Limitations

SQL Object Level Recovery Pro has some limitations. For example, dependencies between objects are not handled automatically, and some features of SQL Server tables are not supported. The following sections provide more detailed information about these limitations:

• Existing objects
• Object dependencies
• Supported backup types
• Supported object types
• Supported data types
• Supported CREATE TABLE arguments

Refer to your SQL Server documentation for detailed information about specific object types, data types, and table arguments.

For more complex recovery scenarios, you should consider using Red Gate SQL Compare and SQL Data Compare. These enable you to compare the contents (object schema, and data) of SQL Backup .sqb files with a live database, and then synchronize the database with the backup file contents while maintaining object dependencies.

Existing objects

Objects that already exist in the destination database will not be modified or overwritten by SQL Object Level Recovery Pro. Attempting to recover such objects results in an error.

It is usually safer to recover an object to a test or staging database first, and then transfer the object to its final destination database manually. If you want to recover an object directly from a backup file to its final destination database, you will have to drop the object first. Make sure you have a recent valid backup of the object before you drop it.

Object dependencies

Objects you attempt to recover may have dependencies on other objects in the destination database. For example, a view may refer to several tables; successful recovery of the view depends on these tables being present in the destination database.

SQL Object Level Recovery Pro does not attempt to resolve dependencies automatically. To avoid dependency errors, you may need to recover multiple dependent objects together.

If you have selected objects of more than one type, they are recovered in the following order:

1. SCHEMA
2. TYPE (user defined type)
3. XML SCHEMA COLLECTION
4. FUNCTION
5. TABLE
6. VIEW
7. PROCEDURE (stored procedure)

Recovering objects in this order reduces the possibility of failures caused by dependencies on missing objects.

Supported backup types

You can use SQL Object Level Recovery Pro with full backups and differential backups. To recover objects from a differential backup, you will also need to provide the associated full backup.

SQL Object Level Recovery Pro does not support:

• filegroup backups
• transaction log backups
• backups from databases that use Transparent Data Encryption (TDE)
• native SQL Server backups (.bak files)

Supported object types

Object types marked can be recovered from SQL Backup .sqb files. Other object types are not supported.

Supported data types

Table data with types marked can be recovered from SQL Backup .sqb files.

Supported CREATE TABLE arguments

CREATE TABLE arguments marked are supported. All other CREATE TABLE arguments are ignored. For example, if the table to be recovered includes a FOREIGN KEY ... REFERENCES argument, this will not be created in the recovered table.