Find-DbaBackup View Source Chris Sommer (@cjsommer), www.cjsommer.com Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Searches filesystem directories for SQL Server backup files based on age and extension criteria.
Description Recursively scans specified directories to locate SQL Server backup files (.bak, .trn, .dif, etc.) older than your defined retention period. Returns file objects that can be piped to removal commands or processed for cleanup workflows.
This function replaces manual directory searches when managing backup retention policies.
Format-DbaBackupInformation View Source Stuart Moore (@napalmgram), stuart-moore.com Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Modifies backup history metadata to prepare database restores with different names, paths, or locations
Description Takes backup history objects from Select-DbaBackupInformation and transforms them for restore scenarios where you need to change database names, file locations, or backup paths. This is essential for disaster recovery situations where you’re restoring to different servers, renaming databases, or moving files to new storage locations.
Get-DbaBackupDevice View Source Garry Bargsley (@gbargsley), blog.garrybargsley.com Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Retrieves configured backup devices from SQL Server instances for inventory and management
Description This function returns all backup devices configured on SQL Server instances, including their type (disk, tape, URL), physical locations, and settings. Backup devices are logical names that map to physical backup destinations, allowing DBAs to create standardized backup locations that can be referenced in backup scripts and maintenance plans.
Chrissy LeMaire (@cl) | Stuart Moore (@napalmgram)
Get-DbaBackupInformation View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl) , Stuart Moore (@napalmgram) Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Scans backup files and reads their headers to create structured backup history objects for restore operations
Description Reads the headers of SQL Server backup files to extract metadata and creates BackupHistory objects compatible with Restore-DbaDatabase. This eliminates the need to manually track backup chains and file locations when planning database restores.
The function identifies valid SQL Server backup files from a given path, reads their headers using the SQL Server instance, and organizes them into backup sets.
Get-DbaBinaryFileTable View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Identifies tables containing binary columns and their associated filename columns for file extraction operations.
Description Scans database tables to find those containing binary data columns (binary, varbinary, image) and automatically identifies potential filename columns for file extraction workflows. This function is essential when you need to extract files that have been stored as BLOBs in SQL Server tables but aren’t sure which tables contain binary data or how the filenames are stored.
Chrissy LeMaire (@cl) | Stuart Moore (@napalmgram)
Get-DbaDbBackupHistory View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl) , Stuart Moore (@napalmgram) Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Retrieves backup history records from MSDB for analysis and compliance reporting.
Description Queries the MSDB database backup tables to extract detailed backup history information including file paths, sizes, compression ratios, and LSN sequences. Essential for compliance auditing, disaster recovery planning, and troubleshooting backup issues without having to manually query system tables. The function automatically groups striped backup sets into single objects and excludes copy-only backups by default, making the output more practical for restoration scenarios.
Get-DbaDbExtentDiff View Source Viorel Ciucu, cviorel.com Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Calculates the percentage of database extents modified since the last full backup
Description Analyzes database extents to determine how much data has changed since the last full backup, helping DBAs decide between differential and full backup strategies. The function examines extent-level modifications (groups of 8 pages) to provide accurate change percentages, which is essential for optimizing backup schedules and storage requirements.
Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net | Andreas Jordan (@JordanOrdix), ordix.de
Get-DbaDbFileMapping View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net , Andreas Jordan (@JordanOrdix), ordix.de Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Creates file mapping hashtable from existing database for use in restore operations
Description Extracts the logical-to-physical file name mappings from an existing database and returns them in a hashtable format compatible with Restore-DbaDatabase. This eliminates the need to manually specify file paths when restoring databases to different servers or locations. The function reads both data files and log files from the database’s file groups and creates a complete mapping that preserves the original file structure during restore operations.
Get-DbaDbRecoveryModel View Source Viorel Ciucu (@viorelciucu), cviorel.com Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Retrieves database recovery model settings and backup history information from SQL Server instances.
Description Retrieves recovery model configuration for databases along with their last backup dates, which is essential for backup strategy planning and compliance auditing. DBAs use this to identify databases with inappropriate recovery models for their business requirements, troubleshoot transaction log growth issues, and ensure backup policies align with recovery model settings.
Get-DbaDbRestoreHistory View Source Chrissy LeMaire (@cl), netnerds.net Windows, Linux, macOS Synopsis Retrieves database restore history from MSDB for compliance reporting and recovery analysis.
Description Queries the MSDB database’s restorehistory and backupset tables to retrieve detailed information about all database restore operations performed on a SQL Server instance. This function returns comprehensive restore details including who performed the restore, when it occurred, what type of restore was performed, and the source and destination file paths.
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