SnapCenter SQL - Restoring to a different database on the same server

[bushman4gc]

Can someone just sanity check something for me?

We have a production SQL instance, and on that instance there is also a copy of a production database that we often use for training or testing.  We regularly restore (currently using SQL backup and restore, but migrating to SnapCenter method) the production data from the "DCCI" database to the training "TRAIN" database.  I just want to make sure that I have the steps right.

NB: We are currently using "Copy Only" SnapCenter backups because the old SQL backup routines are still running in parallel and handling log flushing and the like, so no need to restore any logs.

Here are my steps:

• Find the backup of the production database that I want to restore and start the restore procedure.
• Select the "Restore the database using existing database files" option, and choose the same server and instance, but enter the name of the database as "TRAIN" and enter the paths to the current mdf and ldf files for the TRAIN database.
• Check on the "Overwrite the database with the same name during restore" option on the Pre Ops screen.
• Start the restore.

Does this all sound right?  I just want to have my ducks in a row before testing.

Thanks in advance,

Glenn

[mrahul · Accepted solution]

If you are selecting 'Restore the database using existing database files', then you need to make sure that the existing DB files should be associated with the same SnapCenter backup snapshot that you are selecting to restore from. If not, Restore will fail with an appropriate error pointing to the above requirement.

If you wish to have a fresh latest copy of your production DB, select the latest backup with the option 'Restore the database to an alternate host', choose the same server/instance and give new target directory paths for the copy Database. This will basically do a 'Restore to alternate path' under the same instance.