Restore a Database in SQL Server 2017

Here, I'll demonstrate how to restore a database using SQLOPS (now called Azure Data Studio).

You can restore a SQL Server database by using Transact-SQL, PowerShell, or via a GUI such as Azure Data Studio or SSMS. In this example, we're going to restore a backup of a brand new database called WideWorldImportersDW.

The WideWorldImporters database is a sample database provided by Microsoft's SQL Server Team to demonstrate how SQL Server's features can be used in a real-world scenario. In our example, we'll restore the WideWorldImportersDW database, which is a data warehouse version of the WideWorldImporters database.

This process will create a new database called WideWorldImportersDW. The database will contain various objects (such as tables, views, stored procedures, etc). The database will also contain sample data, so you can start creating queries as soon as it has been restored.

Download the Database Backup File

Before you start, go to this GitHub page and download the .bak file.

Download the WideWorldImportersDW-Full.bak file if you're using the Evaluation, Developer, or the Enterprise Edition of SQL Server.
Or download the WideWorldImportersDW-Standard.bak file if you're using SQL Server Standard Edition.

Restore a Database via the SQLOPS/Azure Data Studio GUI

Open the Server Dashboard

In the left pane of Azure Data Studio, right-click the server name and select Manage.

If you're using SSMS, in the Object Explorer, right-click on the Databases node and select Restore Database...
Start the Restore Process

Click the Restore button.
Select a Restore from Option

Select Backup file from the Restore from option.

You can also restore a database from an existing database if required. In that case, select Database at this step.
Select the Backup File

Navigate to the backup file, select it, then click OK.

If SQL Server is running in a Docker container (for example, if you're running SQL Server on a Mac), you'll need to copy the backup file into the Docker container before you can see it here.

Here's how to copy a file from the host to a Docker container.
Review the Settings

This dialog box displays the details of the backup file that will be restored. If you have specific requirements, you can adjust certain settings using the FILES and OPTIONS at the top.

For our example, leave it at the default settings and click Restore to restore the backup.
Restore Complete

Once the restore is complete, a message is displayed confirming that the restore succeeded.
Navigate to the Database

Click the Servers icon in the top-left so that you can navigate to the database.
View the Database

Expand the Databases node to reveal your newly restored database.