Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server supports several database recovery scenarios and offers flexible options for them.
First, you should analyze how your backup infrastructure is organized and identify the locations of Veeam backup server, backup repository and production VMs. This will help you to decide on preferable machine for mount operation. For mount operations, Veeam Explorer utilizes the corresponding service (Veeam Mount Service) that can run on Veeam backup server or on Veeam standalone console - both of them include Veeam Explorer in their setup. So, Veeam backup console can work as a mount server in the remote site, eliminating the need to deploy additional Veeam backup server in that site and minimizing traffic at restore.
Consider the following recommendations:
- If repository and production (target) SQL Server VM are located in the same site with Veeam backup server, Veeam Explorer will utilize Mount Service running on Veeam backup server for mount operation.
- If repository and production (target) SQL Server VM are located in a remote site (separately from Veeam backup server), it can be reasonable to deploy Veeam Backup & Replication console in that remote site, and launch Veeam Explorer from that console, initiating mount operation locally in the site where the console is running.
Next, to choose a restore scenario, you should consider your organization’s policies and requirements and decide the following:
- Do you need to recover your database to the moment when the certain Microsoft SQL Server VM restore point (backup or replica) was created, or to any point in time, maybe within the interval between two restore points?
In the latter case, database will be restored to the closest VM restore point before the moment you specify, and then transaction log replay will bring the database to the necessary state. So, you will need to make sure Microsoft SQL Server transaction logging is enabled, and logs are backed up according to VM backup job settings
- Should you recover to the point in time, or is it necessary to support more granular recovery and be able to roll back to a state before undesired transaction?
For the most granular restore, you will need to enable backup of your Microsoft SQL Server transaction logs and ensure the staging SQL Server availability and proper configuration (see the Staging SQL Server section).
- Do you plan to restore your database to the original Microsoft SQL Server, or to a different server?
Make sure the account you plan to use for restore has sufficient permissions on the target server, and check for proper version (later version database cannot be restored to earlier version server).
To implement the selected scenario, you should, in particular, do the following:
- Decide on the required level of restore granularity and configure the necessary SQL Server VM backup job settings
- Examine relevant considerations and limitations
- Provide the user account under which Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server will be launched with sufficient rights on your source and target SQL Servers
- Use the appropriate option when choosing VM’s restore point
Support for Microsoft SQL Server Failover Cluster
Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server supports restore from/to SQL Server cluster. This feature is supported only for the backups created by a Veeam Agent backup job configured and managed using Veeam Backup & Replication 9.5 Update 3 (or later).
Note that currently only database restore is supported (no data export or schema restore).
Users can restore the database to the original or different location; they can restore the database to the latest state, or to the selected point in time. For prerequisites required for each restore scenario, refer to the corresponding sections of this guide.
Also, remember that you cannot use a clustered server as a staging system. See Considerations and Limitations and Staging SQL Server.
