SQL Backup and Restore

SQL Backup and Restore

To take a backup of your database, do the following: 

  1. Launch SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and connect to your SQL Server instance.

  2. Expand the Databases node from the left-pane aka Object Explorer.

  3. Right-click the database that you wish to backup, hover over Tasks, and select Back up....



  4. On the General page in the Destination section select Disk from the Back up to: drop-down list.

  5. Select Remove until all existing backup files have been removed.

  6. Select Add and the Select Backup Destination dialog box will open.



  7. Enter a valid path and file name in the File name text box and use .bak as the extension to simplify the classification of this file.

  8. Click OK and then click OK again to initiate the backup.

  9. When the backup completes successfully, click OK to close the SQL Server Management Studio dialog box.

To restore your database, do the following:

  1. Launch SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and connect to your SQL Server instance.

  2. Right-click the Databases node in Object Explorer and select Restore Database... as shown in the below image.



  3. On the General page, use the Source section to specify the source and location of the backup sets to restore. Select Device:, and then select the ellipses (...) to locate your backup file.

  4. Select Add and navigate to where your .bak file is located. Select the .bak file and then select OK.

  5. Select OK to close the Select backup devices dialog box.

  6. In the Destination section, the Database box is automatically populated with the name of the database to be restored. To change the name of the database, enter the new name in the Database box.

  7. Select OK to restore the backup of your database.


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