ApsaraDB RDS:Restore databases and tables

Differences in database and table restoration modes

Two restoration modes are available for individual databases and tables: standard and fast. The fast restoration for individual databases and tables feature uses a performance-type sandbox instance and is 50% to 95% faster than standard restoration for the same data volume. To use the fast restoration feature, you must first enable the feature and then restore data from the backup sets created after the feature is enabled to an original or new instance.

For more information, see Overview of data restoration solutions (comparison of restoration speeds).

Prerequisites

Considerations

• Enabled by default:

  • The standard database and table recovery feature is enabled by default for new instances and cannot be disabled.

  • A restoration task cannot be paused or canceled once it starts.

• Log backup requirements:

  Point-in-time recovery requires that log backup is enabled for the instance. If log backup is not enabled, fast database and table recovery will fail.

• Primary/secondary switchover and service interruption:

  • For instances that use high-performance local disks:

    • Restoring data to the original instance triggers a primary/secondary switchover, which may cause a service interruption of 30 to 120 seconds. Ensure your application has an automatic reconnection mechanism.

    • Restoring data to a new instance does not trigger a primary/secondary switchover.

  • For instances that use cloud disks:

    • Restoring data to the original instance does not trigger a primary/secondary switchover, but it may affect the performance of the original instance or even cause an instance switchover.

    • A full backup is created after the restoration is complete.

Limitations

• Database and table restoration limitations (standard/fast):

  • You can restore data only from databases and tables that use the InnoDB storage engine. Restoration from the X-Engine storage engine is not supported.

  • Partitioned tables, views, and stored procedures are not supported. To restore these objects, use the full data restoration feature.

  • You cannot restore a table if the relevant binlogs contain a rename operation for the table, or if the table has a generated column.

  • Constraint restoration: database and table restoration supports restoring primary keys, unique indexes, and regular indexes (INDEX/KEY), but not foreign key constraints, triggers, or full-text indexes (FULLTEXT INDEX).

    Important

    The restoration process automatically removes foreign key constraints to ensure it succeeds. If you require foreign key constraints, you must manually recreate them after the restoration is complete.

• Table count limitations:

  • For database and table restoration to succeed, an instance must have 50,000 or fewer tables.

  • Restoration may take significantly longer depending on the data volume, the number of databases and tables to restore, and the number of binlogs processed for the specified time range.

• Limitations for fast database and table restoration:

  • For an instance that uses high-performance local disks, you can restore data only to the original instance, not to a new one.

  • You cannot use fast database and table restoration on an instance if it has a read-only node, uses Transparent Data Encryption (TDE), or does not have log backup enabled.

Billing

1. Enable Fast Database/Table Restoration

To use Fast Database/Table Restoration, first enable the feature by following the steps below. Then, use a backup set created after enabling the feature for Database/Table Restoration. This feature is available only for instances with high-performance local disks that meet the prerequisites. Enabling the feature does not affect your services.

1. Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides. Then, find the RDS instance and click the ID of the instance.

2. In the navigation pane on the left, click Backup and Restoration.

   Note

   If a billing dialog box for Fast Database/Table Restoration appears, select the Do not show again. checkbox and then enable the free or paid edition as needed. If the dialog box does not appear, proceed with the following steps.

3. On the Backup and Restoration page, click the Backup Strategy tab.

4. In the Basic Backup section, click Edit and set Fast Database/Table Restoration to Enabled.

5. Configure CDM Billing Method and CDM Retention Period. This feature is available in a free edition and a paid edition:

   • Free edition: Supports restoration from a backup set only. Set CDM Billing Method to Previous Full Backup Point in Time (Free Edition). The retention period for restored data is one day.

   • Paid edition: Supports restoration from a backup set or to a specific point in time (requires log backup to be enabled in advance). Set CDM Billing Method to Any Point in Time (Paid Edition). You can set the data retention period from 1 to 730 days.

