Restoring a differential ms sql backup

Restoring a differential backup in MS SQL Server can be performed using the following steps:

1. Connect to an instance of SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and open the “Object Explorer” window.

2. In the “Databases” section, find the database for which you want to restore a differential backup.

3. Right-click on the selected database and select the “Tasks” menu item, and then “Restore”. The database recovery window will appear.

4. In the upper part of this window, make sure that the recovery mode is set to "To a point in time" or "To the last backup taken". This ensures that the last available full backup will be used before applying the differential one.

5. Click the “…” button opposite the “Source” field to specify the location of the .bak file of your last full backup.

6. Having selected the full backup file (.bak), click OK to close the current window

7 Then clicking on the Files option on the left under Source switches the view from list tables
Reference: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/backup-restore/quickstart-backup-and-restore-to-the-same-instance?view=sql-server-ver15

8. In the list of files, find a differential backup (.bak) and check the "Restore" field for this file.

9. Configure the recovery parameters, such as the path to the database (Destination), the name of the database (Database name), etc., according to your choice.

10. Check for errors or warnings before clicking OK to start the recovery process.

11 If everything is done correctly, you should receive a message about the successful completion of the operation.

Refer to the official Microsoft SQL Server documentation for detailed instructions: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/ssms/scripting/database-engine-restoring-files-and-filegroups?view=sql-server- ver15

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