Cisco CUCM: Back And Restore

I do like doing voice projects.  There is a lot to it, and configuration can take some time to get a whole project done.  But, I also like doing backup and restores for minimum work on a project as well.
I have projects where when I want to an upgrade, its easier to install a lower version of CUCM and go from there.  This means I install an exact version of what the current production box is, on the new equipment, and do a restore of the database.  It makes things faster and easier to accomplish the goal.