Another great new feature of DPM 2010 is the ability for to provide SQL administrators the ability to restore their own databases. Using the new Self-Service Recovery functionality, you can specify which user or group in AD can restore which databases and where they can recover them to.
What makes this even better is how easy it is to setup; open the DPM console and click "Configure self service recovery for SQL ..."
Wait for the DPM Self Service Recovery Configuration Tool for SQL Server window to open and click Create Role... .
On the Create New Role Getting started page, click Next.
Specify a unique name to identify your role and enter a useful description. Under Security Groups, enter the groups that will be included in this role, in my environment all SQL Admins are the SQL Admins group so I just added that.
Select the SQL instances and databases that this role will be allowed to recover. You have to enter an instance but if you want all databases within an instance to be recoverable by users in this role, leave the Database Name field empty.
Now select whether you would like users to be able to recover databases to other SQL server instances. If you allow users to recover to other instances, a new table will become available where you can specify the instances that users are allowed to recover to.
Review the summary is correct and Finish.
A prompt should appear stating that the configuration was successfully saved. Unfortunately this prompt doesn't look much like it's informing you of something successful but hopefully this might be improved at RTM.
Your new role should now be listed under Roles.
And that's that done, your self service role has been created which has given your selected users permission to recover specified databases to select locations.
"How do my SQL admins perform a self service restore?" I now here you ask. Well that is pretty simple too, just install the Self Service Recovery Tool and they're up and running. The Self Service Recovery Tool installer is located on the DPM 2010 install media in the DpmSqlEURInstaller folder, just run the DPMSQLEur_x64.msi or DPMSQLEur_x86.msi depending on your architecture. When the installer wizard open, just click Install.
What's great about this is that the Self Service Recovery Tool does not need to be installed on a SQL server, which will please your SQL admins, it can be installed on any other server or desktop (I've only tested on Server 2008, Server 2008 R2 and Win7).
Once installed, run the DPM Self Service Recovery Tool from the Start menu. Click the Connect to Server... button.
Enter the DPM server name that is protecting your databases, click Connect.
Click Next on the recovery wizard welcome page.
From the drop down menus, select the instance and then database to be recovered. Only the instances and databases specified in the role that user belongs to will be viewable.
Select the recovery point to restore from just as you would in the DPM console.
Select a recovery type; some options may be grayed out depending on how the role was configured.
Specify the server and destination folder of where you would like the restored files placed.
Select the required restore security option.
Check the summary page that everything is correct and hit Recover.
Once again you'll receive a rather bland prompt advising that the recovery job was started successful.
On the server you are restoring the database files to, navigate to the restore location and you'll see the recovered files!
This is a great feature and can see it being extremely popular... Enjoy everyone!
If you have any questions regarding this or anything else DPM related, please post at the forum.
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David Allen
MVP System Center Operations Manager
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