Backup-DbaComputerCertificate View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Exports computer certificates to disk for SQL Server network encryption backup and disaster recovery.
Description Exports computer certificates from the local or remote certificate store to files on disk. This is essential for backing up certificates used for SQL Server network encryption before server migrations, certificate renewals, or disaster recovery scenarios. The function works with certificate objects from Get-DbaComputerCertificate and supports multiple export formats including standard .
Backup-DbaDatabase View Source Stuart Moore (@napalmgram), stuart-moore.com Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Creates database backups with flexible destination options and enterprise backup features.
Description Creates full, differential, or transaction log backups for SQL Server databases with support for local file systems, Azure blob storage, and advanced backup features like compression, encryption, and striping. Handles backup validation, automatic path creation, and flexible file naming conventions to support both automated and manual backup workflows.
Backup-DbaDbCertificate View Source Jess Pomfret (@jpomfret) Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Exports database certificates and private keys to physical backup files on SQL Server instances.
Description Backs up database certificates by exporting them to .cer (certificate) and .pvk (private key) files on the SQL Server file system. This is essential for disaster recovery scenarios where you need to restore encrypted databases or migrate certificates to another instance. Without backing up certificates, you cannot decrypt TDE-enabled databases or access data encrypted with certificate-based encryption.
Backup-DbaDbMasterKey View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Exports database master keys to encrypted backup files for disaster recovery and compliance.
Description Creates encrypted backup files of database master keys from one or more SQL Server databases. Database master keys are essential for Transparent Data Encryption (TDE), column-level encryption, and other SQL Server encryption features.
This function is critical for disaster recovery planning since losing a database master key makes encrypted data permanently inaccessible.
Backup-DbaServiceMasterKey View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Exports SQL Server Service Master Key to an encrypted backup file for disaster recovery.
Description Creates an encrypted backup of the SQL Server Service Master Key (SMK), which sits at the top of SQL Server’s encryption hierarchy. The Service Master Key encrypts Database Master Keys and certificates, making its backup critical for disaster recovery scenarios where encrypted databases need to be restored or moved between servers.
Copy-DbaBackupDevice View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Migrates SQL Server backup devices between instances including both device definitions and physical files
Description Copies SQL Server backup devices from one instance to another, handling both the logical device definition and the physical backup files. This simplifies server migrations and disaster recovery setup by ensuring backup devices are available on target instances.
Physical backup files are transferred using admin shares, and if the original directory structure doesn’t exist on the destination, files are automatically placed in SQL Server’s default backup directory.
Copy-DbaDatabase View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Migrates SQL Server databases between instances using backup/restore or detach/attach methods.
Description Moves user databases from one SQL Server instance to another, supporting both on-premises and Azure SQL Managed Instance destinations. Ideal for server migrations, environment refreshes, disaster recovery testing, and cloud migrations where you need to relocate entire databases with their data and structure intact.
Offers two migration methods: backup/restore (safer, supports cross-version migrations) and detach/attach (faster, requires same SQL Server version).
Export-DbaBinaryFile View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Extracts binary data from SQL Server tables and writes it to physical files
Description Retrieves binary data stored in SQL Server tables and writes it as files to the filesystem. This is useful for extracting documents, images, or other files that have been stored in database columns using binary, varbinary, or image datatypes.
The function automatically detects filename and binary data columns based on column names and datatypes, but you can specify custom columns if needed.
Export-DbaDbTableData View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Generates INSERT statements from table data for migration and deployment scripts
Description Creates executable INSERT statements from existing table data, making it easy to move data between SQL Server instances or environments. This is particularly useful for migrating reference tables, lookup data, or configuration tables where you need the actual data values rather than just the table structure. The generated scripts include proper USE database context and can be saved to files or piped to other commands for further processing.
Export-DbaScript View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Generates T-SQL CREATE scripts from SQL Server Management Objects for migration and deployment
Description Takes any SQL Server Management Object from dbatools commands and converts it into executable T-SQL CREATE scripts using SMO scripting. This lets you script out database objects like tables, jobs, logins, stored procedures, and more for migration between environments or backup purposes. The function handles proper formatting with batch separators and supports custom scripting options to control what gets included in the output.
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