1. What is your SQL Server backup strategy? | TechRepublic
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The Enterprise Cloud
What is your SQL Server
backup strategy?
By Steven Warren
August 28, 2007, 9:00 AM PDT
Takeaway: Most database administrators (DBAs) know what it’s like to be called away from
home or dinner or even awakened in the middle of the night to answer a page or a cell-phone call
concerning some type of database disaster. These are the times you’re glad that you have a
systematic backup plan. Of course, conversely, [...]
Most database administrators (DBAs) know what it’s like to be called away from home or dinner or
even awakened in the middle of the night to answer a page or a cell-phone call concerning some
type of database disaster. These are the times you’re glad that you have a systematic backup
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plan. Of course, conversely, if you don’t have a good backup plan, these are the times you regret
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In this article, we will discuss various types of backup strategies and demonstrate how to Hadoop. Try Now.
implement each of these types of backups using Enterprise Manager, the graphical user interface www.mapr.com/Free-download
(GUI), and Transact SQL (T-SQL) in Microsoft SQL Server 2000. Google Docs For Business
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Put together a backup plan
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needs to the appropriate level of database backup.
Full backups
A full backup is the easiest type of backup to implement in SQL Server. It takes a complete picture Keep Up with TechRepublic
of your database that includes backing up users and permissions. In addition, this backup can
occur while transactions are still occurring in your system. When the backup begins, the date is
recorded, the data pages are backed up, and all transactions that occur while the backup runs are
appended to the backup.
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Author’s note
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A full backup backs up your users but not your logins. If you want to back up your logins,
remember to back up the Master database. Furthermore, if you ever restore your database to a Subscribe Today
different server, you must synchronize your logins by using the sp_change_users_login. For a
more detailed explanation of this stored procedure, see SQL Books Online.
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Using Enterprise Manager
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2. What is your SQL Server backup strategy? | TechRepublic
To implement a full backup using Enterprise Manager, expand the SQL Server to display your
databases. Right-click on the database and select All Tasks | Backup Database to access the
options shown in Figure A.
Under Backup, choose Database - Complete. Then, select a destination (tape or disk). If this is the
first backup of your database, you will have to create a backup device or file. A backup device is Media Gallery
simply a location that stores your backups. A backup file can also hold multiple “backups.” To
create a backup device or file, start by clicking Add. Next, select either File Name or Backup
Device. (Figure B shows the dialog box you’ll see if you choose Backup Device.) Then, just
define the appropriate path and click OK. Once you’ve created the device or file, you can select it
from the Destination list box.
The SQL Server Backup dialog box also includes options to append to a backup or overwrite it. PHOTO GALLERY (1 of 15)
This means that you can add multiple backups to your file or device or overwrite previous backups Curiosity's autonomous
'seven minutes of...
with the most current one. If you want to schedule your backups, select the Schedule check box
and then click the button that has three dots on it. In the Edit Schedule dialog box, shown in More Galleries »
Figure C, make your scheduling specifications.
You can choose from the following options:
Start Automatically When SQL Server Agent Starts
Start Whenever CPU(s) Become Idle
One Time VIDEO (1 of 13)
Recurring Cracking Open: HTC Titan II
You can use the Change button to set a time for recurring backups. More Videos »
Enterprise Manager also allows you to set a variety of other options via the SQL Server Backup
dialog box. If you click on the Options tab, you can choose the following: Hot Questions View All
Verify Backup Upon Completion
3 SSL redirection
Eject Tape After Backup
Remove Inactive Entries From Transaction Log
Check Media Set Name And Backup Set Expiration 3 Switching from a Job to a career in
Backup Set Will Expire (You supply an expiration date.) the IT field: Need an IT pro's
advice
Initialize And Label Media
Using T-SQL 2 windows 7 won't shutdown and
You can also back up a database using T-SQL, which offers options that Enterprise Manager keeps switching on
doesn’t. The syntax for a full backup is as follows:
BACKUP DATABASE { database_name | @database_name_var } 2 can anyone suggest if any such
TO backup_device [ ,…n ] software exist with similar
[ WITH functionality?
[ BLOCKSIZE = { blocksize | @blocksize_variable } ]
[ [ , ] DESCRIPTION = { ‘text‘ | @text_variable } ]
Ask a Question
[ [ , ] DIFFERENTIAL ]
[ [ , ] EXPIREDATE = { date | @date_var }
| RETAINDAYS = { days | @days_var } ]
[ [ , ] PASSWORD = { password | @password_variable } ] Hot Discussions View All
[ [ , ] FORMAT | NOFORMAT ]
[ [ , ] { INIT | NOINIT } ] Should developers be sued for
221
[ [ , ] MEDIADESCRIPTION = { ‘text‘ | @text_variable } ] security holes?
