PowerProtect Data Manager 19.12 Microsoft SQL Server User Guide

Centralized restore of a Microsoft SQL Server AAG database

You can perform a centralized restore of a full or transaction log backup of a Microsoft SQL Server Always On availability group (AAG) database in the PowerProtect Data Manager UI. The following procedure restores a single database.

1. In the PowerProtect Data Manager UI, select Restore > Assets and select the SQL tab.

   The Restore window displays all the databases that are available for restore.

   To filter the displayed list of assets if needed, you can click the Host/Cluster/Group Name, Application Name, and Protection Type column headings:

   • The Host/Cluster/Group Name column lists the hostnames.
   • The Application Name column lists the Microsoft SQL Server instance names.
   • The Protection Type column lists the Application Direct or VM Direct protection type for each asset.

   NOTE Only the assets that were created by a Microsoft SQL Server Application Direct or virtual machine application-aware protection policy and have at least one copy are displayed. You can select assets only from the same Microsoft SQL Server host and instance.
2. Select the check box next to the AAG database, and click Restore.
   NOTE You cannot restore a database that is currently part of an AAG. To enable the database restore, you must remove the database from the AAG on the Microsoft SQL Server.

   The restore wizard opens on the Select Copy page.

3. On the Select Copy page, click the DD icon in the left pane. You can select the primary or secondary DD.
   The right pane displays the available backup copies.
4. In the right pane, select the check box next to the backup copy that you want to restore.
   NOTE You can select only one backup copy at a time, as a Differential, Full, or Log copy type. The Selected Copy Time appears at the top of the right pane.

   To see the log copies, click the > symbol beside a full copy, which displays a list of the available log copies. When you select a log copy, you can optionally click Select Point in Time and follow the prompts to specify a point-in-time restore. When you select a point-in-time, the Selected Point in Time also appears at the top of the right pane.

   Click Next to continue.

5. On the Select Destination page, click Select for each of the Host, SQL Instance, and Database fields to specify the required host, instance, and database values. You may choose to restore to an existing database name or type a new database name.
   NOTE

   The database name must have 128 or fewer characters. Do not specify a Microsoft SQL Server system database name such as master, model, msdb, or tempdb.

   If you specify a Microsoft SQL Server instance that is part of an Always On Failover Cluster Instance, the database restore is directed to the active node.

   Click Next to continue.

6. On the Select File Location page, select one of the following options for Restore database files to, and then click Next:

   • Original file location (location at backup time)

     NOTE If the directory path cannot be created during the centralized restore, the restore fails.
   • Default file location as set by Microsoft SQL Server

   • User-specified file location

     NOTE

     When you select this option, you must specify the restore file directories for the database files and log files.

     To restore a database to a different name, ensure that you specify a custom destination directory that is different from the directory that contains the source mdf and ldf files.

7. On the Select Options page, select any the following options, and then click Next:
   NOTE The tail-log backup option is not supported for an AAG configuration.

   • Overwrite Databases WITH REPLACE—Overwrites the existing databases during the restore operation.

     NOTE When a database exists but the Overwrite Databases WITH REPLACE option is not selected, the restore fails.
   • Compressed Restore—Uses DD Boost compression for the restore operation.
   • Disconnect Users—Disconnects the database users before the restore operation.
   • Troubleshooting—Enables the debug log, setting the debug level to a value of 9.

   • Restore State—Select one of the following options:

     • RESTORE WITH RECOVERY—Leaves the database ready to use by rolling back the uncommitted transactions. Additional transaction logs cannot be restored.
     • RESTORE WITH NO RECOVERY—Leaves the database nonoperational and does not roll back the uncommitted transactions. Additional transaction logs can be restored.
8. On the Summary page:
   1. Review the Source, Destination, File Location, and Options information to ensure that the restore details are correct.
      NOTE When the specified database name matches the name of an existing database, the restore overwrites the existing database.
   2. Click Restore.
      The restore operation starts. Then the Go to Jobs informational dialog box appears with a link to the Jobs page where you can monitor the restore job.