Anyone do automated routine scheduled restores

[jay]

So I have a end user who has a SQL server that we backup on a nightly basis. (Roughly 15 Databases)

They have a second SQL server onsite that we do not backup. It is used as a repository that they currently refresh each day with the SQL databases from the other server. The box then is used for testing purposes from there development team. I suggested they look into SQL replication but they told me that the DB is not structured to be able to do that…

Anyways what they wanted was for us to have a automated scheduled restoration from the dsclient machine that kicks off daily around 5 in the morning to refresh this second box. Have you ever had this need from a end user and if so how did you accomplish?

I had thought about looking deeper into the API’s and since they are a development shop let them have at it… but did not want to re-invent the wheel if someone else has already structured something to accomplish this.

Any suggestions/help would be appreciated.

[Grunt]

I'm for turning them loose on the API, there's no telling what kind of useful things a group of enterprising code-monkeys with a new toy will come up with.

[jay]

HAHA

That would be nice... The question is what type of extra support will it induce :-)

[Grunt]

But if the tools are good, the question also becomes, "what type of additional revenue stream could it induce?"