As part of our build and deploy job in the user group project we create a backup of our Azure database before we run any data migrations. If something goes wrong, we do not lose any data and can restore our cloud database to a known good state.
It would be a great opportunity to take this backup file and restore our database to the local SQL Server on our developer machines. Unfortunately, the backup tool creates a *.bacpac file and not a *.bak. Restoring a *.bacpac file needs a few additional steps and, most importantly, a different entry point in the SQL Server Management Studio to start the restore process.
Instead of going to the database node and select “Restore Database…” from the context menu you need to select the entry “Import Data-tier Application…“:
This opens a wizard that will guide you through the restore process:
On step two you can specify which file you want to restore:
In step three you can change the name of the restored database and choose a location for the data file path and the logs:
On the summary screen is your last chance to check if everything is in order. If this is the case, you can start to restore your database. As soon as everything is done you get a success message and from now on your restored Azure database works like any ordinary database.
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