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XML restoration plan - an XML file that lists the names of backup files in the sequence necessary to restore one or more databases. The XML plan does not contain T-SQL scripts. The program generates a T-SQL script according to an XML plan immediately at the time of restoration. Having an XML restore plan will:

• Significantly simplify the database restoration procedure in case of failure by saving you from having to generate T-SQL scripts. This is a particularly relevant concern for databases with a Full Recovery Model, in which the sequence of backup copies can be pretty long. Accordingly, it may be necessary to write a large T-SQL script containing multiple RESTORE LOG commands in order to complete the restoration.
• Automate scheduled database restorations from backups on other SQL Server instances, including remote ones. For example, in order to regularly check the created backups located in a network folder or to update test databases.

Create an XML Restoration Plan

The program allows you to create an XML plan in one of two ways:

• Automatically, after any backup is made (recommended). To do this, you need to check the Create XML Restoration Plan option in the policy settings. The XML plan will be created in the backup catalog that is specified in the policy settings. The XML plan will include all the databases specified in the policy.
• Using a task.  To do this, you must create a Create an XML Restoration Plan type task and include it in a QMB Job. The databases and folder (either network or local) must be specified in the task where the XML restoration plan will be stored.

For the first and second method the XML plan will contain the sequence of backups that are needed to restore the database to its latest available state. The sequence of backups is determined by the information stored in the mdsb system database. QMB uses this information to determine the restoration sequence in the same way as SQL Server Management Studio.

Checking for the Existence of Backup Files and Copying

When creating an XML restoration plan, QMB checks for the existence of backup files. The software searches for files in subfolders and the root directory where the XML file will be created. The task specifies an option to copy the missing files from the source server folder before creating an XML plan. If QMB has been configured to copy backups, for example, to a network folder, then the XML files for the restoration plans will be copied automatically.

Restore according to an XML Plan

Restore according to an XML plan can be executed on a local or any other SQL Server running the same or higher version of SQL.  In order to restore databases according to an XML plan, you must create a Restore according to an XML Plan task type.  The task allows you to:

• Restore all databases specified in the XML plan or just certain ones
• Restore to a temporary database, databases of the same name, or a user-specified database
• Perform an integrity check after restoration (DBCC CHECKDB)