6. Click OK.

2. Restore databases and tables to the original or a new instance

1. Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides. Then, find the RDS instance and click the ID of the instance.

2. In the navigation pane on the left, click Backup and Restoration, and then click Restore Individual Database/Table.

   Note

   • If the Restore Individual Database/Table button is not displayed in the console, check whether the requirements in the Prerequisites section are met.

   • If the console does not respond after you click the Restore Individual Database/Table button, clear the browser cache and try again.

   • If a message indicates insufficient storage capacity, you can first expand the storage capacity and then retry the restoration.

3. Configure the restoration destination and method.

   Parameter	Description
   Restore to	Restore to original instance Restore to new instance (available only for instances that use high-performance local disks): The system creates a new RDS instance. This process does not affect the original instance. After you verify the data on the new instance, you can also migrate the data back to the original instance.
   Restore speed	Standard Fast (supported only when you restore data to the original instance): This option increases the restoration speed by 50% to 95%. For more information, see Emergency recovery for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL.
   Restore method	By backup set By time (requires log backups to be enabled): The system first restores data from a full backup and then applies incremental log backups to restore the instance to a specific point in time. You can select any point in time within the log backup retention period. To view or modify the log backup retention period, see Automatic backup. For example, if the data backup and log backup retention periods of an RDS instance are both seven days, you can restore data from up to seven days ago. Backup sets older than seven days are deleted and cannot be used for restoration. Note The free edition of the fast restoration feature does not support point-in-time recovery. It only supports restoration from a backup set.

4. Select the databases or tables that you want to restore, specify new names for the restored databases or tables, and then click OK.

   Note

   • You can select a maximum of 50 databases or tables at a time.

   • When you restore data to the original instance, the existing data on the original instance is not affected. Restored databases require unique names, while restored tables can reuse existing names. By default, the system appends _backup to the restored database's name, which you can then modify.

   • When restoring data to the original instance, ensure the instance has enough available storage capacity for the selected databases and tables.

5. If you perform a standard restoration and select Restore to new instance for an instance that uses high-performance local disks, you must select a billing method and configure the parameters for the new instance.

   • Subscription: You must pay for the instance when you create it. This billing method is suitable for long-term use.

   • Pay-as-you-go: You are charged on an hourly basis. This billing method is suitable for short-term use. You can release the instance at any time to reduce costs.

   Parameter	Description
   Zone	A zone is an independent physical area within a region. There are no substantial differences between zones. You can create the RDS instance in the same zone as an ECS instance or in a different zone. Note The new instance must be in the same region as the original instance. You cannot change the region.
   Instance type	Each instance type provides a specific number of vCPUs, memory size, maximum number of connections, and maximum IOPS.
   Storage capacity	The storage capacity includes space for data, system files, log files, and transaction files.
   Network type	VPC (default). A VPC is an isolated network environment that provides higher security and performance than Classic Network.

6. You can view the progress of the database and table restoration or the creation of the new instance on the Tasks page.

   Limitations

   • A restoration task cannot be suspended or interrupted after it starts.

   • Only one restoration task can run at a time. If you start another restoration task while one is already in progress, the following error is returned: The operation failed. The RDS instance is not in a ready state. Wait for the current task to complete before starting another.

   • If read-only instances are attached to the primary instance and a restoration task is in progress, the system automatically synchronizes data from the primary instance to all read-only instances after the restoration task is complete. This ensures data consistency between the primary and secondary instances.

7. Connect to the RDS for MySQL instance to view the data that is restored to the original or new instance.

   Note

   • Make sure that the account that you use to connect to the instance has the permissions to view or manage databases. We recommend using a privileged account.

   • If you use DMS to connect to the RDS for MySQL instance, you must right-click the instance and select Refresh / Sync Dictionary after the restoration is complete. The new database will then appear in the list.

   You can use DTS to migrate the data from the new instance back to the original.

Related operations

Related APIs

FAQ