How to Recover SQL Database from Suspect Mode Simply

Why SQL Server Marked as Suspect Mode?

SQL database in suspect mode means that the recovery process started but failed to finish. There could be various reasons for it:

• Corrupted or unavailable database files.
• The primary file group of the database is damaged.
• Abnormal termination of the SQL database.
• Missing log files and limited storage.
• The server crashes in the middle of a transaction.
• Hardware failures and abrupt system shutdowns.
• Incomplete rollback or roll-forward operation.

These reasons cause the database to move into SUSPECT mode. Now, let’s learn how the SQL server fixes suspect database.

Techniques to Recover SQL Database From Suspect Mode

The SQL database remains in SUSPECT mode until it is made available again. This section elaborates on a freeway and a professional tool for recovery. Follow the methods below to recover your database.

SQL Server Recover Suspect Database Manually

There are two possible troubleshooting ways to retrieve data from the SUSPECT mode. You can recover data using a previous backup (if one exists) or with T-SQL commands.

Method 1: Restore SQL Database from SUSPECT with Backup

1. Establish SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the database instance.
2. Next, press New Query from the top bar, and a window will open.
3. There, input the given command:

RESTORE DATABASE (nameof database)

FROM DISK = ‘path of the database backup file’ ;

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Try connecting the database to see if the issue is resolved. Otherwise, move to the next procedure.

Method 2: DBCC CHECKDB to Recover SQL Database From Suspect Mode

1. Start SSMS and click New Query from the bar to open a CMD window.
2. In the query editor, run the command to set the database to emergency mode:

EXEC sp_resetstatus namedb;

ALTER DATABASE namedb SET EMERGENCY

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3. Further, run the command DBCC CHECKDB (namedb) to check for consistency errors.
4. Afterward, set the database to single-user mode with the command:

ALTER DATABASE namedb SET SINGLE_USER

WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE

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Note: Rollback Immediate reverse incomplete transactions and free SQL resources.

5. Now, run the given command for MS SQL suspect database repair:
DBCC CHECKDB (namedb, REPAIR_ALLOW_DATA_LOSS)
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6. Then, set the database to multi-user mode again with the command:
ALTER DATABASE namedb SET MULTI_USER
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7. In the end, switch the database back to online mode from the emergency mode:
ALTER DATABASE namedb SET ONLINE
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8. Refresh the SQL database server and try connecting to the database.

Note: Ensure that you create a database backup before the repair command.

While these methods are free of cost, they are time-consuming and can result in data losses. Also, users need to have technical knowledge of these methods. So, if manual solutions don’t work for you, move to a professional tool.

Automated Tool to Recover SQL Database From Suspect Mode

With the above methods, you can retain the data back into Normal mode. However, they aren’t an ideal solution when the database is severely corrupted. At such time, use the SysInfo SQL Database Recovery Tool to efficiently recover suspect database in SQL Server. The tool can manage damaged or inaccessible MDF/NDF files, repair them, and recover data. Additionally, it has an easy-to-use GUI that all techie and non-techie users can work on. Moreover, the software has several unique features that make it reliable, such as:

• Recovers the database from suspect mode with complete integrity.
• Saves the recovered data on the server database or local system as scripts.
• Restores all the database items with two advanced recovery solutions.

Working Procedure to Recover SQL Database from Suspect Mode

1. Run the SQL Database Repair Software and click Open to add MDF files.
2. Select a Standard or Advanced recovery mode and view options. Hit OK.
3. Further, see the SQL database in the preview panel and select to recover.
4. Click Save SQL Data from the top section, and a dialog will open.
5. Afterward, choose the destination to recover data: Database or Scripts.
6. Provide the details and choose filters. At last, press OK to start the recovery.

Conclusion

To sum up, many scenarios can cause a database to go into suspect mode. This mode causes inaccessibility to the data. You can recover an SQL database from Suspect mode with a backup or CHECKDB command. Yet, these methods are not very user-friendly and contain risks. Also, if you face severe corruption, the methods won’t help. Thus, using a professional tool to fix the suspect mode and recover the database is the best option. It works for all SQL servers and Windows OS versions.

Frequently Asked Questions

About The Author:

Lovely Baghel

Lovely specializes in technical writing for SysInfoTools Software and has over 2 year of experience writing blogs, and articles about databases & backup, email recovery, email migration & management solutions. Her passion is researching and developing content that helps Office users, professionals, administrators, enterprises, and novices solve multiple problems.