SharePoint Recovery to Restore Unattached Content Database

Content database is one of the most significant components of Microsoft SharePoint Server. It stores a large amount of data that is very important and accessed by various users simultaneously. In order to safeguard the content database and avoid data loss, Microsoft SharePoint has granular content database restore abilities. This SharePoint recovery feature is available in Central Administration. 

The feature of granular content database recovery is available only in the SharePoint 2010. It is an enhancement over the earlier versions. You can restore a damaged or corrupted content database on SharePoint Server using this feature through the following steps:

• Locate the backup of the content database that you need to recover. You must know the original location of the document so that you can match it in content database.
• Once you locate the backup, you have to restore the content database to any temporary storage location. In this mechanism, you have to have the database mounted on MS SQL Server.
• Click “Recover data from an unattached content database” link in Backup and Restore window in the SharePoint Central Administrator.
• Provide the information about temporary database and SQL instance. You also need to specify that what you are willing to do.
• Select list, site, and site collection to export.
• After exporting the data, you have to start MS SharePoint Management Shell. Import the library to the database using Import- SPWeb cmdlet option.
• Once the import process completes, you can browse the library and extract the documents you need. After extracting the required documents, you can remove the library and temporary database.

Although the above SharePoint repair process works in most of the cases of content database corruption, but it needs a complete backup. If backup is not available, this solution can not help you. 

In such critical situations, third-party recovery applications come for your rescue. Such tools are designed to repair and restore damaged database with all its objects. They do not demand advanced technical skills to retrieve inaccessible data.