Have you ever encountered a situation where your SQL Server database remains in the restoring stage for a long time even after restoring all the necessary files? If so, you’re not alone. This is a common issue that many database administrators face.
Recently, I received an interesting question from a user who was experiencing this problem. They had restored all the backup files and log files, but their database was still stuck in the restoring mode. After further investigation, I discovered that they had missed restoring the latest log file with the RECOVERY option.
When restoring a database, it’s important to understand the concept of recovery. The recovery process brings the database into an operational state, allowing it to perform regular database operations. Without recovery, the database remains in a non-operational state.
In order to recover the database from the restoring state, there are three different methods you can use:
- Manual Recovery: You can manually recover the database by executing the following command:
RESTORE DATABASE database_name WITH RECOVERY - Recovery with Last Log File: If you have the last log file, you can recover the database using the following command:
RESTORE LOG database_name FROM backup_device WITH RECOVERY - Recovery after Restoring Backup: If you have already restored the backup file, you can recover the database using the following command:
RESTORE DATABASE database_name FROM backup_device WITH RECOVERY
It’s important to note that you can only restore log files until the database is in the non-recovery mode. Once the database is recovered, any further log file restoration is meaningless as the log file chain is broken.
If you want to dive deeper into the backup and restore process in SQL Server, I recommend reading the articles “Backup Timeline” and “Understanding the Database Restore Process in Full Recovery Model”. These resources will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the backup and restore timeline.
Remember, understanding the database restore process is crucial for maintaining the operational state of your SQL Server databases. By following the correct recovery steps, you can ensure that your databases are up and running smoothly.