Hub

Quick checks

Getting data back

A restore counts when the person who uses the data opens it

About 15 minutes, from records you already have

A finished restore tells you files were copied back, not that they are the right ones, the newest ones, or that a database opens. The person who works with that data can tell you quickly.

Yes 2
Written down, with a date (a log, a screen, a document), and it meets your own plan.
Partly 1
Remembered, but not written down, or the record shows you missed your plan.
No 0
Nobody knows, or it was never done. A blank is a finding.

"None, checked on a date" counts as a record. No plan or target written down? Write your guess first, then measure: the guess is your plan.

Tap No, Partly or Yes for each question. Your score adds up as you go. Nothing you tap is saved or sent.

Five questions about your own setup

  1. 1 The last restore someone opened

    Your answer, and where it is written down (with the date) Think of the last restore that a person who uses the data opened. Write in the box: the date, what was restored and where to, who opened it, and their written reply.

    Your answer
    Score 0, 1 or 2This quarterNext quarter

    How to raise it

    Where to find it:
    Your restore log or ticket for the date and the destination, and the saved reply in your email or chat. No such restore yet? Leave the box blank and score 0: a blank box is a finding. This week, restore one shared folder or one database copy (the stored records behind an application) and fill in the box.
    To get it to a 2:
    A dated restore log entry showing the date, the destination and the person, and a written reply from the person who opened it, saved next to it. No interval written down for how often you do this? Write your guess (once a quarter, twice a year) and score against it.
    What this does not prove:
    A reply from one person about one folder does not speak for every system you restore.

  2. 2 Sent to a side location

    Your answer, and where it is written down (with the date) Where did that restore go? A side location is a separate folder or server, never over the live data. Write the destination.

    Your answer
    Score 0, 1 or 2This quarterNext quarter

    How to raise it

    Where to find it:
    The restore screen in your backup tool or its log shows the destination. Compare it with the path the live data sits on.
    To get it to a 2:
    A dated log entry whose destination is not the live location, with the live location written next to it.
    What this does not prove:
    A restore to a side location does not show the same restore would work over the live data in a real outage.

  3. 3 They worked with it

    Your answer, and where it is written down (with the date) Did the person open the restored data and work with it for about ten minutes? Write what they did.

    Your answer
    Score 0, 1 or 2This quarterNext quarter

    How to raise it

    Where to find it:
    Ask the person, or look for the note you took while they did it: the file they opened, the report they ran, the record they searched for.
    To get it to a 2:
    A dated note, with the person's name, of what they did with the data. "Looked fine" with no detail is a 1.
    What this does not prove:
    Ten minutes of ordinary use does not test every file or every screen.

  4. 4 Complete and current

    Your answer, and where it is written down (with the date) Does their written reply say the data is complete and current as of the date you expected? Write the date you expected, and the date the reply gives.

    Your answer
    Score 0, 1 or 2This quarterNext quarter

    How to raise it

    Where to find it:
    The saved reply, and the date you wrote down before the restore. If you did not write one, the date of the backup the restore came from is your guess.
    To get it to a 2:
    A saved reply that says complete and current, and the date it names matches the date you expected, written down before the test.
    What this does not prove:
    A reply that says current as of a date shows that one restore. It does not show how long a restore takes, or that tomorrow's will match.

  5. 5 The next one

    Your answer, and where it is written down (with the date) Is the next restore that a person opens on the calendar, and who will you ask?

    Your answer
    Score 0, 1 or 2This quarterNext quarter

    How to raise it

    Where to find it:
    Your team calendar or change schedule.
    To get it to a 2:
    A date on the calendar inside the interval you wrote for row 1, with the name of the person who will open it.

Your total, out of 10

9-10 Known
Score the same page again next quarter.
5-8 Partly known
Fix your lowest row this week.
0-4 Assumed
Do row 1 this week.

Two rules beat the total: if row 1 scores below 2, the result is Assumed. Any row that missed your plan or guess is your next step.

Who on your side would you ask to open the restored data first?

What this does not prove

One small restore does not prove a whole system comes back, or how long that takes. It shows the restored data was usable to the person who needs it.

Made by StepKnock, a small team in San Diego, paid through our partners when a customer buys. This page sells nothing.

Related

More like this: A backup that passed and a restore that worked are two different results

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