SQL Server Docs

Restore Operations

The RESTORE statement restores a backup of a database or transaction log to a database. It can be used to recover a database to a specific point in time, to restore files, or to recover database states after a failure.

Key Concepts

• Full Database Restore: Replaces the entire database with the content from a backup.
• File/Filegroup Restore: Restores specific files or filegroups, useful for large databases.
• Point-in-Time Recovery: Restores to a precise moment using log backups.
• Recovery Models: Determines the type of backups required (Full, Bulk-Logged, Simple).

RESTORE DATABASE [DatabaseName]
FROM DISK = N'path\to\backupfile.bak'
WITH [options];

Examples

Full Database Restore

RESTORE DATABASE AdventureWorks2019
FROM DISK = N'C:\Backups\AdventureWorks2019_Full.bak'
WITH RECOVERY, 
     REPLACE;

Point-in-Time Restore

RESTORE DATABASE AdventureWorks2019
FROM DISK = N'C:\Backups\AdventureWorks2019_Full.bak' WITH NORECOVERY;

RESTORE LOG AdventureWorks2019
FROM DISK = N'C:\Backups\AdventureWorks2019_Log1.trn' WITH NORECOVERY;

RESTORE LOG AdventureWorks2019
FROM DISK = N'C:\Backups\AdventureWorks2019_Log2.trn' 
WITH STOPAT = '2024-03-15T14:30:00', RECOVERY;

Restore Options