i support a Microsoft SQL Server based application. its not uncommon for me to have to reset up an SQL environment (after a crash) and be expected to restore their data from a previously made database backup file.
The problem is i would like to know (in advance of the work that i must do) the native version of the database backup file they have in their possession - so that I can quickly determine the matching SQL Server version to install for that customer. Yes, i realize i can just always install the NEWEST SQL server version - but we have business reasons and rules that make it more desirable to simply put back the matching version of SQL that their database backups were originally created with.
Is there a critical section in the header of the backup file that clearly indicates the database backup file was made with: sql2000, or sql2005, or sql2008 (the only versions i need to support). ive dumped the first few hundred bytes of these files and have come up with my own 'byte diff' list here, but i'd like to know officially what, if any byte offsets within the file header can consistently be used for this purpose.
thanks