Backup Terminologies:

Backup Device:
A backup device is either a tape or disk file that is provided by the
operating system. Its a stored path.
Backup Set:
A backup set contains the backup from a single, successful backup
operation. It can be a FULL/Diff/Tlog backup.
Media Set:
A media set is an ordered collection of backup media, tapes or disk files, to
which one or more backup operations have written using a fixed type and
number of backup devices.
Media Set Family:
Backup splited into two files and called backup files belong to same family
Checksum:
Checksum is verified to ensure if data is corrupted or not.

 A restore scenario in SQL Server is the process of restoring data from one or more backups and then recovering the database. The supported
restore scenarios depend on the recovery model of the database and the edition of SQL Server.
Possible Restore Scenarios are:
1) Complete database restore
2) File restore
3) Page restore
4) Piecemeal restore

Restore and its Phases:

Restoring is the process of copying data from a backup and applying logged transactions to the
data to roll it forward to the target recovery point.
A restore is a multiphase process. The possible phases of a restore include the data copy, redo (roll
forward), and undo (roll back) phases:
Data Copy Phase:
The data copy phase involves copying all the data, log, and index pages from the backup media of
a database to the database files.
The Redo Phase (Roll Forward):
The redo phase applies the logged transactions to the data copied from the backup to roll forward
that data to the recovery point.
Undo Phase (Rollbackward Phase):
The undo phase, which is the first part of recovery, rolls back any uncommitted transactions and
makes the database available to users. After the roll back phase, subsequent backups cannot be
restored.
Restore is only copying data/log but Recovery is ensuring that data is consistent and clean.
Recovery is a subset of restore.

Types of Restore
1) Restore an entire database from a full database backup (a
complete restore).
2) Restore part of a database (a partial restore/Piece Meal
Restore).
3) Restore specific files or filegroups to a database (a file restore).
4) Restore specific pages to a database (a page restore).
5) Restore a transaction log onto a database (a transaction log
restore).
6) Revert a database to the point in time captured by a database
snapshot.

Commands of Restores:

Full Backup Restore:

restore database Test from disk=N'F:\Test.bak' WITH NORECOVERY, replace
Differential Backup Restore:
restore database Test from disk=N'F:\Test_Diff.bak' WITH NORECOVERY
Tlog Backup Restore:
restore log Test from disk=N'F:\Test_Tlog1.trn' WITH NORECOVERY
Point-in-time Recovery:

Syntax: restore log dbname from disk='path' stopat 'dd:mm:yyyy hh:mm:ss'

restore log Test from disk=N'F:\Test.trn' WITH NORECOVERY STOPAT '06-21-2012 06:50:00AM
Tlog restore with Recovery:
restore log Test from disk=N'F:\Test_Tlog2.trn' WITH NORECOVERY
restore database Test with recovery
F&FG Restore:
restore database NewDB123
FILEGROUP='Primary',
Filegroup='Secondary'
from disk='c:\dummy\NewDB_FG.bak'
with recovery

restore database rummytest

filegroup='primary',filegroup='secondary',filegroup='third' from
disk='e:\rummyfg.bak' with recovery

How to validate Backups?

SQL Server provides multiple options to validate
backups
1) Validating a backup
restore verifyonly from disk=Backup file Path'
Output: The backup set on file 1 is valid
This confirms that the backup has been
validated and its a good one which can be
used for restore operation.
2) Validating a header of a backup
restore headeronly from disk= Backup file Path
3) Verifying the contents of the backup
restore filelistonly from disk= Backup file Path '

Please find system database backup possibility:

Database

Full

Differential

Tlog

MASTER

YES

NO

NO

MODEL

YES

YES

YES

MSDB

YES

YES

NO

TEMPDB

NO

NO

NO

Resource database: Backup

statement wont work on resource
database due to Read_only\Hidden
database.
File level MDF , LDF copy is the
option to maintain as backup.

3rd Party Backup Tools:

1) Quest Litespeed
2) Idera SQL Backup
3) IBM Tivoli Storage Manager
4) Veritas Netbackup
5) Symantec BackupExec
6) Acronis
7) EMC Networker
8) Backup and FTP
ZAMANDA( AMANDA)

Backup & Restore Tables in MSDB:

Backup and restore tables track information about backup media and
devices. You can take backups to a tape as well as disk. SQL
Server also allows backing up files to a network share.

Steps in a Transaction Log Backup:

1) Verify if the FULL backup has a base present for it or not
2) Verify if any tlog backups/differential backups are taken or not
3) Verify the last LSN backed up and calculate what all LSN's should be
backed up from the
transaction log file
4) Backup the active log portion of the LDF file
5) Finally perform the truncate operation after backup is completed for
space reusability in the transaction log file
Difference between TRUNCATE_ONLY and NO_TRUNCATE
NO_TRUNCATE: It takes a log backup, but will not perform truncate
operation. We will generally use this during database crash/suspend
scenarios (or) when we need to take backup of the Active portion i.e.
the Tail.
> backup log <database_name> to disk='PATH' with NO_TRUNCATE
TRUNCATE_ONLY: It truncates ONLY active portion of the log and ensures
that the VLF's are marked as truncated for usage by further
transactions. This generates some free space inside the log file to
accomodate further transactions
> backup log <database_name> with TRUNCATE_ONLY
> backup log <database_name> to disk='PATH' with TRUNCATE_ONLY

Questions:
If database is in offline state? Can backup is possible?
What permissions are required to user to perform
backups?
Real time Recovery scenarios? How will you recover the
database?
Differ between full and simple recovery model?
Diff between full and diff backup?

Senerio-1

Senerio-2

1. I haveStandard edition backup file. I

can possible to restore
inEnterpriseedition? Yes
2. I haveEnterpriseedition backup
file..I can possible to restore
inStandardedition..? Yes
3. Restore an SQL 2008 full backup to
SQL Server 2005? No, No backward
computability is not provided

MYTHS ON DB BACKUPS:
http://www.sqlskills.com/blogs/paul/a
-sql-server-dba-myth-a-day-3030-backu
p-myths/
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-IN/library/ms188653.a
spx