Restoring backups: destination database

Restoring backups > Select backups > Destination database > Restore options > Review summary

This topic describes the Restore wizard page for specifying the destination database.

Restoring to an existing database

To restore the backups to an existing database, select Overwrite existing database and select the database.

To change the location in which the data files and the log file are created, click next to the file or folder and specify the new location. Database files will be restored to the default SQL Server data directory unless you change the file locations. To restore database files to their original directory, select Original Database Data Directory from the File locations list.

Note that any files listed under Filegroups and files will be overwritten; other files that are not shown in the list but which previously belonged to the database, will be deleted.

If you are restoring a full database backup or a filegroup backup, you can select any existing database. If you are restoring a differential database backup or a transaction log backup, only those databases that are in an 'unrecovered' or 'standby' state are available for selection.

To automatically kill any existing connections to the destination database before starting the restore process, select Kill any existing connections to the database. The restore process will fail if there are existing connections to the destination database; if you do not select this option, you will need to kill existing connections manually.

If you have selected an existing database that is:

• in an 'unrecovered' or 'standby' state
• or is not in an 'unrecovered' or 'standby' state, but uses the Simple recovery model (full or filegroup backups only)

there is no requirement that you back up the tail of the log before you restore the database. This is equivalent to using the REPLACE option in a Transact-SQL RESTORE statement. Refer to your SQL Server documentation for full details.

If you select a database that is not in an 'unrecovered' or 'standby' state but uses the Full or Bulk-Logged recovery model (full or filegroup backups only), when you click Next SQL Backup displays a page asking you whether you want to back up the tail of the log to capture all the transaction log records that have not already been backed up:

• To back up the tail of the transaction log, click Backup up the transaction log before proceeding with the restore and then click Back Up Now.

  Note that if there are existing connections to the destination database, and you have not selected the Kill any existing connections to the database option in the previous step of the wizard, the transaction log backup (and subsequent restore) will fail. Either kill connections manually before backing up the transaction log, or return to step 1 of the wizard and select the Kill any existing connections to the database option. With this option selected, existing connections will be killed before the transaction log is backed up.

  A wizard is displayed for you to enter the backup settings you require. See Creating backups for details. Note that the script to back up the tail of the transaction log is displayed only in this wizard. When you click Finish on the wizard, the transaction log is backed up. Click Close on the message box, and then click Next to proceed with the Restore wizard.

  Refer to your SQL Server documentation for more information about backing up the tail of the transaction log.

• If you do not want to back up the tail of the transaction log, click Discard transactions in the tail of the transaction log and click Next to proceed with the Restore wizard.

Restoring to a new database

If you are restoring a full database backup, you can select Create new database to create a new database. Type a name for the database in the box.

To change the location in which the data files and the log file are created, click next to the file or folder and specify the new location. Database files will be restored to the default SQL Server data directory unless you change the file locations. To restore database files to their original directory, select Original Database Data Directory from the File locations list.

Next: restore options