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How to Backup and Restore of SQL Server Databases by Different Approaches

  author
Published By Ashwani Tiwari
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Published On October 4th, 2021
Reading Time 6 Minutes Reading

For the backup and restore of SQL server databases any database administrator should back up their SQL Server databases on a regular basis to avoid data loss or corruption. Backing up your data is the only way to preserve and retrieve your data from a variety of issues, including media failures, hardware failures, and user errors.
A database backup can also used for routine administration activities like database mirroring, archiving, and moving a database from one server to another.

SQL Server is a relational database management system that is widely used. Many major companies utilize it to store and retrieve data. To avoid data loss or corruption, Microsoft SQL Server recommends that users back up their databases on a regular basis. In this article, we’ll go through how to backup and restore database in SQL server in 2017, 2016, 2016, 2014, 2012, 2008, and other versions.

Primary Database File (MDF), Secondary Database File (MDF), and Log File are the three types of files supported by MS SQL Server (LDF). We’ll use SSMS and the Transact-SQL command to make SQL Server backups and restores step by step.

What Is the Difference between SQL Server Backup Types?

  • Full Database Backup
  1. A full backup, as the name suggests, is a full backup of the database, which is generally stored in a *.bak file.
  2. It is possible to recover this backup because it is self-contained.
  3. It’s what’s used to restore transaction log and differential backups.
  • Transaction Log Backup
  1. Since the last complete backup or transaction log backup, the database transaction log file, which is generally a *.trn file, has been back up.
  2. The data is restore when a complete backup have restored. A backup that isn’t the same as the main one.
  • Differential Backup
  1. This is a copy of data that has changed since the last full backup, which is typically a *.dif file.
  2. After a full backup has been restoring, the data is restore.

How to Backup and Restore Database in SQL Server: Different Methods

We’ll go through two techniques for backing up a SQL database using SSMS and TSQL in this article. Follow the actions outlined in the next section for how to backup and restore database in SQL server.

1. Using T-SQL Command Method

Because T-SQL commands work everywhere, whether you write them in SQL Server Management Studio, execute them via the sqlcmd utility, or run them from your application, the RESTORE DATABASE command is the most basic and universal approach to restore SQL Server backups. Let’s go over the instructions for restoring three distinct types of backups: complete, differential, and transaction log.

Restore a Full Backup of a SQL Server Database.

Full backups provide all of the data needed to restore your database to the point where the backup procedure ended. If your database already exists, the backup will replace it or create a new SQL Server database. Let’s imagine you have a full backup of your Adventureworks database at D:Adventureworks full.bak and want to restore it. To begin, type the following commands:
RESTORE DATABASE Adventureworks FROM DISK = ‘D:\Adventureworks_full.bak’

After that, you’ll need to add the NORECOVERY option if you want to restore differential or transaction log backups. This activates the restore mode of the backup process, allowing you to recover more differential or transaction log backups.
RESTORE DATABASE Adventureworks FROM DISK = ‘D:\Adventureworks_full.bak’ WITH NORECOVERY

Differential SQL Server Database Backup should be Restore.

Differential backups contain database changes that have occurred since the last complete backup. Because the last differential backup aggregates all changes, you just need the most recent differential backup to recover a database. Before restoring the differential backup, you must first restore the most recent complete backup using the NORECOVERY option, then the most recent differential backup using the RECOVERY option:
RESTORE DATABASE Adventureworks FROM DISK = ‘D:\Adventureworks_full.bak’ WITH NORECOVERY
GO
RESTORE DATABASE Adventureworks FROM DISK = ‘D:\AdventureWorks_diff.dif’ WITH RECOVERY
GO

Restore a Backup of the Transaction Log Database in SQL Server.

All transactions that occurred between the last transaction log backup (or the first full backup) and the end of the backup procedure  contains in transaction log backups. All transaction log backups made after the last differential backup must restore in the same order as they are create. And, of course, log backups are restored once full and differential backups have been complete.

RESTORE DATABASE Adventureworks FROM DISK = ‘D:\Adventureworks_full.bak’ WITH NORECOVERY
GO
RESTORE DATABASE Adventureworks FROM DISK = ‘D:\AdventureWorks_diff.dif’ WITH NORECOVERY
GO
RESTORE LOG Adventureworks FROM DISK = ‘D:\Adventureworks_log1.trn’ WITH NORECOVERY
GO
RESTORE LOG Adventureworks FROM DISK = ‘D:\Adventureworks_log2.trn’ WITH RECOVERY
GO

2. Using SQL Server Management Studio Method

You can backup and restore database in SQL server using SQL Server Management Studio’s interface alone if you have it installed. Simply follow the steps below:

  • Connect to your SQL Server and choose “Restore Database” from the “Databases” directory by right-clicking on it.
  • Next to “Device,” click the button beneath the “Source” column.
  • Hit “Add” in the “Select backup device” section.
  • Click “OK” after selecting the backup file or files (.bak) you want to restore.
  • In the “Restore Database” window, type the name of the database you want to restore and click “OK” to begin.
  • The database on SQL Server has been restore.

3. Automatic Solution for Backup and Restore of SQL Server Databases

As previously stated, there is no manual way to restore a corrupted backup file. SQL Backup Recovery Software is the finest method for repairing faulty SQL.bak files. This tool efficiently restores a severely corrupted backup file, including all database objects such as tables, columns, and triggers. You can use the tool to repair and restore multiple.bak files at the same time. It allows you to export the .bak file to the SQL Server Database after recovering a corrupt SQL Server backup file.

Download for Windows Purchase Now

Automatic Tool for SQL Server Backup and Restore Step by Step

1. As you download the software, this is the first screen you’ll see. Use the SQL Backup Recovery Tool to recover data from a backup.

Homepage for Backup and Restore of SQL Server Databases

2. Add multiple.bak files by browsing and selecting them.

Browse and files

3. Preview the backup file records that have been recover.

Preview the backup for Backup and Restore of SQL Server Databases

4. Records from a SQL BAK File can be export now.

Export of SQL BAK file

Conclusion for Backup and Restore of SQL Server Databases

We’ve gone over how to take backup and restore database in SQL server step by step in this article. If the backup is in good shape, backing up and restoring a SQL database with SSMS and T-SQL is simple. If the backup file is corrupt, we offer the best and most well-tested software for recovering all database elements from a faulty backup file.