In one of the key tasks you may encounter is how to recover a database or container from a recovery point. This is especially useful for those who want to ensure the maintainability and reliability of their application. In this post, we will take an in-depth look at how this process can be accomplished.
Understanding Recovery Points in Azure Cosmos DB
Before we dive into the recovery process, it’s crucial to understand what recovery points are and why they are essential. In Azure Cosmos DB, a recovery point is a snapshot of your database or container at a specific point in time. Think of it as a save point or a backup that you can return to if something goes wrong in the future.
When enabled, Azure Cosmos DB automatically creates and manages these recovery points for databases and containers with periodic backup policy. The system retains these snapshots for a configurable retention period that can be up to 30 days or automatically deleted when backup storage consumption reaches the storage limit associated with your account.
Step-by-Step Guide to Restore a Database or Container
To restore a database or container from a recovery point, you would typically consult Azure Cosmos DB’s built-in restore functionality. Follow these steps:
- Step 1: Navigate to the Azure portal and select the Azure Cosmos DB account that contains the database or container you wish to restore.
- Step 2: In your Azure Cosmos DB account page, find and select the “Data Management” section, then click on “Backup Policy”.
- Step 3: In the Backup Policy pane, select “Periodic” if it’s not already chosen. In the Retention section, you’ll be able to see the number of days your backups are kept. By default, this setting is 8 days.
- Step 4: Now, you can initiate the restore process. Back in the Azure Cosmos DB account pane, find the “Operations” section and click on “Restore”.
- Step 5: In the Restore pane, you need to provide the Restore Time (point in time to which your database or container will be restored), Database ID (ID of the database you want to restore), and Collection ID (ID of the container you want to restore).
- Step 6: Once you fill out the necessary information and click on the “OK” button, Azure will start the restoration process. The time it takes to complete the restoration depends on the size of your database or container.
Key Points
- Restoring a database or container from a recovery point will speed up the recovery process and reduce the risk of data loss.
- Azure Cosmos DB’s built-in recovery tool makes the process relatively straightforward.
- Note that the restoration process does not affect the live production data. It creates a new database or container.
- In a situation where you cannot locate the backup or if it is beyond the retention period, connecting with the Azure support team could help you recover the data.
Restoring from a recovery point is a valuable feature that offers numerous advantages, particularly in a disaster recovery situation. Indeed, having prior knowledge of such features helps to ace the DP-420: Designing and Implementing Native Applications Using Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB exam. Remember the best defense against data loss is often a good backup strategy!
Practice Test
True or False: In Azure Cosmos DB, recovery points are created automatically.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure Cosmos DB automatically takes backups of your data at regular intervals without affecting the performance or availability of your operations.
True or False: Azure Cosmos DB provides Point-in-Time-Restore capability.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure Cosmos DB provides ‘Point-in-Time-Restore’ (PITR) which allows recovery of data from a certain recovery point.
Single Select Question: Which of the following is a crucial step to take before performing a recovery operation on a database or container?
- a) Disable backup service
- b) Enable Point-in-time restore
- c) Delete the recovery points
- d) Increase throughput
Answer: b. Enable Point-in-time restore
Explanation: To be able to restore from a recovery point, point-in-time restore capability needs to be enabled on the account.
Single Select Question: The Azure Cosmos DB system automatically manages the backup retention period for how long?
- a) 24 Hours
- b) 8 Days
- c) 30 Days
- d) 1 Year
Answer: c. 30 Days
Explanation: Azure Cosmos DB provides automatic backups with a retention period of 30 days.
True or False: The cost of restoring a database or container from a recovery point in Azure Cosmos DB is free.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: There are costs associated with performing a restore operation in Azure Cosmos DB depending upon various factors such as the data size.
Single Select Question: What is the default interval for automatic backups in Azure Cosmos DB?
- a) Every 4 hours or 100 GB of write operations
- b) Every 2 hours or 200 GB of write operations
- c) Every hour or 50 GB of write operations
- d) Every 10 minutes or 1 GB of write operations
Answer: a. Every 4 hours or 100 GB of write operations
Explanation: By default, Azure Cosmos DB takes automatic backups every 4 hours or after every 100 GB of write operations (whichever happens first).
