How to Restore a Specific Table from a SQL Backup

Restoring a Specific Table from a Backup

Write a SQL query to restore a specific table from a database backup

Solution:

-- Restore the Employees table from a backup using a temporary database.
RESTORE DATABASE TempDB
FROM DISK = 'C:\Backups\MyDatabase_Full.bak'
WITH MOVE 'MyDatabase_Data' TO 'C:\TempDB.mdf',
     MOVE 'MyDatabase_Log' TO 'C:\TempDB.ldf',
     REPLACE;

-- Extract the Employees table from the restored database.
SELECT * INTO Employees_Restored
FROM TempDB.dbo.Employees;

-- Drop the temporary database.
DROP DATABASE TempDB;

Explanation:

• Purpose of the Query :
• The goal is to demonstrate how to restore a specific table from a database backup.
• Key Components :
• RESTORE DATABASE: Restores the entire database to a temporary instance.
• SELECT INTO: Copies the desired table into the original database.
• DROP DATABASE: Cleans up the temporary database.
• Why Restore Specific Tables?:
• Restoring specific tables minimizes disruption when only a subset of data is needed.
• It simplifies recovery for targeted data loss scenarios.
• Real-World Application :
• In HR systems, restoring specific tables recovers employee records without affecting other data.

Notes:

• This approach requires restoring the entire database temporarily.
• Use it sparingly due to the overhead involved.
• Ensure sufficient disk space for the temporary database.

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

• Write a SQL query to restore only the "Orders" table from a full backup of a database named "SalesDB".
• Write a SQL query to restore only the "Employees" table from a full backup of a database named "HRDatabase".
• Write a SQL query to restore only the "Products" table from a full backup of a database named "InventoryDB".
• Write a SQL query to restore only the "Transactions" table from a full backup of a database named "FinanceDB".

Have another way to solve this solution? Contribute your code (and comments) through Disqus.

Previous SQL Exercise: Creating a Backup with Compression.
Next SQL Exercise: Automating Backup Scheduling with SQL Server Agent.