SQL Server Point in Time Recovery

 Oooooouch !!! I have deleted critical data in the ledger table !!!

When we ran delete or drop Script on any database without double check , Its Really big problem for the end users !!! Also you wont sleep 😁😁😁

If you have GODDBA , you are saved millions dollars of your data also your valuable customers . 

Oh Great 😀😀😀 How we can achieve that ? 

In SQL Server Multiple Database Backup Methods are available to tackle that , 

If SQL Server database is in full recovery model we can take transaction log backups on every hour/Minute/Seconds into local or remote drives . 

So, Yes am taking Log Backup 😕😕😕 How to we restore particular time ? 

Using with transaction logs we can bring back the data as much as you want depends on your log backup strategy . 

To achieve that here is the automated point in time restore script for your valuable environment ,

Scripts are available in https://github.com/selvackp/SQLServerPointInTimeRestore.git

So finally you have saved your millions dollars worth of data in 10 Minutes !!!

USE master
GO

DECLARE 
        @DatabaseOLDName			sysname  = 'test',										
        @DatabaseNewName			sysname  = 'test1',										
        @PrimaryDataFileName		        sysname  = 'test',									
	@SecDataFileName                        sysname  =  NULL,
        @DatabaseLogFileName		        sysname  = 'test_log',								
	@PrimaryDataFileCreatePath              sysname  = 'D:\MISC\Bkp\testdata.mdf',			
        @SecDataFileCreatePath		        sysname  = NULL,									
        @SecDataFileCreatePath1		        sysname  = NULL,									
        @DatabaseLogFileCreatePath              sysname  = 'D:\MISC\Bkp\test_log.ldf',		
        @PITRDateTime				datetime = '2022-08-11T20:44:11';

DECLARE @command				nvarchar(MAX),
        @OldPhysicalPathName		        nvarchar(MAX),
        @FullBackupDateTime			datetime,
        @DiffBackupDateTime			datetime,
        @LogBackupDateTime			datetime,
        @message				nvarchar(MAX);

SET @command = N'RESTORE DATABASE @DatabaseNewName FROM DISK = @OldPhysicalPathName WITH FILE = 1, NORECOVERY, NOUNLOAD, REPLACE, STATS = 5, STOPAT = @PITRDateTime,
     MOVE N''' + @PrimaryDataFileName + N''' TO N''' + @PrimaryDataFileCreatePath + N''','
           + COALESCE('
     MOVE N''' + @SecDataFileName + ''' TO N''' + @SecDataFileCreatePath + ''',', '')
           + N'
     MOVE N''' + @DatabaseLogFileName + N''' TO N''' + @DatabaseLogFileCreatePath + N''';';

SELECT     TOP (1) @OldPhysicalPathName = bmf.physical_device_name,@FullBackupDateTime = bs.backup_start_date
FROM       msdb.dbo.backupset AS bs INNER JOIN msdb.dbo.backupmediafamily AS bmf ON  bmf.media_set_id = bs.media_set_id
WHERE      bs.database_name = @DatabaseOLDName AND  bs.type= 'D' AND  bs.backup_start_date < @PITRDateTime
ORDER BY   bs.backup_start_date DESC;

SET @message = N'Starting restore of full backup file '+ @OldPhysicalPathName + N', taken ' + CONVERT(nvarchar(30), @FullBackupDateTime, 120);

RAISERROR(@message, 0, 1) WITH NOWAIT;

EXEC sys.sp_executesql @command,
                       N'@DatabaseNewName sysname, @OldPhysicalPathName nvarchar(260), @PITRDateTime datetime',
                       @DatabaseNewName,
                       @OldPhysicalPathName,
                       @PITRDateTime;


SET @command = N'RESTORE DATABASE @DatabaseNewName FROM DISK = @OldPhysicalPathName WITH FILE = 1, NORECOVERY, NOUNLOAD, REPLACE, STATS = 5, STOPAT = @PITRDateTime;';

SELECT     TOP (1) @OldPhysicalPathName = bmf.physical_device_name,@DiffBackupDateTime = bs.backup_start_date
FROM       msdb.dbo.backupset   AS bs INNER JOIN msdb.dbo.backupmediafamily AS bmf ON  bmf.media_set_id = bs.media_set_id
WHERE      bs.database_name = @DatabaseOLDName AND  bs.type  = 'I' AND  bs.backup_start_date >= @FullBackupDateTime AND  bs.backup_start_date< @PITRDateTime
ORDER BY   bs.backup_start_date DESC;

IF @@ROWCOUNT > 0
BEGIN;
    SET @message = N'Starting restore of differential backup file ' + @OldPhysicalPathName + N', taken ' + CONVERT(nvarchar(30), @DiffBackupDateTime, 120);

    RAISERROR(@message, 0, 1) WITH NOWAIT;

EXEC sys.sp_executesql @command,
                       N'@DatabaseNewName sysname, @OldPhysicalPathName nvarchar(260), @PITRDateTime datetime',
                       @DatabaseNewName,
                       @OldPhysicalPathName,
                       @PITRDateTime;
END;

SET @command = N'RESTORE LOG @DatabaseNewName
FROM DISK = @OldPhysicalPathName
WITH FILE = 1, NORECOVERY, NOUNLOAD, REPLACE, STATS = 5, STOPAT = @PITRDateTime;';

DECLARE c CURSOR LOCAL FAST_FORWARD READ_ONLY TYPE_WARNING FOR
SELECT     bmf.physical_device_name,
           bs.backup_start_date
FROM       msdb.dbo.backupset         AS bs
INNER JOIN msdb.dbo.backupmediafamily AS bmf
   ON      bmf.media_set_id = bs.media_set_id
WHERE      bs.database_name = @DatabaseOLDName
AND        bs.type                 = 'L'
AND        bs.backup_start_date    >= COALESCE(@DiffBackupDateTime, @FullBackupDateTime)
ORDER BY   bs.backup_start_date ASC;

OPEN c;

FETCH NEXT FROM c
INTO @OldPhysicalPathName,
     @LogBackupDateTime;

WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0
BEGIN;
    SET @message = N'Starting restore of log backup file '
                   + @OldPhysicalPathName + N', taken '
                   + CONVERT(nvarchar(30), @LogBackupDateTime, 120);
    RAISERROR(@message, 0, 1) WITH NOWAIT;
    EXEC sys.sp_executesql @command,
                           N'@DatabaseNewName sysname, @OldPhysicalPathName nvarchar(260), @PITRDateTime datetime',
                           @DatabaseNewName,
                           @OldPhysicalPathName,
                           @PITRDateTime;

    IF @LogBackupDateTime >= @PITRDateTime
        BREAK;

    FETCH NEXT FROM c
    INTO @OldPhysicalPathName,
         @LogBackupDateTime;
END;

CLOSE c;
DEALLOCATE c;

SET @command = N'RESTORE DATABASE @DatabaseNewName
WITH RECOVERY;';

RAISERROR('Starting recovery', 0, 1) WITH NOWAIT;
EXEC sys.sp_executesql @command,
                       N'@DatabaseNewName sysname, @OldPhysicalPathName nvarchar(260), @PITRDateTime datetime',
                       @DatabaseNewName,
                       @OldPhysicalPathName,
                       @PITRDateTime;
GO