Backup and Restore Application Database

Author: Kepion Product Team

Introduction

You can transfer an application between environments with the backup and restore process of SQL Server. This guide will cover both of these processes. Before we begin, let's understand the meaning of each process.

Backup Database: The process of generating a ".bak" file that will represent all the data, structures and logic within a given application database. This file can then be used to restore a database to a target SQL Server.

Restore Database: The process of using a ".bak" file to either create a new application database on SQL Server or restore an existing database to a prior state.

Note: If you have an existing ".bak" backup file already, you can skip directly to the Restore Database section.

Backup Database

Expand the Databases node, and locate the application database. The application database will have the same name as the application in Kepion.

Click OK on the Locate Database Files dialog. To begin the backup, click OK on the main Back Up Database dialog. Once the backup is complete, the following dialog will appear:

Your database backup file will now be available at the specified file location.

Tip: You can choose to zip the <application_name>.bak file to minimize the size.

Restore Database

Open SQL Server Management Studio and connect to your instance of SQL Server.

 Right-click on the Databases node and choose Restore Database…

Ensure the Source is set to Device and click on the […] button next to Device to select the databases you wish to restore.

Once the Select backup devices window is open, ensure the backup media type is set to File and click the Add button to begin adding the .bak files you wish to restore.

Locate the file to restore and select OK.

Note: If you do not see your ".bak" backup file, you will need to manually copy the file to the directory specified in Backup File location for SQL Server.

Once all the files you wish to restore have been selected, click OK.

Finally, you will be taken back to the original pop-up window to verify that all the information is correct. Once you’re ready to restore the selected databases, click OK.