Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014 Databases — Question 22

You administer a Microsoft SQL Server 2012 instance that contains a financial database hosted on a storage area network (SAN).
The financial database has the following characteristics:
✑ A data file of 2 terabytes is located on a dedicated LUN (drive D).
✑ A transaction log of 10 GB is located on a dedicated LUN (drive E).
✑ Drive D has 1 terabyte of free disk space.
✑ Drive E has 5 GB of free disk space.
The database is continually modified by users during business hours from Monday through Friday between 09:00 hours and 17:00 hours. Five percent of the existing data is modified each day.
The Finance department loads large CSV files into a number of tables each business day at 11:15 hours and 15:15 hours by using the BCP or BULK INSERT commands. Each data load adds 3 GB of data to the database.
These data load operations must occur in the minimum amount of time.
A full database backup is performed every Sunday at 10:00 hours. Backup operations will be performed every two hours (11:00, 13:00, 15:00, and 17:00) during business hours.
You need to ensure that the minimum amount of data is lost.
Which recovery model should the database use?

Answer options

• A. FULL
• B. DBO_ONLY
• C. CONTINUE_AFTER_ERROR
• D. CHECKSUM
• E. NO_CHECKSUM
• F. SIMPLE
• G. Transaction log
• H. SKIP
• I. RESTART
• J. COPY_ONLY K. NORECOVERY L. BULK_LOGGED M. Differential N. STANDBY

Correct answer: A

Explanation

The FULL recovery model allows for point-in-time recovery, which is crucial for minimizing data loss during the frequent updates and bulk data loads. Other options like SIMPLE do not provide transaction log backups, leading to potential data loss between backups. The FULL recovery model is the most suitable choice given the operational requirements and backup schedule.