Opening a SQL Server .bak file (Not restoring!)

Question

I have been reading a LOT of google posts and StackOverflow questions about how to restore a database in SQL Server from a .bak file.

But none of them states how to just READ the tables in the database-backup. (None that I could find anyway?)

I just want to check out some old information which now has been deleted, without actually restoring the full database. Is this possible?

.

EDIT:

I just wanted to post my T-SQL solution to the problem, so others may use it and I can go back and look it up ;)

First I created a new database called backup_lookup and took it offline. After this I could restore my old database mydb to the new one, without ever touching my original.

USE master GO RESTORE DATABASE backup_lookup  FROM DISK = 'D:\backup\mydb.bak' WITH REPLACE,  MOVE 'mydb' TO 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA\backup_lookup.mdf',  MOVE 'mydb_log' TO 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA\backup_lookup_log.ldf' GO 

I hope this helps :)

Answer 1

From SQL Server 2008 SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio), simply:

1. Connect to your database instance (for example, "localhost\sqlexpress")

2. Either:

   • a) Select the database you want to restore to; or, alternatively
   • b) Just create a new, empty database to restore to.

3. Right-click, Tasks, Restore, Database

4. Device, [...], Add, Browse to your .bak file
5. Select the backup.
   Choose "overwrite=Y" under options.
   Restore the database
6. It should say "100% complete", and your database should be on-line.

PS: Again, I emphasize: you can easily do this on a "scratch database" - you do not need to overwrite your current database. But you do need to RESTORE.

PPS: You can also accomplish the same thing with T-SQL commands, if you wished to script it.

Answer 2

The only workable solution is to restore the .bak file. The contents and the structure of those files are not documented and therefore, there's really no way (other than an awful hack) to get this to work - definitely not worth your time and the effort!

The only tool I'm aware of that can make sense of .bak files without restoring them is Red-Gate SQL Compare Professional (and the accompanying SQL Data Compare) which allow you to compare your database structure against the contents of a .bak file. Red-Gate tools are absolutely marvelous - highly recommended and well worth every penny they cost!

And I just checked their web site - it does seem that you can indeed restore a single table from out of a .bak file with SQL Compare Pro ! :-)