Patent ID: 7822717

Claim:
A method for restoring a database to a particular state at a point-in-time, the method comprising: sending a query from a database server including the database to a backup server requesting a list of all backup versions for the database stored on storage devices, wherein the backup server manages the backup versions using a file index and a media database, the file index includes backed up files and the media database tracks locations at which the backed up files are stored; receiving at the database server the list of all backup versions for the database from the backup server at a time t 3 , the backup server including a computing device; determining at the database server a time t 0 at which a most recent backup version in the list was created; presenting a graphical user interface to specify a restore time for the database and to select a specific backup version from the list of all backup versions for the database; receiving first input to specify the restore time and identify the specific backup version in the graphical user interface, wherein the restore time identifies the restore time as a point in time t 2 subsequent to time t 0 and prior to time t 3 , and wherein the graphical user interface specifies that the restore time is to be selected between the time t 0 and the time t 3 , and wherein the specific backup version occurred at or prior to the time t 0 ; automatically formulating at the database server a command set from at least the first input, wherein the command set, when executed, functions to restore the database to a state that existed at time t 2 by: automatically identifying particular backup versions included in the list of backup versions which are to be restored based on the specific backup version identified in the first input, the particular backup versions including the specific backup version, wherein the particular backup versions include a prior full backup version and the specific backup version includes an incremental backup; automatically determining an order in which the particular backup versions are to be restored based on the first input based on an creation times of the particular backup versions; and making a backup copy of a database transaction log for transactions that occurred since the most recent backup of the database during execution of the command set; restoring the particular backups in the determined order according to the command set; and performing transactions in the backup copy of the database transaction log that occurred after the time t 0 and prior to the time t 2 after restoring the particular backup versions identified in the command set from the first input, wherein the transaction log is stored at the database server.