AppSync allows you to create copies of your SQL Server database for application testing and validation, test and development, reporting, data masking, and data analytics. AppSync identifies copies that are created from a repurpose action as first-generation and second-generation copies. The source of a second-generation copy is a first-generation copy. You can create multiple second-generation copies from a first-generation copy.
Types of repurposing
- Native array Repurposing: The first-generation copy is a copy of the source database. For example, an array-based snapshot of the source is the first-generation copy.
- RecoverPoint bookmark Repurposing: The first-generation copy is a copy of the LUN at the local or remote replication site in the RecoverPoint consistency group. The first-generation copy is the array LUN taken from the LUN which is used by RecoverPoint as an intermediary step.
Additional information about repurposing
- The first-generation copy can be used as source for multiple second-generation copies.
- Both first- and second-generation repurposed copies can be either on-demand or scheduled.
- Restoring second-generation copies is not supported. Only first-generation copies are restored.
- Restoring a first-generation copy is not supported for RecoverPoint bookmark repurposing.
- Restoring a first-generation copy is not supported in remote VMAX operations. Remote VMAX copies cannot be restored.
- The first-generation copy of a database is generally an application-consistent copy. It includes application discovery, mapping, and database freeze or thaw, with options to use Non-VDI or Crash-Consistent as shown in the following figure.
Figure 15. Repurpose SQL-specific copy options
- VSS Retry Options can be configured by clicking the Advanced Plan Settings. This configuration includes a VSS retry count and a retry interval in seconds for freeze/thaw operations using the repurposing workflow. VSS retry options are not applicable when creating Crash-Consistent SQL copies.
- Second-generation copies are created using the first-generation copy as the source, without impacting the application. They do not include application discovery, mapping, nor application freeze/thaw. If a first-generation copy is mounted with recovery when the second-generation copy is refreshed, the second-generation copy might not be recoverable after the mount.
- Refreshing mounted Crash-Consistent or Recover Point APIT copies of clustered SQL databases, which are mounted to a production cluster, are not supported. VDS mounts fail due to disk signature conflicting with production disks.
- Log backups are not supported as part of repurposing.
Note: Repurposing multiple SQL databases together is not supported.