SQL Virtual Restore 2.3

SQL Virtual Restore Use Cases

Object Level Recovery

To recover missing or damaged objects quickly, mount your most recent backup with SQL Virtual Restore. This will be faster than a full physical restore, and take up less space, but will give you equivalent access to database objects. The underlying backup file will remain untouched while you perform whatever OLR is necessary. SQL Virtual Restore is ACID compliant and gives you access to full, transactionally consistent data.

Backup Verification

Use SQL Virtual Restore to mount your backup as a live database and confirm backup integrity using a fraction of the resources it would normally require. Virtually restored databases behave exactly like regular ones, so you can have full confidence in the results without wasting time or space on a physical restore. It's even possible to run DBCC CHECKDB automatically as part of the mounting process. For even quicker, easier verification, use it alongside SQL Backup Pro's 'Schedule Restore Jobs' feature.

Performance Tuning for Production Databases

Mount a recent backup of the production database with SQL Virtual Restore, avoiding the need for a lengthy physical restore. Near–zero additional storage will be required, but you will retain full functionality and total access to your data. Perform fine–tuning on the database as required – changes should have an equivalent effect when moved back to production.

Slow Restores

Run your backups through SQL Virtual Restore to get quick and easy access to your data - and the virtual database will take up substantially less space. Virtually restored databases are fully functional, so access to data will be unaffected.

Heavy Reporting Load

Each night, take a recent backup and run it through SQL Virtual Restore. This will mount the backup as a live database without the time or space requirements of a full physical restore. It will be quicker to move this to the reporting server, where it will use less space. The mounted database will remain fully functional, and can be used for reporting exactly like a normal one.

Large Development Environments

Rather than providing production database copies for each developer, mount multiple copies of your production database with SQL Virtual Restore. This will require a fraction of the space. Only one backup file is required, even for multiple mounts, and the virtual restores use near–zero additional storage. Although the developers will have full support for read/write operations, the backup itself will be unaffected by any changes they make.

Database Copies for Auditing

Auditors often require access to your production database. Mount a recent backup with SQL Virtual Restore to provide a lightweight copy for auditing – this will also allow you to move the auditing load off the production server. For forensic analysis, many point–in–time backups may be needed. As virtual restores require minimal disk space, but are fully usable, this is also feasible.

Sharepoint Object Level Recovery with Metalogix Selective Restore Manager

First, mount your latest SharePoint backup with SQL Virtual Restore, for quick, unrestricted access to the contents. Once the backup is mounted, connect to it directly with Metalogix Selective Restore Manager to perform object level recovery.

Read more about recovering SharePoint objects with Red Gate and Metalogix tools.