SQL Backup Validation Automation
Automation that validates SQL Server backup reliability - not just that a backup file exists, but that it can actually be restored - and reports on the results.
Repository link coming soon
Problem Statement
A backup job finishing "successfully" is not the same as a backup being usable. This project automates restoring backups to a scratch instance/database on a schedule, running consistency checks, and generating a report of which backups actually validated versus which ones only looked fine in the job history.
Architecture
Technologies Used
- T-SQL for restore automation and DBCC CHECKDB validation.
- PowerShell for orchestration, cleanup of scratch databases, and report generation.
- SQL Agent for scheduling validation runs outside business hours.
Screenshots
Screenshots coming soon.
Lessons Learned
The main insight from building this was how often "backup completed successfully" and "backup is restorable" turned out to be different questions in practice - especially after storage or configuration changes. Automating the restore-and-check cycle turned backup validation from a manual, easy-to-skip task into something that runs whether or not anyone remembers to check.