Question

When we copy a database down from production, we make a backup of the database, zip it up and copy the backup down. Then we have to restore using the SQL Server GUI, which involves navigating through several menus and windows. As far as I know, you can not do this with SQL Server’s built in stored procedures because you may not know the logical filename of the database (which is required to restore). So doing this via query consists of the following:

RESTORE FILELISTONLY
FROM DISK = 'C:\backup_of_production_database.bak'
GO

The above provides the logical file names from the backup file, you then have to use these logical names in the next query…

RESTORE DATABASE NewDevelopmentDatabase
FROM DISK = 'C:\backup_of_production_database.bak'
WITH MOVE 'YourMDFLogicalName' TO 'C:\mssql\data\DataYourMDFFile.mdf',
MOVE 'YourLDFLogicalName' TO 'C:\mssql\data\DataYourLDFFile.mdf'

As you can see this seems inefficient because you must manually enter the logical file names into the next query.

You can find my solution to this problem as an answer below.

Answer 1

The solution:

Using various resources I came up with the below stored procedure that lets you cut down this restore into one step. I hope it proves as useful to others as it has been to myself.

ALTER PROCEDURE [dbo].[sp_makedev] 
    @backupfile sysname,
    @newdatabase sysname
AS
BEGIN

DECLARE @fname VARCHAR(200) 
DECLARE @dirfile VARCHAR(300) 
DECLARE @LogicalName NVARCHAR(128) 
DECLARE @PhysicalName NVARCHAR(260) 
DECLARE @type CHAR(1) 
DECLARE @sql NVARCHAR(1000) 
DECLARE @mdfFilePath  varchar(1000)
DECLARE @ldfFilePath varchar(1000)

CREATE TABLE #dbfiles( 
 LogicalName NVARCHAR(128) 
,PhysicalName NVARCHAR(260) 
,Type CHAR(1) 
,FileGroupName NVARCHAR(128) 
,Size numeric(20,0) 
,MaxSize numeric(20,0) 
,FileId INT 
,CreateLSN numeric(25,0) 
,DropLSN numeric(25,0) 
,UniqueId uniqueidentifier 
,ReadOnlyLSN numeric(25,0) 
,ReadWriteLSN numeric(25,0) 
,BackupSizeInBytes INT 
,SourceBlockSize INT 
,FilegroupId INT 
,LogGroupGUID uniqueidentifier 
,DifferentialBaseLSN numeric(25) 
,DifferentialBaseGUID uniqueidentifier 
,IsReadOnly INT 
,IsPresent INT 
)

set @mdfFilePath = ''c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\data''
set @ldfFilePath = ''c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\data''
set @sql = ''RESTORE DATABASE '' + @newdatabase + '' FROM DISK = '''''' + @backupfile + '''''' WITH MOVE '' 

DECLARE dbfiles CURSOR FOR 
SELECT LogicalName, PhysicalName, [type] FROM #dbfiles 

INSERT #dbfiles 
EXEC(''RESTORE FILELISTONLY FROM DISK = '''''' + @backupfile + '''''''') 

OPEN dbfiles 
FETCH NEXT FROM dbfiles INTO @LogicalName, @PhysicalName, @type 
WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0 
BEGIN 
IF @type = ''D'' 
    SET @sql = @sql + '''''''' + @LogicalName + '''''' TO '''''' + @mdfFilePath + ''\'' + @newdatabase  + ''.mdf'''', MOVE '' 
ELSE IF @type = ''L'' 
    SET @sql = @sql + '''''''' + @LogicalName + '''''' TO '''''' +  @ldfFilePath + ''\'' + @newdatabase  + ''.ldf'''''' 

FETCH NEXT FROM dbfiles INTO @LogicalName, @PhysicalName, @type 
END 

CLOSE dbfiles
DEALLOCATE dbfiles
EXEC(@SQL)
END

I’m sure a few things about this query can be improved, however I already wasted enough time just trying to come to this solution. Regardless I’d love to hear some feedback. I hope that others find this useful!