AWS RDS SQL Server Restore Guide (eu-west-2)

This guide walks through restoring an Amazon RDS SQL Server instance from AWS Backup in the eu-west-2 Region, including post-restore validation.

Step 1 — Open AWS Backup Console

  1. Sign in to the AWS Backup Console.
  2. In the left-hand menu, select Protected resources.
  3. Locate your RDS SQL Server instance to restore.
Protected Resources

Step 2 — Select Recovery Point

  1. Filter by Resource type = RDS and database engine = SQL Server.
  2. Click the database instance to view recovery points.
  3. Select the recovery point you want and click Restore.
RDS Recovery Point

Step 3 — Configure Restore Settings

  1. Choose Restore type: RDS DB instance.
  2. Select the same VPC, Subnet group, and availability zone if required.
  3. Set DB instance identifier, DB class, storage type, and allocated storage.
  4. Optionally configure public accessibility, security groups, and parameter groups.
  5. Choose the IAM role AWSBackupDefaultServiceRole if prompted.
  6. Click Restore backup to start the restore.
Restore Settings

Step 4 — Monitor Restore Job

  1. Go to Jobs → Restore jobs in AWS Backup.
  2. Wait until the status is Completed.
  3. If errors appear, check IAM permissions and quotas.
Restore Jobs

Step 5 — Validate the Restored RDS Instance

  1. Open RDS Console → Databases.
  2. Locate the new restored instance (new DB identifier).
  3. Verify instance status, endpoint, VPC, subnet, security groups, and parameter groups.
  4. Connect via SQL Server Management Studio or preferred client to test databases, users, and data integrity.
Validate RDS Instance

Step 6 — Post-Restore Configuration

  1. Update application connection strings if DB identifier or endpoint changed.
  2. Verify automated backups, snapshots, and maintenance settings.
  3. Test connectivity and run key queries to confirm data is intact.
  4. Optionally delete or retain the old RDS instance to control costs.
Ensure any Elastic IPs, Route 53 DNS entries, or security group references are updated if needed.

✅ Your RDS SQL Server instance has been successfully restored from AWS Backup in eu-west-2.