SQL Server Restore Process: Step-by-Step Guide

SQL SERVER RESTORE PROCESS

Why do you restore a database in SQL Server, and what’s the point of it?

The restore process in SQL Server returns a database to a previous state by restoring it from a backup. It’s typically used for the following purposes:

Data Recovery: If a database is lost or damaged due to user error, hardware failure, software failure, a natural disaster, or another cause, a restore is performed to bring it back from a backup and minimize data loss.

Testing and Development: When a database needs to be used in a different environment for testing and development purposes, a usable copy can be created by restoring it from a backup.

Data Migration: When a database needs to be moved from one server to another, or from one environment to another, restoring from a backup lets you transfer the data to the target environment.

System Recovery: If there’s a failure or error at the SQL Server or operating system level, the system can be restored from a backup to bring operations back to normal.

Point-in-Time Recovery: When a database needs to be rolled back to a specific point in time, restoring from a backup lets you return the data to its state at that particular moment.

Data Archiving: When old data needs to be stored and archived, data archiving can be carried out by restoring from a backup.

The restore process in SQL Server is a safe and important operation, since it requires that a backup of the database already exists. A proper restore should be carefully planned and carried out to ensure data integrity and consistency.

Now let’s walk you step by step through how to perform a restore on AdventureWorks 2014:

Step 1: First, open SSMS and go to Databases >> right-click >> Restore Database to continue.

Step 2: After clicking the Device box, click the three dots in the highlighted area.

Step 3: The Select backup devices screen appears. Continue by clicking the “Add” box.

Step 4: Click the folder containing the AdventureWorks 2014 .bak file, select it, and click OK to continue.

Step 5: Click Script to continue.

Step 6: Enter the following code and press F5 to run it:

USE [master]

RESTORE DATABASE [AdventureWorks2014]
FROM DISK = N'C:Adventure Works 2014AdventureWorks2014.bak'
WITH FILE = 1,
MOVE N'AdventureWorks2014_Data' TO N'D:SQLSERVERDATASQLDDATAAdventureWorks2014_Data.mdf',
MOVE N'AdventureWorks2014_Log' TO N'D:SQLSERVERLOGSQLLOGAdventureWorks2014_Log.ldf',
NOUNLOAD, STATS = 5
GO

Step 7: After this code runs, you might not see AdventureWorks 2014 right away — go to Databases >> right-click >> Refresh to see the result.

Final Step: The SQL SERVER RESTORE process for AdventureWorks 2014 has now completed successfully, as shown in the image below.