Azure Recovery Services - Restore SQL Backup files to another location

Question

Azure Recovery Services - Restore SQL Backup files to another location

Nigel Morse 191

We're looking to run SQL Server on Azure VMs and use Recovery Services Vault to back up the databases.

Is there any way to make the backup (.bak) files available outside of the vault - e.g. to Azure Blob storage, so that we can easily access them should we need to do (e.g. an adhoc restore locally or something)

Right now it looks from the portal that they can only be restored back to the same machine, or another SQL VM registered. There is an option to Restore As Files, but again only to a registered SQL VM. There's no option to have them put onto another machines disk, or copied into blob storage.

SadiqhAhmed-MSFT 27,266 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2021-03-08T14:07:37.077+00:00

@Nigel Morse Does this help? - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/restore-sql-database-azure-vm#restore-as-files
Nigel Morse 191 Reputation points

2021-03-08T14:11:01.01+00:00

Thanks - but it still requires restoring to a SQL VM, even if it then goes on a file share. If I could register another (non-sql) VM with a disk than that would be better. Even better if I could just say "put the files in this storage account" instead
SadiqhAhmed-MSFT 27,266 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2021-03-09T06:10:09.917+00:00

@Nigel Morse Could you tell us why such option to restore as bak file to another disk or blob store is required? If the purpose is to safekeep the backup or to replicate the database to different dev/test environment, that is still achievable via existing restore experience. What is the usecase when access to back file is needed?
SadiqhAhmed-MSFT 27,266 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2021-03-09T07:40:41.38+00:00

@Nigel Morse There are multiple options for backing up SQL in Azure VMs as listed here:
Backup and restore for SQL Server on Azure VMs - SQL Server on Azure VM | Microsoft Learn

The option to write to Recovery Services vault (2nd option in the table from the link) does just that…it writes to the vault so the data can’t be written to blob storage. You could investigate the first option from that table if you want to write to Azure Blob storage.

The VM targeted for restore does have to be registered but it could act as a restore location and the files could be copied off anywhere from there.

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If the response helped, do "Accept Answer" and up-vote it
Nigel Morse 191 Reputation points

2021-03-09T08:38:27.337+00:00

@SadiqhAhmed-MSFT The issues with option 1 would be losing all the benefits of the Azure Backup - being able to restore easily and crucially Always On Availability group (does option 1 does that?). Automated Backups seems like the entry level simple solution. All the files go into one bucket and if you have 20 databases want to restore to a point in time then you have to go and sift all the files manually.
Nigel Morse 191 Reputation points

2021-03-09T08:38:43.363+00:00

@SadiqhAhmed-MSFT
What I'm planning to do is to see if there's a way to automate getting the daily Full/Differential backups out of vault, onto a machine and from there into blob storage. However this is quite a convoluted route and would required a separate SQL VM with a large enough disk to do it (I don't want the main DB servers involved, though may have to given IOPs limits etc.) And it probably won't even involve the SQL Server on it.

However if Azure Backup had the option to restore files to a storage account that would be a lot easier to manage and involve fewer moving parts to all work.
SadiqhAhmed-MSFT 27,266 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2021-03-10T12:57:44.977+00:00

@Nigel Morse There is an option to Restore As Files, but again only to a registered SQL VM”. You could also give mount points in this as targets. Not just local data. So, theoretically, you could mount blobs to that VM and use that as the target.
Nigel Morse 191 Reputation points

2021-03-12T09:21:02.897+00:00

Thanks. I know there's lots of ways this could be done - but the easy one of just "restore these to this storage account" isn't there. Or even an option to just open up read-access to wherever they are already stored - which is mostly likely blob storage under the hood or very similar!
Daniel D M 1 Reputation point

2022-07-25T14:14:20.503+00:00

@Nigel Morse Have you got an solutions to get the database backup from azure recovery vault to storage account. We do have an use case to get the database backup out of azure backup service!
Budi Santoso 1 Reputation point

2022-08-11T09:03:32.18+00:00

I try to install azure extension for sql backup agent to non sql vm, but it's failed, because sql instance still required by that extension.
So another sql vm still needed and deployed for just restoring db. :(

SadiqhAhmed-MSFT 27,266 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2021-03-08T14:07:37.077+00:00

@Nigel Morse Does this help? - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/restore-sql-database-azure-vm#restore-as-files
Nigel Morse 191 Reputation points

