Is staging necessary when using a Data Domains, DDBoost and Backup Exec 2016

[DM13]

I believe I am missing somehting here.  Im currently implementing and testing two new Data Domain 2200s with Backup Exec 16.  I have DDBoost and have successfully backedup several VMWare VM's to the storage units on the Data Domains and of course GRT is enabled.  Now comes the restore test.  Looking to restore a few MB's of data but am running into this staging the entire VM before restoring nightmare.  Of course I read things like "The disk storage device should be on a volume that does not have file size limitations ."

I assume there has to be a setup that would allow me to pull the few MB's of data directly from the backups without having to stage the entire VM.  Can someone please point me in the right direction? 

[pkh]

Nope.  There is no way to avoid staging when you are doing a GRT restore.  This is why the preferred backup medium is disk storage and the backup image is stored there.  During a restore this image is mounted and then the required items are extracted.

In your case, the image needs to be hydrated before it can be mounted for restore.

[DM13]

So is there no way around having to:

1) Backup Full VMs without GRT

2) Create agent backups for all the files, db, mailboxes, etc.

I cant rehydrate an entire exchange server to restore a few messages.  That would take hours.  FYI i have been using the above setup successfully for years just seems inefficient to me.  

Should I be using the DataDomians differently?  

[pkh]

No