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In the olden days when I used to use other database platforms, we were advised to back up and restore our databases periodically to improve performance.

Common reasons were that a B & R would include

  • rebuild indexes
  • defragment pages

My questions:

What does MS SQLServer do (specifically 2005) when a back and restore is performed?
Should I be doing periodic backups and restores?
Should I be worried about losing statistics?

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2 Answers

Backups/Restores are carried out at byte level - they have no affect on fragmentation in the database.
Restores should be done regularly to make sure you are confidant in how the process goes (including getting the system attached to the restored database) and that the backups are proved to be usable. Your other answer is correct in saying that index maintenance is a separate process you need to carry out.

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You should be doing periodic backups and restores to test your restore procedures, but as far as doing them to improve performance, you can rebuild indexes and shrink files with Maintenance Plans, which is the preferred method.

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