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How to Restore a Backup

Recover a database onto a test datacenter.

5 min read Updated Jun 2026   How-To

Purpose

Restore a backup file onto a test datacenter so you can verify the backup is good, or onto the production datacenter as part of a disaster-recovery drill. Always restore to a test datacenter first unless you are doing a real recovery — restoring onto production overwrites current data.

Before you begin

  • A backup file (.bak or .zbk) you trust.
  • Free disk space at least 3× the backup size on the SQL data drive.
  • Admin access to Utility.
  • A test datacenter created and pointing at a separate database name (so production is not at risk).

Steps

  1. Start → Administration & Setup → Utility → Restore.
  2. Pick the destination datacenter (a test datacenter unless you are doing a real recovery).
  3. Browse to the backup file. The system reads the header and shows the backup's date / time / source datacenter.
  4. Confirm the destination once more — this is the irreversible step. Restoring onto production overwrites it.
  5. Click Restore. Progress shows file copy, then SQL restore. Large backups take several minutes.
  6. On completion, log in to the destination datacenter and spot-check a few recent transactions to confirm the restore worked.
  7. For a real recovery, take a fresh backup of the just-restored database before letting users in — this becomes your new baseline.

What success looks like

  • The destination datacenter contains the exact state of the source at the backup time.
  • You can log in and see the source's users, masters and transactions.
  • About Us on the restored datacenter shows the source Xn-Talk-ID if you restored to the same machine.

Troubleshooting

"Cannot open backup device" error.
SQL Server service account does not have read access to the backup folder. Move the file under C:\ProgramData\ or grant the service account read.
"Database in use" error.
Other users are logged in. Disconnect everyone (Administrator → Active Users → Disconnect All) and re-try.
Restore completes but the schema is older than the running app.
Normal — the app upgrades the schema on first login. Allow the upgrade to finish before judging the restore.

Tips

  • Restore-test once a month against a labelled test datacenter — untested backups are guesses.
  • Document the restore steps in your team's runbook with the test-datacenter name and the location of the latest backup file.
  • Warning. Never restore onto production without (a) a current backup of production and (b) all users logged off. Restore is irreversible.