SQL Server Point-in-Time Recovery Guide

1 year ago
William Carter
2 minutes

To restore a SQL Server database to a specific point in time, you can follow the steps below:

  1. Firstly, you need to make sure that the database is enabled for either full or simple recovery mode. If the database is in simple recovery mode, point-in-time recovery cannot be performed.
  2. Back up the database to a specific point in time using the following T-SQL statement:
BACKUP DATABASE [YourDatabase] TO DISK = 'C:\YourBackupFile.bak' WITH FORMAT, NOINIT, NORECOVERY, COPY_ONLY, STATS = 10;
  1. Restore the database to a specific point in time using the following T-SQL statement:
RESTORE DATABASE [YourDatabase] FROM DISK = 'C:\YourBackupFile.bak' WITH FILE = 1, NORECOVERY, STOPAT = 'SpecifyDateTime';

In the statement above, ‘SpecifyDateTime’ is the time point you want to restore to. Make sure to replace it with the actual date and time.

  1. Finally, execute the following T-SQL statement to restore the database to the latest transaction log backup:
RESTORE LOG [YourDatabase] FROM DISK = 'C:\YourTransactionLogBackup.trn' WITH NORECOVERY;
  1. The database should now have been successfully restored to the specified point in time. You can continue using the database and ensure it is set to an available state.
RESTORE DATABASE [YourDatabase] WITH RECOVERY;

Please remember to back up before carrying out the above steps as a precaution. Also, make sure to only perform these actions on the production database and during off-peak hours to avoid disrupting business operations.

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