Piecemeal Restores in SQL 2005

In SQL Server 2005, databases that contain multiple filegroups can be restored and recovered in stages through a process known as piecemeal restore. Piecemeal restore involves a series of restore sequences, starting with the primary filegroup and, in some cases, one of more secondary filegroups. After the restore sequence is completed, recovered files, if they are valid and consistent with the database, can be brought online directly Piecemeal restore works with all recovery models, but is more flexible for the full and bulk-logged models than for the simple model.

All editions of SQL Server 2005 support offline piecemeal restores. In SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition, a piecemeal restore can be either online or offline.