A Backup Is Not a Recovery Test
SQL Server can report a successful backup even when important questions about recovery remain unanswered.
Are the files accessible from a recovery environment? Is the necessary full, differential and transaction-log backup chain available? Can an encrypted database be restored with the required keys? Does the restored database pass integrity checks? How long does the tested procedure actually take?
RESTORE VERIFYONLY is useful, but it does not perform a database restore.
A Recovery Assurance Assessment investigates these questions by executing a defined recovery test rather than relying exclusively on configuration reports or backup-job history.
The objective is straightforward: establish what has been demonstrated, identify what has failed and document what remains unverified.
What the Recovery Assurance Assessment Includes
The standard assessment covers one qualifying SQL Server database of up to 100 GB, one agreed recovery point and one customer-provided, isolated restore environment.
Included:
- Review of the selected backup sets, metadata and applicable restore sequence.
- Identification of required full, differential and transaction-log backups, where applicable.
- Review of relevant restore prerequisites, including version compatibility and encryption-key availability.
- One planned, non-production restore attempt to an agreed recovery point.
- A full DBCC CHECKDB integrity check on the restored database where the restore completes and the agreed test conditions permit execution.
- Documentation of the achieved recovery point and observed execution times.
- A written evidence report with results, failures, limitations, risks and recommended next actions.
- One technical walkthrough of the findings.
The report identifies the tested database, backup sets, test environment, execution times and outcomes. Evidence is referenced so the customer's DBA or infrastructure team can review the result.
Not included:
- Restoration directly over a production database.
- Production failover, application cutover or disaster-recovery activation.
- Testing every database, backup set or recovery scenario in an estate.
- Recovery of missing, inaccessible or damaged backup files beyond the agreed test.
- Application-level business-data reconciliation.
- Remediation of backup failures or infrastructure defects.
- A guarantee of future recovery, RPO or RTO.
- Ongoing monitoring or managed DBA support.
If the environment is not suitable for the standard assessment, an alternative scope may be proposed before any engagement is accepted.
What the Evidence Actually Proves
A recovery assessment should produce evidence, not a blanket pass/fail badge. The report distinguishes five outcomes:
- Backup availability — were the selected backup files located and accessible to the test environment?
- Backup metadata and prerequisites — could the required backup information be inspected, and were the necessary restore dependencies available?
- Backup verification — did applicable backup verification checks complete successfully, and what did they establish?
- Actual restore — did the selected backup sequence successfully restore and recover the database on the specified destination?
- Database integrity — did the restored database complete the agreed integrity checks, and what results were reported?
An incomplete or failed step is recorded as such. A database is not described as having passed restore validation unless an actual restore completed. Where possible, the assessment also records the achieved recovery point and the duration of the tested recovery procedure.
Important limitation: These results apply to the specific backups, environment and test conditions. Observed recovery times and recovery points are evidence for recovery planning, not guarantees of future RPO or RTO. Database integrity checks do not independently prove that every business record is semantically correct.
Your Backups and Data Stay Under Your Control
The standard assessment is performed in a non-production environment controlled by the customer.
Backup files, restored databases and encryption keys remain within customer-controlled infrastructure. There is no requirement to email database backups to SummitWright or upload production data to Al's personal infrastructure.
Access is arranged through customer-approved methods. The customer controls the restore destination, permissions, encryption material and authorisation for execution. Where preferred, an authorised customer DBA can execute agreed restore commands while Al supervises the procedure and reviews the evidence.
Written confidentiality, access and data-handling arrangements are agreed before technical work begins. Reports use relevant technical metadata and redacted evidence rather than unnecessary personal or confidential records.
Customer backup files and database contents are not submitted to external AI services as part of the standard assessment.
If the necessary isolated environment or access controls cannot be provided, an actual restore assessment cannot proceed under this package.
Fixed Price, Defined Scope
SQL Server Recovery Assurance Assessment — A$2,450
Fixed price for one qualifying database and restore scenario. The standard package includes up to two scheduled engineering days, the defined restore test, documented evidence and a technical findings walkthrough.
