Azure Cosmos DB - switching to continuous backup from periodic - what do you lose rather than gain?

Question

Our Azure Advisor is now recommending that we switch our Cosmos DB accounts to use Continuous Backups to gain more features over Periodic.

I understand what features are gained by doing this, but what features do you lose?

I tested a few scenarios out using Continuous Backups/restore- one that caught me out was that if you have database defined with containers that share the RU/s - if you delete a container from a database (a more likely scenario to recover from than deleting the database itself) then you CAN'T restore just the container - you see this message instead...

Individual shared database collections restore is not supported. Please restore shared database to restore its collections that share the throughput.

Is this something that Periodic backups currently support? If so then we probably don't want to switch.

Does anyone know if Periodic backups allow Microsoft Azure Support to just restore a container back into an existing database that shares the RU/s between them?

Thanks

Answer 1

Hi @Neil McAlister The distinction between Periodic backups and Continuous backups lies in the restoration process. With a Periodic backup configuration, you need to contact Microsoft support for restoration. Continuous backup mode enables self-restoration without relying on support. Despite this difference, the actual restore process remains the same, with no variation in the outcome. Thank you!