How do I generate a list of all the times I’ve restored an Azure SQL Database?

Method 1: Using Azure SQL Database REST API

Azure provides a REST API that allows you to programmatically access and manage your Azure SQL Database resources. You can use this API to retrieve a list of database restorations.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• An Azure subscription with an active Azure SQL Database instance
• A registered Azure AD application with the necessary permissions (e.g., Azure SQL Database contributor role)
• A tool or library to send HTTP requests (e.g., Postman, curl, or a programming language like Python or PowerShell)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps to generate a list of database restorations using the Azure SQL Database REST API:

1. Obtain an access token for your Azure AD application using the Azure Identity library or the Azure CLI.
2. Use the following API endpoint to retrieve a list of database restorations:

   GET https://management.azure.com/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.Sql/servers/{serverName}/databases/{databaseName}/restorations?api-version=2020-08-01-preview

   Replace the placeholders with your actual values:

   • {subscriptionId}: Your Azure subscription ID
   • {resourceGroupName}: The resource group name containing your Azure SQL Database instance
   • {serverName}: The name of your Azure SQL Database server
   • {databaseName}: The name of your Azure SQL Database instance
3. In the API request, include the following headers:

   
   Authorization: Bearer {accessToken}
   Content-Type: application/json
   

   Replace {accessToken} with the actual access token obtained in step 1.

4. Send the API request and parse the response, which will contain a list of database restorations in JSON format.

Method 2: Using Azure CLI

Azure CLI provides a command-line interface to manage your Azure resources, including Azure SQL Database instances.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• An Azure subscription with an active Azure SQL Database instance
• Azure CLI installed on your machine (or access to a cloud shell)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps to generate a list of database restorations using Azure CLI:

1. Log in to your Azure account using the Azure CLI:

   az login

2. Set the default subscription and resource group for your Azure CLI session:

   az account set --subscription <subscriptionId> --resource-group <resourceGroupName>

   Replace the placeholders with your actual values.

3. Use the following command to retrieve a list of database restorations:

   az sql db show-restore-history --resource-group <resourceGroupName> --server <serverName> --database <databaseName>

   Replace the placeholders with your actual values.

4. Azure CLI will display a list of database restorations in JSON format.

Method 3: Using Azure SQL Database Auditing and Logging

Azure SQL Database provides built-in auditing and logging capabilities that allow you to track database restorations.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• An Azure subscription with an active Azure SQL Database instance
• Azure SQL Database auditing and logging enabled for your database instance

Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps to generate a list of database restorations using Azure SQL Database auditing and logging:

1. Access the Azure portal and navigate to your Azure SQL Database instance.
2. In the left-hand menu, click on “Security” and then “Auditing & logging.”
3. In the “Auditing & logging” page, click on “View audit logs.”
4. In the “Audit logs” page, select the desired time range and click “Apply.”
5. In the search bar, enter the following filter to find restoration events:

   category == "RestoreDatabase"

6. Azure will display a list of database restorations in the audit logs.
7. You can also use Azure Log Analytics to query and analyze the audit logs.

Conclusion

Generating a list of all the times you’ve restored an Azure SQL Database is a crucial task for database management and compliance. By using one of the methods outlined in this article, you can easily retrieve a list of database restorations and use it to optimize your database performance, security, and maintenance strategies. Remember to regularly review and analyze your restoration history to ensure the integrity and reliability of your Azure SQL Database instance.

Additional Resources

If you need more information on Azure SQL Database management, security, or optimization, check out these additional resources:

• Azure SQL Database documentation: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/
• Azure SQL Database security best practices: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/security-best-practices
• Azure SQL Database performance tuning: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/performance-guidance

We hope you found this article helpful in generating a list of database restorations for your Azure SQL Database instance.

Frequently Asked Question

Get the lowdown on tracking your Azure SQL Database restoration history!