Once a dSource is created and snapshots are available, you can provision an MSSQL Linux virtual database (VDB) from any available snapshot or point in time.

Procedure

  1. Log in to DCT.

  2. Go to Data > Data Management > VDBs.

  3. Click the Actions button in the top-right corner and select Provision VDB from the drop down menu.

  4. On the Source page, select the dSource from which you want to provision the VDB (for example, MSSQL Linux-dsource). The right panel displays the source details, including Name, AppData Connector Version, Engine, Group, Timezone, Repository, and Environment. Click Next.

  5. On the Provision Point page, select the snapshot or point in time from which to provision the VDB. The timeline displays available snapshots grouped by date. Select the desired snapshot and click Next.

  6. On the Target Environment page, select the environment where the VDB will be provisioned (for example, MSSQL Linux Staging Env). Then configure the following:

    • User: Select the OS user (for example, MSSQL Linux).

    • Instance: Select the MSSQL Linux instance (for example, MSSQL Linux_vFiles (20.0)).

  7. Click Next.

  8. On the Target Configuration page, enter the following details:

    • VDB Name: A name for the VDB (for example, VDB-MSSQL Linux).

    • NFS Mount Location: The mount location on the target host. No spaces allowed (for example, /mnt/VDBPG).

    • (Optional) Privileged OS Account : A privileged Unix username if required; leave blank if privilege elevation is not needed.

    • Virtual MSSQL Linux Port Number: The port number for the target MSSQL Linux database (for example, 1433).

    • (Optional)Click + Add to configure VDB Point-in-Time (PIT) recovery with external logs.

    • (Optional) Click + Add to add custom database-level config settings.

    • Enter a tag key and value and click + Tag to add tags.

  9. Click Next.

  10. On the Policies page, review the default policies:

    • Snapshot Policy: Defaults to DCT Default Snapshot (daily at 03:30 AM GMT).

    • Retention Policy: Defaults to DCT Default Retention (snapshots and logs removed after 1 week).

    • Click Change Policy to modify.

  11. Click Next.

  12. (Optional) On the Masking page, enable Mask this VDB to apply data masking during provisioning. Leave unchecked if masking is not required. Click Next.

  13. (Optional)On the Hooks page, optionally add hook scripts at the following hook points:

    • Configure Clone

    • Pre Refresh / Post Refresh

    • Pre Self-Refresh (Rollback) / Post Self-Refresh (Rollback)

    • Pre Snapshot / Post Snapshot

    • Pre Start / Post Start

  14. Click + Hook to add a script. If no hooks are needed, click Next.

  15. On the Summary page, review all configuration details including Source, Target, Policies, Masking, and Settings and click Submit.

  16. After submission, the VDBs page displays the newly provisioned VDB (for example, VDB-MSSQL Linux) with a status of Running, platform MSSQL Linux-vsdk, and engine MSSQL Linux Engine.

  17. Click View to confirm that the status is RUNNING.

Last updated
Oct 9, 2026