Unable to restore a differential backup alone, LiteSpeed prompts for a full backup file. (4223015)

Scenario 1: In LiteSpeed Restore Wizard, it is not possible to restore using only a differential backup file as it prompts for a full backup file.

Scenario 2: A full restore is successfully performed. However it will fail to restore when using RESTORE (i.e. not using LiteSpeed Restore Wizard) to apply LiteSpeed differential backup to the database which already has a full backup applied to it.

Adifferential database backuprecords only the data that has changed since the last full database backup. This full backup is called thedifferential base.

Before restoring differential backup, it is necessary to restore the base. It is only necessary torestore the base and the most recent differential at restore time. Therefore even though a full restore has been performed, one cannot restore only a differential backup file without supplying the base full backup file.

This is being enforced in both Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and Quest Software LiteSpeed Enterprise console.

For restore involving differential backup, the full backup file must be supplied together with the most recent differential backup file at restore time; in the one restore session.

Example (for SmartDiff Full + Differential restore):
exec master.dbo.xp_restore_database @database = NNorthwind ,
@filename = ND:\Backup\Northwind.smartdiff.f1.bkp,
@filenumber = 1,
@with = NREPLACE,
@with = NSTATS = 10,
@with = NNORECOVERY,
@affinity = 0,
@logging = 0

exec master.dbo.xp_restore_database @database = NNorthwind ,
@filename = ND:\Backup\Northwind.smartdiff.f1.d1.bkp,
@filenumber = 1,
@with = NREPLACE,
@with = NSTATS = 10,
@with = NRECOVERY,
@affinity = 0,
@logging = 0
GO

Another thing to note is that when the full backup is restored it should be restored in fully operational mode to apply differential backups. If not, the user could get the following message

RESTORE DATABASE is terminating abnormally.
The log or differential backup cannot be restored because no files are ready to rollforward.