Define what recovery means
Agree on recovery objectives with the business. The acceptable amount of data loss and downtime should inform your backup, replication, storage, and recovery design. Avoid treating a completed backup job as proof that these objectives can be met.
Test the restore
Restore backups in an isolated environment, verify data consistency, and test the application against the recovered database. Include dependencies such as encryption keys, credentials, integrations, and infrastructure configuration.
Protect the recovery path
Review access to backups, encryption, retention, and separation from production. For cloud databases, understand the responsibilities and limitations of your chosen service. Regularly review vendor updates against your tested operating procedures.
Keep it repeatable
Document recovery steps, responsibilities, escalation paths, and evidence from exercises. Review procedures after architectural changes and incidents. Good operations turn recovery from an assumption into a practiced capability.