Idera SQL Virtual Database ($495/Server)

Division of BBS Technologies, Inc., Idera, provider of Microsoft SQL Server management and administration tools, announced SQL virtual database 1.3, the latest release for a solution that allows backup files to look and act just like a real SQL Server database within SQL Server Management Studio and other SQL Server applications. With it, users can run queries, insert and delete data, run reports and perform resource-intensive checks like index fragmentation and database integrity against SQL Server database backup files.

"The uses for a virtual database are endless," said a senior database administrator at a Fortune 500 manufacturing company. "I was able to create a virtual database of a SharePoint backup file and let the SharePoint group recover a document in 10 minutes rather than 4 hours."

The newest version goes even further to improve efficiency and reduce the drain on storage resources by providing the following new features:

Compressed Backup Support – Virtual databases can now be created using SQL Server 2008 or SQL Server 2008 R2 compressed backup files, helping save on backup storage space.
Cluster Support – Virtual databases can now be created on virtual Windows 2003 or Windows 2008 Server instances located on the nodes of a SQL Server Cluster.
Support for SQL Server 2008 R2 and Windows 2008 R2

"Many products claim to save users time and money, but SQL virtual database has proven that it easily saves our customers hours and days that would have been spent restoring and retrieving data and documents from SQL Server," said Rick Pleczko, President and CEO of Idera. "This new version not only supports users with the latest versions of Windows and SQL Server, but also allows for virtual databases to be created from additional sources, opening up even more opportunities to save time and money."

SQL virtual database is built on patent-pending technology that lets DBAs and developers attach SQL Server backup files and query them just like they were real databases. To access data in a SQL Server backup, the user simply attaches the backup file using SQL virtual database, and then uses any native SQL Server or third-party tool to query and extract the data in minutes.

Pricing and availability
SQL virtual database is available today and is sold standalone at $495 per server or as part of Idera’s SQL toolbox bundle priced at $995 per copy.