Cloud Spanner DB missing

[Timmwardion]

Hi all, I went on an extended break over Christmas and New Year. My Cloud Spanner database was working beautifully. 

I've returned to work and to get ready to push my product live and it's vanished. I'm at a loss to know what to do. I'm 100% sure it wasn't something I've done, and I know I haven't received any notifications to warn me this was going to happen.

How can I restore the DB I've so lovingly built?

[ms4446]

Here's are some steps you can take to troubleshoot: 

1. Verify Your Environment

   • Double-Check Project: Ensure you're in the correct Google Cloud project where the database resided.
   • IAM Permissions: Verify that you have the necessary permissions to view and manage Cloud Spanner resources.

2. Investigate Deletion:

   • Cloud Spanner Console: Navigate to https://console.cloud.google.com/spanner and look for your database or instance. If not found:
     • Check Deleted Instances/Databases: There might be a recently deleted entry.
     • Examine Deleted Projects: Visit the IAM & Admin section of the console to look for deleted projects.
   • Activity & Audit Logs: Search for deletion events related to your database, instance, or project in these logs:
     • Activity Logs: https://console.cloud.google.com/logs
     • Cloud Audit Logs: (Enable if needed)

3. Check Billing Status:

   • Visit Billing Section: https://console.cloud.google.com/billing
   • Resolve Past-Due Payments: If any, address these immediately.
   • Ensure Active Billing: Verify that billing is active for the project.

4. Explore Recovery Options:

   • Backups:
     • If configured, restore from available backups using the console, gcloud CLI, or REST API (https://cloud.google.com/spanner/docs/backup/restore-backup)
   • Point-In-Time Recovery (PITR):
     • If enabled, recover data up to 7 days in the past (https://cloud.google.com/spanner/docs/use-pitr)
   • Undelete Projects:
     • Within a limited timeframe, attempt to undelete the entire project if relevant.

5. Consider Last Resorts:

   • Local Copies/Exports: Search for any previous database schema or data exports.
   • Development/Staging Data: Check if other environments hold valuable copies.

6. Contact Google Cloud Support:

   • If all else fails, urgently reach out (https://cloud.google.com/support/) Explain the situation, provide your project ID, and the approximate time of database disappearance.

Prevention for the Future

• Robust Backup Strategy: Schedule regular backups to protect against data loss.
• Enable PITR: Provides up to 7 days of point-in-time restoration capability.
• Project Deletion Protection: Consider enabling this feature to prevent accidental project deletions.
• IAM Best Practices: Implement fine-grained access controls to mitigate accidental modifications.

[JadielMiles]

Just in case you were not sure and accidentally deleted or had some notifications on this issue, maybe it's a small mystery. Did you check the activity logs or did you reach out to Google Cloud support? Sometimes they are in a position to explain such riddles. 

[Timmwardion]

Thanks Jadie. This issue was raised some months ago with very little real action from Google’s side of things.

As a result of this issue we’ve just spent the last 8 weeks rebuilding the app from scratch with other tech so resolution of the issue with Google Spanner isn’t a priority anymore.

Regards,

Tim

Tim Beveridge
Founder & CEO - Modern Marketing Group
(PII Removed by Staff)

(URL Removed by Staff)

[aloha21]

Just in case you were not sure and accidentally deleted or had some notifications on this issue, maybe it's a small mystery. Did you check the activity logs or did you reach out to Google Cloud support? Sometimes they are in a position to explain such riddles.
Now, coming back to your darling DB, if at all you are still looking for solutions on this issue, have you given it a thought that maybe one might need to look into the backup solutions? I have a good experience with the Backup Google Workspace, especially Loop Backup Cloud to Cloud Backup for Google Workspace. I think it might be worth exploring as a safety net for your data in the future.