To qualify, the customer must provide:
- One SQL Server database of no more than 100 GB.
- The required backup files or accessible backup storage.
- An isolated SQL Server restore environment with suitable capacity, licensing and compatibility.
- Necessary encryption keys and restore prerequisites, held under customer control.
- Appropriate authorisation, access and a technical contact.
The suitability call confirms whether the proposed test can reasonably be completed within this scope. Larger databases, complex recovery chains, specialist storage dependencies and multi-node recovery scenarios require a separate quotation.
No GST charged — SummitWright is not registered for GST.
Start With a Free 20-Minute Suitability Call
The initial call establishes the database size, backup arrangement, restore environment and desired test outcome. It is not a technical audit and does not include database access.
Work is scheduled in advance. An agreed start date, access requirements and delivery date are confirmed in writing before payment.
If the required test cannot be accommodated safely or within the available schedule, the engagement will not be accepted under the standard package.
Additional recovery testing, remediation and engineering work are separately scoped and authorised.
Check Whether Your Database QualifiesYour SQL Server Engineer
Al Elmi — Founder, SummitWright Pty Ltd
Al is a Brisbane-based software engineer and career SQL Server database professional with experience in production database operations, performance diagnostics, Always On Availability Groups, Failover Clustering, patching, migration and backup/recovery engineering.
His technical approach focuses on reproducible diagnostics, controlled changes, explicit failure handling and evidence that can be independently examined.
Assessments are delivered directly by Al, not handed to an undisclosed subcontracting team.
SummitWright Pty Ltd is an Australian company, ACN 702 814 980, based in Brisbane and providing remote services across Australia.
Is This Assessment Right for You?
Suitable for organisations that:
- Have SQL Server backups but lack evidence of successful restore testing.
- Need an independent review of a specific database's recovery readiness.
- Want observed restore results before changing their backup or recovery strategy.
- Can provide an authorised, isolated test environment.
- Need documented findings for internal engineering or risk discussions.
This is not the right service if:
- A production database has failed and immediate emergency recovery is required.
- There is no suitable restore environment or authorisation to execute testing.
- The requirement is a complete enterprise disaster-recovery certification.
- The expectation is a guaranteed future recovery time or zero data loss.
- The organisation needs 24/7 managed DBA operations.
A separate engagement may be appropriate for a larger recovery exercise, backup architecture review, or Always On AG / Failover Clustering maintenance-readiness assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a successful SQL Server backup or RESTORE VERIFYONLY result enough?
No. A successful backup and a RESTORE VERIFYONLY result provide useful evidence, but neither demonstrates that the database has actually been restored and recovered on a suitable destination. A real restore test, followed by appropriate integrity checks, provides stronger evidence for the specific recovery scenario.
Will production data leave the organisation's infrastructure?
Not under the standard assessment. The test uses an isolated environment controlled by the customer. Backup files and restored database contents remain there. The report contains relevant, minimised technical evidence.
Can the assessment test an Always On Availability Group or Failover Cluster?
The standard price covers one database recovery scenario, not a full cluster failover exercise. AG/FCI recovery and maintenance-readiness testing can be separately scoped, subject to topology, permissions, safety requirements and availability.
Will the assessment prove the organisation can meet its RPO and RTO?
Not across every disaster scenario. It documents the tested recovery point, observed timings, dependencies and limitations. These findings can inform RPO/RTO planning, but a broader recovery exercise may be needed to validate full business-service recovery objectives.
What happens if the restore fails?
The failure is documented with the available evidence, the point of failure, identified dependencies and recommended next steps. The assessment fee covers the agreed test and report, not a guaranteed successful restore. Further investigation or remediation requires separate approval.
Find Out What Your SQL Server Backups Can Actually Recover
A backup job tells you that a backup operation ran. A controlled restore test can establish much more — and identify what still needs attention.
Request a free suitability call to discuss a scoped Recovery Assurance Assessment.
Request a Recovery AssessmentDo not include passwords, backup files, production data or confidential records in the initial contact form.