[ [ , ] MEDIANAME = { media_name | @media_name_variable } ]
[ [ , ] MEDIAPASSWORD = { mediapassword | @mediapassword_variable } ]
79 The sitting duck that is open
[ [ , ] NAME = { backup_set_name | @backup_set_name_var } ]
source
[ [ , ] { NOSKIP | SKIP } ]
[ [ , ] { NOREWIND | REWIND } ]
Five fast Windows desktop search
[ [ , ] { NOUNLOAD | UNLOAD } ] 27
utilities
[ [ , ] RESTART ]
[ [ , ] STATS [ =percentage ] ]
24 Five speedy Windows desktop
For a definition of each option, see the description in SQL Books Online. search apps
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3. What is your SQL Server backup strategy? | TechRepublic
Figure D shows an example of how I backed up the Pubs database. By adding NOINIT, I
appended the information to the end of the backup. By adding Stats to the argument, I received an Start a Discussion
output of the percentage of the backup completed.
Differential backups
A differential backup backs up only the data that has changed since the last full backup. These
Blog Archive
backups are generally smaller than a full backup and can be used frequently since they run much
faster. To perform a differential backup in Enterprise Manager, choose the Database-Differential August 2012 December 2011
option in the SQL Server Backup dialog box (which we saw in Figure A). July 2012 November 2011
June 2012 October 2011
To perform a differential backup using T-SQL, use the Backup command but add the differential
argument, as shown in Figure E. May 2012 September 2011
April 2012 August 2011
Transaction-log backups March 2012 July 2011
A transaction-log backup will back up all transactions that occur in the database and purge or
February 2012 June 2011
clean up the log after the backup completes. Using a transaction-log backup gives you point-in-
time recovery for a database. To perform transaction-log backups with Enterprise Manager, January 2012
choose the Transaction Log option in the SQL Server Backup dialog box.
Keep in mind that you must be using Full or Bulk-Logged Recovery Models, which will be
explained below, in order to perform transaction-log backups.
To perform a transaction-log backup with T-SQL, use the following syntax:
BACKUP LOG { database_name | @database_name_var }
{
TO backup_device [ ,…n ]
[ WITH
[ BLOCKSIZE = { blocksize | @blocksize_variable } ]
[ [ , ] DESCRIPTION = { ‘text‘ | @text_variable } ]
[ [ ,] EXPIREDATE = { date | @date_var }
| RETAINDAYS = { days | @days_var } ]
[ [ , ] PASSWORD = { password | @password_variable } ]
[ [ , ] FORMAT | NOFORMAT ]
[ [ , ] { INIT | NOINIT } ]
[ [ , ] MEDIADESCRIPTION = { ‘text‘ | @text_variable } ]
[ [ , ] MEDIANAME = { media_name | @media_name_variable } ]
[ [ , ] MEDIAPASSWORD = { mediapassword | @mediapassword_variable } ]
[ [ , ] NAME = { backup_set_name | @backup_set_name_var } ]
[ [ , ] NO_TRUNCATE ]
[ [ , ] { NORECOVERY | STANDBY =undo_file_name } ]
[ [ , ] { NOREWIND | REWIND } ]
[ [ , ] { NOSKIP | SKIP } ]
[ [ , ] { NOUNLOAD | UNLOAD } ]
[ [ , ] RESTART ]
[ [ , ] STATS [ =percentage ] ]
For a detailed definition of each option, please see the description in SQL Books Online. You can
perform the transaction-log backup by using the Backup Log command, as shown in Figure F.
File-group backups
A file-group backup lets you back up individual files or file groups. It basically allows you to back
up a large database by spreading your backups out over time. This is a more granular type of
backup that allows an admin to take a custom approach or to simply fill in the gaps of other
backup methods.
Using a database recovery model
The database recovery model is a new feature that was added to SQL Server 2000. This model
makes it easier to control your backups and disaster recovery options. SQL Server 7.0 options
like selectinto/bulkcopy and trunc.logoncheckpoint have been replaced in SQL 2000 by the
Simple, Full, and Bulk-Logged recovery models. Let’s take a look at the differences between these
models.
Specifying a recovery model
To select a database recovery model, right-click on the database and choose Properties. Click the
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4. What is your SQL Server backup strategy? | TechRepublic
Options tab and select your recovery model.
Simple recovery model
The Simple recovery model is similar to the trunc.logoncheckpoint option in SQL Server 7.0. This
recovery plan always truncates your transaction log and constantly removes transactions that have
been committed. Because of this, the transaction log cannot be backed up, which leaves you with
only two backup options: full and differential.
If you try to back up the transaction log when using a Simple recovery model, you will receive this
error message: “The backup log is not allowed while the recovery model is Simple.”
Full and Bulk-Logged recovery models
The Full and Bulk-Logged options add an administration and space burden but provide the
maximum protection for your data. The Full recovery model provides you with better flexibility for
recovering databases to an earlier point in time. The Bulk-Logged model provides higher
performance and lower log space usage than Full recovery but does not provide as much
protection.
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Remote Backup Strategy 0
AlexGreen86 3rd Jul 2011 Votes
We have a central office with SQL Server 2005 Standard and two branches with SQL
Express. We perform daily backups on each office. Because SQL Express cannot act
as Publisher in Replication, we must... Read Whole Comment +
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