Cross server restore for Azure SQL DW?

Question

Let's say I have a mydev.database.windows.net Azure SQL Server and Azure SQL DW database for development. And I have a myprod.database.windows.net for prod. If I want to restore prod to dev (cross server) is that possible? From what I can see in the documentation (see the -TargetServerName switch documentation), it is not possible.

Are there recommended workarounds other than scripting out all the objects then using a Polybase CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE AS SELECT command to export all tables to blobs then import those tables with Polybase?

The recommended approach to cross server restores with Azure SQL Database (not DW) is to export to a bacpac file then restore, but I don't believe that's an option for Azure SQL DW right?

I may start creating prod and dev on the same Azure SQL Server (as long as the customer wants both in the same Azure subscription). I would prefer the servers be separate, but ease of restore is important.

Answer 1

This will depend on the frequency and freshness of the restores today. The simplest approach is to restore one of the snapshots we take in the background to support RPO. This is called geo-restore. Snapshots are taken at least every eight hours. However, in practice you will see these taken more frequently. As RPO improves over time so will the frequency of snapshots.

To perform a geo-restore of production into dev you can go to the portal and begin the provisioning process. In the provisioning blade for SQL DW select your dev server. Under select source choose "backup". This will extend the provisioning blade as you will need to then choose the backup you want to use. The rest should be straight forward.

If you need to do this much more frequently or against an "on demand" (ie times of your choosing) snap then you would need to build out custom code as you suggest. However, if you are ok to live with our snapshots then the geo-restore would be a good option.

The team are looking for customer feedback on RPO and backup / restore requirements. If you have a business need for more frequent snapshots to support a business case then the team would love to hear from you. Please post this on our user voice feedback channel or reach out to us directly at sqldwfeedback@microsoft.com if business sensitive.