SQL Server “RESTORE FILELISTONLY” Resultset

Question

I'm trying to write an automated backup and restore T-SQL scripts. I've done BACKUP part but I'm struggling on RESTORE.

When I run following statement on SS Management Studio;

EXEC('RESTORE FILELISTONLY FROM DISK = ''C:\backup.bak''')

I get a result set in a grid and also I can use

INSERT INTO <temp_table> 
EXEC('RESTORE FILELISTONLY FROM DISK = ''C:\backup.bak''')

to populate a temp table. However I get syntax error, when I try to select from that resultset. e.g

SELECT * FROM  
EXEC('RESTORE FILELISTONLY FROM DISK = ''C:\backup.bak''')

The resultset metadata should be stored somewhere in SQL Server Dictionary. I found other band-aid formula to get my automated restore working, but if can get to the resultset, I would create more elegant solution. Also please note that resultset is different in 2008 than 2005.

Thanks in advance...

Answer 1

Dead-end: SELECT INTO is nice because you don't have to define the table columns but it doesn't support EXEC.

Solution: INSERT INTO supports EXEC, but requires the table to be defined. Using the SQL 2008 definition provided by MSDN I wrote the following script:

DECLARE @fileListTable TABLE (
    [LogicalName]           NVARCHAR(128),
    [PhysicalName]          NVARCHAR(260),
    [Type]                  CHAR(1),
    [FileGroupName]         NVARCHAR(128),
    [Size]                  NUMERIC(20,0),
    [MaxSize]               NUMERIC(20,0),
    [FileID]                BIGINT,
    [CreateLSN]             NUMERIC(25,0),
    [DropLSN]               NUMERIC(25,0),
    [UniqueID]              UNIQUEIDENTIFIER,
    [ReadOnlyLSN]           NUMERIC(25,0),
    [ReadWriteLSN]          NUMERIC(25,0),
    [BackupSizeInBytes]     BIGINT,
    [SourceBlockSize]       INT,
    [FileGroupID]           INT,
    [LogGroupGUID]          UNIQUEIDENTIFIER,
    [DifferentialBaseLSN]   NUMERIC(25,0),
    [DifferentialBaseGUID]  UNIQUEIDENTIFIER,
    [IsReadOnly]            BIT,
    [IsPresent]             BIT,
    [TDEThumbprint]         VARBINARY(32) -- remove this column if using SQL 2005
)
INSERT INTO @fileListTable EXEC('RESTORE FILELISTONLY FROM DISK = ''YourBackupFile.bak''')
SELECT * FROM @fileListTable

Answer 2

You can't SELECT from EXEC. You can only INSERT into a table (or table variable) the result set of an EXEC.

As for automating restore, the answer at Fully automated SQL Server Restore already gives you everything you need to build a solution. Whether automated restore of databases with unknown file list is something to be attempted, that is a different topic.

Answer 3

This is a code working with all version between SQL 2005 and SQL 2017 :

CREATE TABLE #FileListHeaders (     
     LogicalName    nvarchar(128)
    ,PhysicalName   nvarchar(260)
    ,[Type] char(1)
    ,FileGroupName  nvarchar(128) NULL
    ,Size   numeric(20,0)
    ,MaxSize    numeric(20,0)
    ,FileID bigint
    ,CreateLSN  numeric(25,0)
    ,DropLSN    numeric(25,0) NULL
    ,UniqueID   uniqueidentifier
    ,ReadOnlyLSN    numeric(25,0) NULL
    ,ReadWriteLSN   numeric(25,0) NULL
    ,BackupSizeInBytes  bigint
    ,SourceBlockSize    int
    ,FileGroupID    int
    ,LogGroupGUID   uniqueidentifier NULL
    ,DifferentialBaseLSN    numeric(25,0) NULL
    ,DifferentialBaseGUID   uniqueidentifier NULL
    ,IsReadOnly bit
    ,IsPresent  bit
)
IF cast(cast(SERVERPROPERTY('ProductVersion') as char(4)) as float) > 9 -- Greater than SQL 2005 
BEGIN
    ALTER TABLE #FileListHeaders ADD TDEThumbprint  varbinary(32) NULL
END
IF cast(cast(SERVERPROPERTY('ProductVersion') as char(2)) as float) > 12 -- Greater than 2014
BEGIN
    ALTER TABLE #FileListHeaders ADD SnapshotURL    nvarchar(360) NULL
END
INSERT INTO #FileListHeaders
EXEC ('RESTORE FILELISTONLY FROM DISK = N''BackupFileName.bak''')

SELECT * FROM #FileListHeaders

DROP TABLE #FileListHeaders