of outsourced equipment and infrastructure which is costly to duplicate, and economies of scale become attractive when many hundreds of thousand servers are located in shared facilities rather than leasing a separate building and constructing redundant systems that otherwise may not be used.

Disaster Recovery Data Center

With advances in network speeds and topology, and the advent of cloud computing, real time synchronization of data has become feasible for corporations operating across national boundaries, in fact, it is now feasible to locate disaster recovery data centers intercontinentally offering major security advantages for corporations based in unstable or developing markets.

Cloud computing with respect to disaster recovery now allows almost instant recovery measured in seconds and minutes compared to previously attainable recovery times of hours or days for the most technologically competent corporations.

Data centers are specialized complexes, capable of providing sufficient independent power for hours or days while outside services are restored, exactly the type of security that isn’t possible for most small to mid sized corporations, and even large national corporations may struggle to budget for such disaster recovery expense, so outsourcing server management is in many cases the only option.

The downside of outsourcing to a separate disaster recovery data center comes down to trust, especially if the center owner is a different corporation from the one sub-contracted to provide networking services. The big five server manufacturers all provide data centers for disaster recovery, some as part of their regular server farm offerings, others in dedicated centers that are completely separate.

The rationale for separate separate disaster recovery data centers being more need for security which regular data centers may not be able to provide given the number of personnel with access to servers. Whilst the theory may seem overrated, certainly some of the largest research universities and financial institutions have committed to dedicated data centers for the security they afford.

The major owners of disaster recovery data centers are now, and have been for several years, undertaking security investigations into key staff before appointment to the data center, and this should be a mandatory requirement for corporations considering outsourced backup in dedicated disaster recovery data centers.

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What is Datawarehouse?

September 10th, 2009 by DatabaseGuides

Datawarehouse is primarily the depository of electronically stored data. This tool is essential to aid in reporting as well as in analyzing. Although, datawarehouse is focused on data storage, this is also used to extract and analyze data, transform, load and manipulate the data in the database or data dictionary. Thus, datawarehouse is also defined as a repository of data, business intelligence tools and tools to manage or manipulate the metadata. Datawarehouse is constantly being performed in a day-to-day basis. With the use of the datawarehouse, users can readily utilize the data or information, which is readily available for extraction, manipulation or storage.

The Structure of the Datawarehouse

The structure of the datawarehouse solely depends on how the organization or company conceptualizes its datawarehouse. The structure of the datawarehouse must be in congruence to the company’s objectives and how they are going to use the warehouse.

Here are the following layers of the datawarehouse:

1. Operational database layer. This layer is considered as the main data source of the warehouse, and this is considered to be the core of the datawarehouse. The organization’s EIS system falls under this layer.

2. Informational access layer. This layer consists of the business intelligence tools which are used for reporting and analyzing of significant information.

What is Datawarehouse? datawarehouse

3. Database access layer. This layer is responsible for the extraction, storage and manipulation of important data within the database. This layer is the crossing point between the operational and the informational layer.

4. Metadata layer. This is also known as the “data directory”. The metadata layer is usually more specific than the operational system data directory. These are the dictionaries used in the datawarehouse which are sometimes utilized for reporting and analyzing data.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Data Warehousing

The datawarehouse presents a single data model which is the one that facilitates reporting and analysis of information, and the datawarehouse redirects users to a single source, especially when the user is dealing with sales invoices, ledgers or receipts. Datawarehouse also plays a significant role in the identification as well as the resolution of inconsistencies before it is stored into the database. Information that is stored into the datawarehouse is kept safe for retrieval and manipulation for an extended period of time. Furthermore, datawarehouse also facilitates the decision-making process since this tool presents trend reports, performances as well as reports on the outcome of the goals of the company.

On the contrary, datawarehouse also has several disadvantages. For one, datawarehouse is definitely expensive. For users who utilize this kind of tool, they will need ample source of money for the maintenance costs. Datawarehouse can also become outdated quickly. That is why there is the possibility that the warehouse will deliver inappropriate information. Datawarehouse also encounters problems with the operational data system. The functionality, which is at stake, can be developed in the operational data system rather in the datawarehouse.

Datawarehouse is definitely useful, especially when it comes to marketing and business purposes. The warehouse is applied to data mining, web mining and decision support system.

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Importance of Database Backup

January 5th, 2009 by Shenron

When you talk about databases, you usually conjure up this image in your head of thousands upon thousands of data that are neatly arranged in such a way that you can easily access them whenever the need arises.

However, databases can also mean that you have a whole mixture of chaotic files all haphazardly placed together just so you can say that they are all in one place, never mind if you can’t access them most of the time or that they are not as accurate as you would wish them to be.

However, one the riskiest aspects of having a disorganized database system is that you could end up losing all your data in one fell swoop, and being disorganized, your chances of recovering them could be slim.

Database Backup

Before this happens, you should pay attention to the importance of having your database backed up to avoid losing all of them altogether. In reality, it is not that hard to back up all your files in your database, but if you want an expert to do this for you, you can simply work closely with your database administrator or even your system administrator and specify your requirements.

What are typically the causes of data loss? This could be errors in your software, equipment malfunction, virus penetration into your system and/or data. Whatever the reason though, you stand to lose priceless data that you may never recover again.

The importance of having you database backed up is primarily to have a second copy of everything should you lose your entire primary database. This is actually a very wise move, especially if your database is the lifeline of your business.

Although there are softwares that offer to repair databases that have been corrupted by viruses, this does not guarantee that you will be able to get back everything in their original form, much less everything that has been corrupted.

How to Backup Your Database

Essentially, backing up your database could be done by your database administrator and/or IT specialist whether in-house or you’ve outsourced your database management. What you need to understand here is what kind of database backup you should get.

Backing up your data manually could be done by making physical copies of everything you’ve stored in your computer, although the downside here is that the files will not be updated when you make such changes into your database through your database management system.

Typically, your database server has backup features to automatically do the backing up of your files for you. You may also have to choose whether to back up your files on the internet or off the internet. There are benefits to both, depending on your specifications.

When you back up online, your DBS server will not have to be shut off before you can start backing up all your files. Offline backing, up on the other hand, only happens once your server has been turned off.

However way you look at it though, backing up your database could literally save your life and your business.

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