When a mission-critical database like SAP HANA goes down, the pressure to restore normal business operations is intense. The clock starts ticking the moment data is inaccessible—whether due to a system failure, human error, or a ransomware attack.
For database administrators, the high-stakes recovery process has traditionally meant initiating complex, multi-step manual procedures using tools like SAP HANA Studio. This fragile approach leaves no room for error.
Rubrik Security Cloud (RSC) uses a UI-based automated recovery process to transform SAP HANA recovery from a stressful manual chore into a simple, automated, and guided workflow directly within the RSC platform.
The Stress of Traditional SAP HANA Recovery
The traditional process for recovering SAP HANA requires DBAs to perform numerous steps outside of a centralized management console. This approach suffers from some critical inefficiencies:
Fragmented Access: Recovery requires navigating multiple interfaces and manually executing commands within SAP HANA Studio or Cockpit.
Error Prone: Critical steps, such as manually selecting and verifying the correct data and log backups, are highly susceptible to human error—especially under pressure during a cyber event.
Time Sink: The lack of a unified, automated workflow meant recovery consumed valuable time that stretched the Recovery Time Objective (RTO).
Limited Automation: Scripting and API integration for recovery operations are often limited or required complicated, custom pre/post-tasks.
Rubrik Security Cloud Adds Automated, UI-Based Recovery
To solve the inefficiencies of the traditional SAP HANA recovery process, we've moved the complexity behind the scenes. Now, DBAs can use a single, intuitive user interface to ensure fast, reliable recovery every time.
This capability delivers four core benefits:
Simplified Workflow: An intuitive, step-by-step UI guides users through recovery, eliminating use of command line and external tools.
Reduced Manual Effort and Increased Reliability: Rubrik manages the entire database recovery process, including stopping the database, mounting and moving data from the selected point-in-time backup, performing cleanups, and unmounting.
Centralized Management: All restore operations can be initiated, monitored, and audited directly from the Rubrik Security Cloud interface.
Additionally, the RSC UI-based automated recovery provides flexible options to meet diverse operational needs, supporting two primary destinations for your SAP HANA database restore:
Restore to the original database: This option is typically used in disaster recovery scenarios where the primary database has been corrupted or lost. It restores the SAP HANA database to its original location, overwriting the existing database with the recovered data.
Restore to a target database (System Copy Restore): This option replaces a target database with a copy of the selected source database. It is often used to create environments for development, testing, quality assurance, or reporting from production backups. The target database can be on the same SAP HANA system or a different one (though the source and target databases must reside in the same Rubrik cluster).
Deep Dive: RSC vs. Traditional Tools
The difference between the manual, traditional approach and the automated workflow is profound. This table highlights the specific ways RSC drastically improves operational ease and efficiency:
Capability | Rubrik Security Cloud (RSC) | SAP HANA Studio/Cockpit (Traditional) |
Ease of Use/Selection | Intuitive UI automatically selects the full backup based on the point-in-time you specify. | Requires manual selection and verification of snapshots. |
Point-in-Time Recovery | Supported directly from the UI with precise timestamp selection. | Supported, but requires multiple manual steps. |
Full Database Recovery | Easy, automated, one-click recovery from the UI. | Requires a multi-step manual procedure. |
System Copy Restore | Fully automated and orchestrated workflow via the RSC Configure System Copy feature to restore to a target database. | Requires manual setup and removal of the system copy after restoration. |
Centralized Visibility | Unified UI for management, monitoring, and recovery tracking. | Requires juggling the RSC UI for snapshot info and SAP HANA Studio separately for recovery. |
RSC is especially impactful for tasks like System Copy Restore (which is now a fully orchestrated workflow) and Point-in-Time recovery (which is simplified with precise timestamp selection right in the UI).
Beyond Recovery: The Security and Operational Advantage
Rubrik Security Cloud’s UI-based automated recovery process isn't just about making recovery easier; it's about making your SAP HANA environment more resilient and auditable.
Rubrik strengthens your protection strategy with automated, policy-driven backups that handle log management and retention seamlessly. Crucially, this unified experience extends across your entire data estate, allowing you to back up and secure other mission-critical databases—such as Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL and Db2—from the same central platform.
Consolidating all of your data protection efforts into an easy-to-use platform delivers additional benefits:
Resilience: By reducing dependency on the SAP HANA backup catalog and maintaining independent backup metadata, RSC provides an added layer of resilience—crucial for recovery following a potential compromise.
Audit and Compliance: RSC provides comprehensive built-in reports and audit logs for all recovery operations, centralizing the reporting function that was previously scattered or minimal in recovery tools.
Automation: Full API integration enables automation using RSC RESTful APIs for advanced scripting and integration into wider disaster recovery playbooks.
Stop relying on manual processes and start achieving reliable recovery with automation.
See the UI-based automated recovery in action, Explore the demo to see how quickly you can restore SAP HANA to any point in time..