Failover Solution Pros and Cons - Database Reference Guide - Foundation 23.1 - Foundation 23.1 - Ready - OnBase - external - OnBase/Database-Reference-Guide/Foundation-23.1/Database-Reference-Guide/High-Availability-Options/SQL-Server-Methods/Failover-Solution-Pros-and-Cons - 2025-08-21

Database Reference Guide
Platform
OnBase
Product
Database Reference Guide
Release
Foundation 23.1
License

Method

Pros

Cons

Failover Clustering

  • Automatic failover

  • Hot copy of database available

  • Most expensive

  • High complexity

  • Servers must exist in close proximity

Log Shipping

  • Nearly as reliable as clustering

  • Least expensive

  • Easy to implement and maintain

  • Fairly quick role change

  • Suitable for WAN

  • Can have multiple secondary databases

  • Additional copy can be used for reporting

  • Some potential for data loss

  • Manual role change

Database Mirroring

  • Hot copy of database available

  • Allows for three different modes of implementation

  • Can be configured with automatic failover

  • Secondary database updated in real time

  • Additional copy can be used for reporting if database snapshots are utilized

  • Moderately expensive

  • Medium complexity for implementation and maintenance

  • Very small potential for data loss

  • Not suitable for WAN

AlwaysOn Availability Groups

  • Automatic failover

  • One to many hot copies of database available

  • Secondary replicas can be used for backup maintenance or reporting copies

  • Asynchronous Commit can be geo-clustered allows for non-shared storage where servers can exist in multiple geographic locations

  • Most expensive

  • Highly complex

  • Synchronous Commit requires that servers exist in close proximity
Note: Transactional Replication is not supported.