PowerProtect Data Manager 19.10 Microsoft SQL Server User Guide

Overview of Microsoft SQL Server virtual machine restore operations

Use the Microsoft application agent tools to restore full and transaction log backups created by a PowerProtect virtual machine application-aware protection policy. The backups are restored to a Microsoft SQL Server hosted on a VMware virtual machine.

When you add a Microsoft SQL Server virtual machine asset to a PowerProtect Data Manager virtual machine application-aware protection policy, the Microsoft application agent and ItemPoint are silently installed on the protected Microsoft SQL Server.

The Microsoft application agent automatically stores the DD host and login information from the protection settings that are configured in the PowerProtect Data Manager protection policy. This automatic configuration occurs when the Microsoft SQL Server virtual machine asset is added to the PowerProtect Data Manager protection policy.

You can use the Microsoft app agent for VM Direct SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) plug-in or the command prompt to perform the restore operations. T-SQL scripts are not supported with VM Direct.

The Microsoft application agent can perform a database restore, table-level restore, or database instant access restore to the source virtual machine or an alternate virtual machine. To perform restores to an alternate virtual machine, that virtual machine must be an asset of PowerProtect Data Manager. However, instance-level restores can only be performed to the original source instance.

The Microsoft application agent supports both full backups and transaction log backups for a Microsoft SQL Server Always On availability group (AAG). The AAG databases are indexed against the AAG cluster name. Full backups index the AAG database for all the AAG cluster nodes for one cycle of backup. Transaction log backups occur only on the preferred node. You may restore the AAG database to any copy. When you restore an AAG database for the purpose of adding back into the AAG, you may restore to any AAG database copy but first remove the database from the AAG, as required by Microsoft. Once the restore is complete, you must add the database back into the AAG and re-seed the replicas.