Windows Plesk ASP.NET - Restoring A Backed Up MSSQL Database

Restoring an MSSQL database to our Plesk ASP.NET hosting servers requires a few steps due to the way Plesk manages the databases.

Due to security restrictions in our shared ASP.NET hosting environments, it is not possible to use the "attach" feature of MSSQL Server to restore your databse. Therefore your MSSQL database needs to be restored using the web admin tool provided within your Plesk Hosting Control Panel.

NOTE: Before you begin you need to have your database backed up to a .bak file located on your local computer. If your database is currently hosted with another hosting provider, you will need to contact them for assistance with this. You may need to install the database onto your local comtuer and then use a tool such as Microsoft's MSSQL Management Studio to back the database up to a .bak file.

Restoring your database:

1. Login to your Plesk control panel, select the "Databases" option from the home page, and then create a new database.
   
   
   

   


2. Create a database user with exactly the same login credentials(username and password) as those from your original database. NOTE: This is very important as the restore function will over wtite the users attached to the current blank database.
   
   
   

   

   


3. Now select the "Webadmin" option, and when the "MyLittleAdmin" web interface opens, select the"tools" menu item on the left and go to the "Restore Wizard (Web Hosting)".
   
   
   

   
   
   
   Note: just select "continue" if you get any warnings about encryption.
   
   
4. in the restore section, select the database you wish to restore to(the one you created earlier) and then navigate to your backup(.bak) file on your computer. Then hit the "Restore Database" button and the process will begin.
   
   
   

   


5. The restore process can take some time so DO NOT navigate away from the restore page. Once the process is completed you will be redirected to a confimation page.
   
   
   

Once the restore has finished you may need to reconnect to your Webadmin session if you wish to continue editing your database using MyLittleAdmin. This is easily done by just closing the browser tab or window and opening a new Webadmin session from Plesk.

Troubleshooting

1. I cannot connect to my database or login to Webadmin after a restore
   
   This usually happens becasue the username or password contained in the database that you restored from differs from the username and password you used when creating your blank database.
   
   Solution:
   1. login to plesk and go to the database section
   2. select the database you are having issues with
   3. remove the existing users that are listed
   4. create a new user for the database

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