How to backup accidentally deleted data from the table in SQL Server?
How to backup accidentally deleted data from table in SQL Server?
266
26-Dec-2024
Updated on 16-Mar-2025
Khushi Singh
16-Mar-2025Various data recovery methods exist to restore tables deleted by mistake within SQL Server databases based on their configuration and circumstances. A lost database will be easiest to recover by restoring from a backup that exists. A recovery process that depends on the absence of recent backup starts when all other methods fail.
A preferred method to retrieve lost data involves the Transaction Log only when the Full Recovery Mode is enabled. Data recovery becomes possible through the transaction log because this system tracks all changes and users can choose a time before deletion to restore their lost information. The database recovery needs to establish a temporary state through point-in-time restoration to permit the retrieval of lost data.
The
fn_dblog()function along with third-party tools enables users to check the SQL Server Transaction Log thereby locating deleted data through log entry analysis. The table contains the ability to reconstruct deleted rows through log analysis thus preparing them for reinsertion back into the table.The process of retrieving deleted records becomes simpler when Change Data Capture (CDC) or Temporal Tables feature exists in the database. With CDC active databases maintain track of modifications whereas Temporal Tables maintain historical data automatically. The data retrieval process with these features does not need log analysis or full recovery to restore the lost information.
Organizations struggle to recover their Simple Recovery Mode databases because they lack transaction log backups at their disposal. Specialized SQL recovery tools become potentially effective when data pages have not received any new transactions and deletion took place recently.
Future accidental data removals can be prevented by adopting soft-deletion functionality or database-triggered audit table creation and storage into the database. The most effective data protection method consists of scheduled backups alongside the activation of point-in-time recovery features.