Database Administration: Restoring a Live Database to a Test System

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1. Take a backup of the test System
2. Log into the live database
3. Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)  and log in
4. Expand the Databases folder, right-click on the database you wish to restore from and go to Tasks > Back Up...
5. In the Back Up Database window, choose Full for the back up type, remove any backups listed by selecting them and pressing the Remove button, then select Add...
6. Press the Ellipses button to expand the list of folders
7. Select a location to save the backup to
   NOTE: Make sure you can access the folder before saving to the location selected.
8. After selecting a location, give the backup a name, this is NOT the name that has to be used for the database when it is restored, so feel free to give it a name that makes sense to you, then select OK and select OK on the Select Backup Destination window as well
   NOTE: Make sure to put ".bak" (without the quotes) at the end of the file name, failure to do so can make the file harder to find later.
   
9. When everything has been configured, select OK from the Back Up Database window
10. The backup process may take a few minutes
11. Open a file explorer and locate the file, then transfer the file from the live server to the test server using your preferred method
    NOTE: Using justbeamit.com will likely transfer the fastest.
12. Log into the test server
13. Download the backup to the test server
14. Place the backup in the backups folder (on Cobalt, it is H:\Backup).  SSMS may be unable to find the file if it is not in the backups folder
15. Log into SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
16. Right-click on the Databases folder and select Restore Database...
17. Select Device and click on the Ellipses
18. Select Add

    
    

    
19. Select the backup from the list and press OK
    NOTE: If you did not put ".bak" on the end of the file name, you will have to select "All Files" from the drop-down menu to see it.
20. Press OK on the Select backup devices window
21. Give the database a name
    NOTE: This is the name you will have to enter when logging into Vista to use the database
22. Select OK
23. The restore may take a few minutes
24. Reinstall the Vista application server on the test system.