Presents your 
SQL SERVER E-NEWSLETTER for July 2, 2002

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Obtain Information from backup files

Obtaining information from backup files is necessary for several
reasons: to plan for server capacity and file placement; to identify when the
backup was created; and to determine whether the backup is good. There are
several commands you can use to find this information. The first is the
RESTORE HEADERONLY command, which will identify when the backup will
expire and if it's compressed. It will also retrieve:


* Server names

* Database creation dates

* Backup sizes

* Backup start and finish dates

* Sort orders

* Code pages

* Compatibility levels

* Software versions

* Machine names

* Server names


The second command is RESTORE LABELONLY, which will return the 
following
information:


* The FamilyCount

* The FamilySequenceNumber

* The MediaSequenceNumber


This information will also identify whether this is a striped backup
set.

The third command is RESTORE FILELISTONLY, which will return capacity
information in the following form:


* Logical filenames

* Physical filenames

* File sizes

* Maximum file sizes

* File groups to which the files belong


The final command is RESTORE VERIFYONLY, which will determine whether
the SQL server is able to read the backup file. It does not verify the
contents of the backup. If you have a backup file(s) or dump device(s), 
these
commands will assist you in obtaining enough information to confidently
restore data from the backup file(s) or dump device(s).

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