True or False: Azure Cosmos DB provides a user-friendly interface to restore the data from a recovery point.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: In Azure Cosmos DB, Azure portal, PowerShell, and CLI can be used to restore data which provides a user-friendly interface.
Multiple Select Question: Which of the following restore options are provided by Azure Cosmos DB?
- a) Point-in-Time Restore
- b) Restore to a new account
- c) Restore to an existing account
- d) Full Restore
Answer: a. Point-in-Time Restore, b. Restore to a new account, c. Restore to an existing account
Explanation: Azure Cosmos DB provides Point-in-Time Restore, restoration to a new or existing account as part of its recovery options.
True or False: You can only perform a single restore operation at a time in Azure Cosmos DB.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure Cosmos DB supports concurrently restoring multiple databases and containers.
Single Select Question: A recovery from a backup in the Azure Cosmos DB results in ___________.
- a) downtime
- b) reduced throughput
- c) data loss
- d) increased cost
Answer: d. increased cost
Explanation: A recovery from a backup operation in Azure Cosmos DB could increase cost as there are costs associated to perform the restore operations.
Interview Questions
What is a recovery point in the context of Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB?
A recovery point in Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB is a specific point in time to which you can restore your database or container. This feature allows you to recover data in the event of accidental deletion or modification.
What up to what time period can Azure Cosmos DB maintain the backups of our data?
Azure Cosmos DB maintains backups of our data for the last 30 days.
Is it possible to trigger the backups manually in Azure Cosmos DB?
No, it is not possible to trigger backups manually in Azure Cosmos DB. They are taken automatically and invisibly without affecting the performance of the database operations.
How can we restore data from a recovery point in Azure Cosmos DB?
To restore data from a recovery point in Azure Cosmos DB, we need to create a support request with Microsoft Azure. The request should include requested recovery point and time, source account, target account details, and the containers to be restored.
Do we need to stop or pause our application while restoring from a recovery point in Azure Cosmos DB?
No, there is no need to pause or stop your application during the restore operation. Azure Cosmos DB allows you to restore to a new account which means your application can continue to run against the original account.
Is there any performance impact during the restore operation in Azure Cosmos DB?
No, restoring data from a recovery point does not impact the performance or availability of the Cosmos DB service.
Can we perform point-in-time recovery at the level of individual items within a container?
No, point in time recovery is supported only at the Azure Cosmos container level. Individual items cannot be restored separately.
What is the best strategy to safeguard our data in Azure Cosmos DB?
Implementing periodic backups, using the automatic backup feature of Azure Cosmos DB, and setting up geo-redundancy are important strategies to safeguard your data.
In case of accidental deletion, can the automatic backup feature of Azure Cosmos DB restore my data?
Yes, Azure Cosmos DB has the provision to restore data from any of the backups taken within the last 30 days.
Can Azure Cosmos DB automatically switch to the secondary region in the case of a regional outage?
Yes, if your Azure Cosmos DB database is distributed across multiple regions, it can automatically failover to a secondary region during a regional outage.
Can we restore the backup to the same container or database in Azure Cosmos DB?
No, the restored data can’t be restored to the same container or database. It must be restored to a new container or database.
Do we get any notification when the restore operation is completed in Azure Cosmos DB?
Yes, once the restore operation is completed, an Azure support engineer will confirm the completion of your restore request.
Are there any extra costs associated with data restoration in Azure Cosmos DB?
Yes, data restoration in Azure Cosmos DB is a billable event and extra costs may apply.
What is the role of the Azure support center in the restore process in Cosmos DB?
Since Azure Cosmos DB doesn’t allow direct user-initiated restore processes, any restore process needs to initiated by creating a support request. The Azure support center is responsible for taking these requests and initiating the restore process.
How often does Azure Cosmos DB take automatic backups?
Azure Cosmos DB automatically takes a backup of your data every four hours.
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