Stale PITR SQL restore point

Matthew Brown 0 Reputation points
2026-10-05T13:54:17.9233333+00:00

Under Azure SQL Server\Data Management\Backups (Available Backups tab)

My SQL server has 2 databases. One database has a very stale date "Earliest PITR restore point" of August 31, 2026 and the other is within 6 days old. I ran the Diagnose and solve problems and all it detected was the SA password was too short. I updated the SA password to 15 characters with lots of complexity. I waited 2 days and still PITR date is still at 8/31. Anyone know how I can find the next problem as Diagnose finds no other issues?

Azure SQL Database
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  1. Erland Sommarskog 137.9K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-10-05T14:23:02.7833333+00:00

    My databases also has the earliest PITR restore point by the end of August. And it makes sense. If memory serves, the default for PITR backups is to keep them for 35 days. Keep in mind that this is the earliest, so if you would need to restore the database per, say, Sept 17th, that should be possible.

    If the database where the oldest possible PITR is only six days back, that's more puzzling if this database is as old as the other one. But maybe this is a newer database? Or it was actually restored six days ago.

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  2. Deepesh Dhake 1,245 Reputation points
    2026-10-08T13:27:34.7766667+00:00

    An old "earliest restore point" is a good sign. It means more restore history, not stalled backups. The SA password change had nothing to do with it.

    To check, go to Backups then Retention policies and look at each database's PITR retention:

    35 days: August 31 is expected. Azure keeps up to a week of extra backups past the retention period.

    7 days: That's abnormal. Open a Microsoft support ticket, since Diagnose doesn't check backup health.

    The database showing only 6 days likely has shorter retention, or was recently created, copied, or restored.

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