Practical working guide
A CRM recovery drill: prove the backup can be used
A CRM recovery drill restores a representative backup into an isolated environment and checks whether records, relationships and access work as expected. A successful export or backup job alone does not prove recoverability. Never test a restore by overwriting the live CRM.
Define an isolated drill boundary
| Before restoring | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|
| Confirm provider-supported restore method | Runbook version and responsible operator |
| Disable outbound integrations and real notifications in the test environment | Isolation check; no production credentials |
| Choose a known backup and representative records | Backup reference and expected record relationships |
| Agree secure disposal of restored data | Owner, retention and cleanup confirmation |
A recovery check is more than a row count
Fictional example: 100 contacts restore, but their organisation links are missing. The drill fails the relationship check even though the contact count matches. Verify a customer-to-contact-to-opportunity chain, an attachment where applicable and an authorised versus unauthorised user. Record actual restoration duration and the backup’s age. Treat those observations as drill results, not guaranteed future recovery times.
Turn the result into a recovery decision
List failed checks, owners and the next drill condition. If your product or provider does not offer a supported restore route, record that gap instead of improvising against production. Keep exports and backups distinct: an export may support portability without preserving configuration or all relationships. This worksheet does not assert a particular backup or self-service restore feature in Client Craft.