2021-03-08T14:11:01.01+00:00

Thanks - but it still requires restoring to a SQL VM, even if it then goes on a file share. If I could register another (non-sql) VM with a disk than that would be better. Even better if I could just say "put the files in this storage account" instead
SadiqhAhmed-MSFT 27,266 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2021-03-09T06:10:09.917+00:00

@Nigel Morse Could you tell us why such option to restore as bak file to another disk or blob store is required? If the purpose is to safekeep the backup or to replicate the database to different dev/test environment, that is still achievable via existing restore experience. What is the usecase when access to back file is needed?
SadiqhAhmed-MSFT 27,266 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2021-03-09T07:40:41.38+00:00

@Nigel Morse There are multiple options for backing up SQL in Azure VMs as listed here:
Backup and restore for SQL Server on Azure VMs - SQL Server on Azure VM | Microsoft Learn

The option to write to Recovery Services vault (2nd option in the table from the link) does just that…it writes to the vault so the data can’t be written to blob storage. You could investigate the first option from that table if you want to write to Azure Blob storage.

The VM targeted for restore does have to be registered but it could act as a restore location and the files could be copied off anywhere from there.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If the response helped, do "Accept Answer" and up-vote it
Nigel Morse 191 Reputation points

2021-03-09T08:38:27.337+00:00

@SadiqhAhmed-MSFT The issues with option 1 would be losing all the benefits of the Azure Backup - being able to restore easily and crucially Always On Availability group (does option 1 does that?). Automated Backups seems like the entry level simple solution. All the files go into one bucket and if you have 20 databases want to restore to a point in time then you have to go and sift all the files manually.
Nigel Morse 191 Reputation points

2021-03-09T08:38:43.363+00:00

@SadiqhAhmed-MSFT
What I'm planning to do is to see if there's a way to automate getting the daily Full/Differential backups out of vault, onto a machine and from there into blob storage. However this is quite a convoluted route and would required a separate SQL VM with a large enough disk to do it (I don't want the main DB servers involved, though may have to given IOPs limits etc.) And it probably won't even involve the SQL Server on it.

However if Azure Backup had the option to restore files to a storage account that would be a lot easier to manage and involve fewer moving parts to all work.
SadiqhAhmed-MSFT 27,266 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2021-03-10T12:57:44.977+00:00

@Nigel Morse There is an option to Restore As Files, but again only to a registered SQL VM”. You could also give mount points in this as targets. Not just local data. So, theoretically, you could mount blobs to that VM and use that as the target.
Nigel Morse 191 Reputation points

2021-03-12T09:21:02.897+00:00

Thanks. I know there's lots of ways this could be done - but the easy one of just "restore these to this storage account" isn't there. Or even an option to just open up read-access to wherever they are already stored - which is mostly likely blob storage under the hood or very similar!
Daniel D M 1 Reputation point

2022-07-25T14:14:20.503+00:00

@Nigel Morse Have you got an solutions to get the database backup from azure recovery vault to storage account. We do have an use case to get the database backup out of azure backup service!
Budi Santoso 1 Reputation point

2022-08-11T09:03:32.18+00:00

I try to install azure extension for sql backup agent to non sql vm, but it's failed, because sql instance still required by that extension.
So another sql vm still needed and deployed for just restoring db. :(

Answer 1

SadiqhAhmed-MSFT 27,266 Microsoft Employee

@Nigel Morse - You must be looking for this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN8tKf6v4rQ hope this suffice your requirement. If it doesn't, you may leave your valuable feedback directly with Azure backup team here - https://feedback.azure.com/forums/258995-azure-backup

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If the response helped, do "Accept Answer" and up-vote it

Nigel Morse 191 Reputation points

2021-03-17T10:35:17.827+00:00

The video refers to backing up of azure blobs using backup, not being able to store the SQL backups taken back into blob storage so wouldn't work in this case.

But thanks - I've added my idea into the feedback system.
SadiqhAhmed-MSFT 27,266 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2021-03-17T11:40:33.207+00:00

@Nigel Morse Thanks for sharing the feedback. Please add feedback item link here, we would like to track that internally.
Nigel Morse 191 Reputation points

2021-03-17T11:49:55.467+00:00

@SadiqhAhmed-MSFT sure - here it is https://feedback.azure.com/forums/258995-azure-backup/suggestions/42900336-restore-sql-backup-files-to-storage-account

Azure Recovery Services - Restore SQL Backup files to another location

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