How to Repair SQL Server Master Database 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019
User Query 1: “I am looking for an easy solution to repair SQL Server master database. The master SQL database of my organization become corrupted recently due to the sudden power shutdown. Is there any way to repair SQL Server 2008 master database, please let me know.”
User Query 2: “The master database of my SQL Server has become severely corrupt. As a result, SQL Server is not running. Please tell me how to fix the master database corruption. I have a backup copy of the master database, but when I attempted to retrieve it, I was asked to start the Server in single-user mode. Since I cannot retrieve it, is there any other option for me?”
The Master database contains the complete information about all database pointers, all the users, and their login credentials. If master database corrupted in SQL Server, it can cause a huge amount of data loss. Also, this is why it’s crucial to repair SQL database master file. If you want to repair a corrupt/damaged database, this write-up will be helpful for you. Here we will discuss how to repair corrupt master databases in SQL Server 2019, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2012, and 2008 easily.
Before learning how to repair the SQL Server master database, let’s know the symptoms and reasons for master database corruption.
Symptoms of Master Database Corruption
Usually, these incidents indicate that SQL master is having some corruption-related issues:
- SQL Server Could Not be Started: It becomes difficult to start if the master database file is damaged.
- Segmentation fault & Input/Output errors: Corrupt database ends up making various errors.
- DBCC Report Mentioning Inconsistency: DBCC will notify you if the master database is not healthy.
Repair SQL Server Master Database in 5 Steps
- Launch the Software in system to repair the MDF file.
- Add File & Select the Scan Mode as Quick or Advanced.
- Preview the data files with the deleted database objects.
- Set Destination location as SQL Server, CSV or script file.
- Hit Export to repair SQL database master file smoothly.
Reasons Behind Damaged SQL Master Database
There could be many reasons for SQL Master Database Corruption. If users want to check the reasons, they can investigate the SQL Server Error Log.
The unstable power connection is often the leading cause of database corruption. A sudden power surge makes the Server boot again, however, the Server fails to start after reboot as the database has become corrupt. Apart from this, the malware attack can cause this situation also.
If your master database is corrupted, you have to either retrieve it from backup or rebuild the database. Since rebuilding is a long and complex process, it is better to restore the SQL master database. Before proceeding with the processes, we suggest you plan the initiatives to secure your database from future damage.
Note: No matter which method you adopt to repair the master database of SQL Server, having the backup of a complete database is strongly recommended. This backup will be really helpful to avoid any unexpected situations.
How to Repair SQL Server Master Database
Here are some approaches to fixing a corrupt master database in SQL Server. Users can go through both manual as well as the automated approach to get rid of the problems. However, there is a long debate among users to find out which one is the best. To find out how to repair SQL database master data file, below are both the methods explained. Have a look at them & find out yourself. Still, in our opinion, the automated method is way better.
1. Fix Master Database Corruption From Backup File
If the master database is damaged, and you have a backup of your database, you can retrieve the data from it. Make sure that the backup database belongs to the same version of SQL Server as the corrupt database. Perform the following steps.
a) Retrieve the database backup of another instance.
b) Go to the “Database” section of the Database dialog box, and use an alternate name like recover_master for the databases. This will help to avoid any type of conflict regarding the database name. You can rename your MDF file as recover_master.mdf and LDF file as recover_master_1.ldf.
c) Now, detach the new database called recover_master to move closer to rebuild master database in SQL Server without hassles.
d) Open the file system to copy the database files recover_master.mdf and recover_master_1.ldf to the corrupt database instance. Also, delete the damaged MDF and LDF files. Rename the backup files (recover_master.mdf and recover_master_1.ldf) as master.mdf and mastlog.ldf.
e) Start SQL Server again and see if it works or not.
2. Remove Master Database Corruption by Rebuilding Database
If users do not have their master database backup, they will not be able to retrieve that. In that case, you have to rebuild the SQL system database using this command.
Setup.exe /ACTION=REBUILDDATABASE /...
Alternate Method to Repair SQL Server Master Database
The above-mentioned method worked but did not guarantee to repair the corrupt master database in SQL Server. The above technique might result in data loss. So, the most sought-after technique to repair SQL master database corruption is using SQL Database Recovery Tool.
No matter what kind of corruption your master database is facing, this application is capable of repairing that database. SQL Server versions 2019, 2017, 2016, 2014, and all below versions of SQL server are supported by this software.
After scanning the database file, we know if master database is corrupted in SQL or not. The tool allow previewing all its components. Users can choose the selective data from the software that they want to repair. Moreover, this tool has the ability to export the repaired database to a Live SQL Server.
Repair SQL Server Master Database In Just Five Simple Steps:
Step-1. Launch the Tool & Click on the Open button.
Step-2. Select Quick/Advance Scan as per your need.
Step-3. Preview Database Files and Click on Export.
Step-4. Set the Destination Location here to continue.
Step-5. Finally, just Click on the Export button to rebuild master database in SQL Server easily.
Rebuild Master Database in SQL Server
Users can also rebuild the entire database using the T-SQL commands. Let’s simply have a look at the command that can rebuild the database with ease.
setup /QUIET /ACTION=REBUILDDATABASE /INSTANCENAME=MSSQLServer /SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS=sa /DAPACHECK= MyP983”#3 /SQLCOLLATION=Latin1_General_CI_AS
In this command,
- MSSQLServer is the instance name of the SQL Server.
- DAPACHECK is the password of the user.
- SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS is the user account.
- CollationName is the exact collation taken in use.
Final Words
Master database corruption is one of the worst-case scenarios any DBA or SQL user faces. The blog discusses the solution to repair SQL database master file. It covers two solutions to repair the SQL Server master database of 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2017.
You can either repair the corrupt master database in SQL Server by using the last good backup or by rebuilding the database. As it may result in data loss the blog covers the quick solution to fix SQL master database corruption issues.