SQL Backup Master Help

Although SQL Backup Master includes useful database backup recovery capabilities, there may be time when you want (or need) to recover a database backup manually. Fortunately, this is generally a very straight-forward process - although some experience with SQL Server administration is certainly helpful.

 

The remainder of this topic, we're going to assume that you're manually recovering a database backup that was created with SQL Backup Master.

 

Step 1 - Download the Backup Files

 

In a manual recovery, you'll first need to download the database backup files from their current storage location.

 

Typically this will involve logging into the remote storage service (such as Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.), locating the backup file, and then right-clicking (or taking some other action) to download it. If you're unsure about how to download a file from your particular service, please see their help documentation.

 

Step 2 - Decompress the Backup Files

 

Next, you'll need to unzip the backup file created by SQL Backup Master. If it is encrypted with AES-256, you'll also need to make sure you have the associated password available.

 

Please note that the built-in Windows "compressed folder" feature does not support AES-256 decryption, nor does it support 64-bit zip archives. For this reason, we recommend that you use the decompression tool included in SQL Backup Master instead.

 

When decompression is complete, you'll be left with a database backup file with a ".bak" file extension.

 

Step 3 - Move the Backup File

 

Next, we recommend that you move the decompressed ".bak" file to the default backup folder of your SQL Server instance (the one to which you'll be recovering the database). Doing so helps to ensure that the backup file is visible to SQL Server, and that it can access it without permissions issues.

 

The precise path of this Backup folder will depend upon your installed version of SQL Server, but an example of SQL Server Express would be:

 

C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Backup

 

Or for SQL Server 2005 it would usually be:

 

C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Backup

 

You can also find this path by initiating a database backup from within SQL Server Management Studio, browsing for the backup path, and then observing the default folder location.

 

Step 4 - Restore the Database

 

The precise instructions for this step will depend upon your installed version of SQL Server.

 

The following MSDN page has instructions for restoring a database backup within SQL Server Management Studio:

 

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms177429.aspx

 

Or you can restore the database using T-SQL:

 

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms186858.aspx

 

Both of the above pages describe the process for SQL Server 2005, 2008, and 2012. The same concepts apply to other versions (such as Express Editions) as well.