Veeam Explorers are application‑aware recovery tools included with Veeam Backup & Replication and Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365, enabling fast, granular, and point‑in‑time restores directly from backups, replicas, VeeamZIP, and supported storage snapshots without staging full VM restores.
Explorers are built‑in (no extra license to use them) and extend both products for item‑level recovery of Microsoft and enterprise applications. Which Explorers you see depends on the installed product/edition.
What’s Special About Veeam Explorers
- Granular, application‑consistent recovery for Microsoft SQL Server, Active Directory, Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive for Business, Teams, Oracle, PostgreSQL, SAP HANA, and MongoDB (availability varies by product).
- Direct from backups/replicas/snapshots: mount, browse, and recover items without rehydrating full VMs.
- Included in the platform: shipped with Veeam Backup & Replication and/or Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365; no separate installation or licensing required in typical deployments.
- Consistent operator experience across workloads, plus REST/PowerShell automation for enterprise workflows and eDiscovery tasks.
Explorers & Typical Use Cases
- Exchange – granular mailbox, folder, and item restore; export & send; compare with production; works with VBR and VB365 backups. (VBR + VB365)
- SharePoint – restore sites, libraries, lists, items; export to XML for re‑import; works with VBR and VB365. (VBR + VB365)
- OneDrive for Business – restore files/folders from Microsoft 365 backups. (VBR + VB365)
- Teams – restore teams, channels, posts, tabs, and files with granular options; PowerShell automation for items and exports. (VB365)
- Active Directory – restore objects, OUs, and attributes; bulk export; tombstone recovery; compare with production. (VBR)
- Microsoft SQL Server – Instant Recovery for one or multiple databases, point‑in‑time & transaction‑level restore, export/publish databases. (VBR)
- Oracle – restore/publish/instant‑recover standalone and Data Guard DBs; also supports restores from Veeam Plug‑In for Oracle RMAN. (VBR)
- PostgreSQL, SAP HANA, MongoDB – item‑level/database recovery via their respective Explorers/plug‑ins. (VBR)
Full availability matrix and product mapping are documented in the Explorers Overview for VBR and VB365.
Operations & Automation
- How restores work: Veeam mounts the VM filesystem from the chosen restore point, detects the application, and opens the relevant Explorer UI for targeted recovery.
- PowerShell at scale: Every Explorer has a PowerShell module (e.g., Veeam.SQL.PowerShell, Veeam.Exchange.PowerShell, Veeam.SharePoint.PowerShell, Veeam.Teams.PowerShell) for scripted sessions, exports, and restores—usable from any machine with the console/toolkit installed.
- Examples
- Exchange PowerShell: start/stop item‑restore sessions, get mailboxes/items, restore or export items, send recovered items via email.
- SQL PowerShell: instant‑recovery sessions, switchover, database export/publish, and restores to a specific transaction.
- SharePoint/OneDrive PowerShell: site/library/list/item queries, export and restore operations.
- Teams PowerShell: enumerate teams/channels/posts/files, export posts to HTML, restore or save items.
Edition & Product Mapping (at a glance)
- Included with both VBR and VB365: Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams.
- Included with VBR only: Active Directory, SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, SAP HANA, MongoDB.
Feature visibility is tied to the installed product/edition; you do not purchase Explorers separately.
Operational Notes & Best Practices
- Teams/SharePoint/Exchange eDiscovery: use built‑in search and filtering; export or in‑place/out‑of‑place recoveries for investigations and legal hold needs.
- AD tombstones & OS match: AD restores may require awareness of tombstone lifetime and OS/Esent.dll version alignment when opening ntds.dit from backups.
- Oracle considerations: encrypted DBs require RMAN plug‑in path; certain OS/file‑system constraints apply for Explorer restores.
- From plug‑in backups: SQL/Oracle/SAP HANA plug‑in backups are restorable with the respective Explorers from the VBR console.
Business Impact
- Reduce recovery time & effort: granular, point‑in‑time item restores (including transactions for SQL) translate into faster SLAs and minimized downtime.
- Lower operational risk: standardized workflows across applications; delegated recoveries (via VBR/Enterprise Manager and VB365) reduce dependency on specialists for common restore tasks.
- Support compliance & eDiscovery: powerful search, export, and comparison capabilities help fulfill legal and audit requests quickly.
- Automate at scale: PowerShell modules and consistent APIs enable integration with ITSM, SOAR, and custom runbooks.
Bottom Line
Veeam Explorers deliver fast, precise, application‑aware recovery across Microsoft 365 services and enterprise databases without full‑VM restores, helping teams meet strict RTOs and simplify operational recovery. DBS ensures these tools are deployed and governed using best‑practice architecture, standardized restore runbooks, and properly delegated operator roles enabling consistent, compliant, and rapid item‑level recovery across the entire Veeam environment.
