Module 6

Backing Up SQL Server Databases

Module Overview

• Backing Up Databases and Transaction Logs

• Managing Database Backups
• Advanced Database Options
Lesson 1: Backing Up Databases and Transaction
Logs

• Introduction to SQL Server Backups

• Media Sets and Backup Sets
• Performing Database Backups
• Performing Transaction Log Backups
• Performing Partial and Filegroup Backups
• Demonstration: Performing Backups
Introduction to SQL Server Backups

• BACKUP Transact-SQL statement

BACK UP { DATABASE | LOG } <database_name>
TO <backup_device>, [, …n]
WITH <general_options>

• SSMS
• General
• Media Options
• Backup Options
Media Sets and Backup Sets

• Media sets consist of one or more disk backup

devices
• Data is striped across multiple devices
• A backup set represents one backup of any type
• Backup sets are written to media sets
• A media set can contain multiple backup sets

• Backup devices and media sets are created at first

use:
• Use FORMAT to overwrite an existing media set
• Use INIT to overwrite existing backup sets in a media set
• Use these options with caution
Performing Database Backups

• Full backup: • Differential backup:

• Entire database • Extents modified since
• Active portion of log the last full backup
• Active portion of log file

BACKUP DATABASE AdventureWorks BACKUP DATABASE AdventureWorks

TO DISK = 'D:\Backups\AW.bak' TO DISK = 'D:\Backups\AW.bak'
WITH INIT; WITH DIFFERENTIAL, NOINIT;

INIT - Controls whether the backup operation appends to or overwrites the

existing backup sets
*Default appends the backup (NOINIT)
Performing Transaction Log Backups

• Backs up only the transaction log

• Backs up the log from the last successfully
executed log backup to the current end of the log
• Truncates inactive log records unless options
specified
BACKUP LOG AdventureWorks Note: Database must be in full
TO DISK = 'D:\Backups\AW.bak' or bulk-logged recovery mode
WITH NOINIT; Why?

• Perform a log-tail backup before restoring

BACKUP LOG AdventureWorks
TO DISK = 'D:\Backups\AW.bak'
WITH [NORECOVERY | NO_TRUNCATE | CONTINUE ON ERROR];
Performing Partial and Filegroup Backups
Note: Filegroup and partial backups
• Partial backup: are normally only used when the
size of the database makes it
• Primary filegroup impossible to meet RTO using full,
• Read/Write filegroups diff, and TL backups

BACKUP DATABASE LargeDB

READ_WRITE_FILEGROUPS
TO DISK = 'D:\Backups\LrgRW.bak‘
WITH INIT;

• File or filegroup backup:

• Specific files or filegroups

BACKUP DATABASE LargeDB

FILEGROUP = 'FG2'
TO DISK = 'D:\Backups\LrgFG2.bak‘;
WITH options

• CREDENTIAL - more information in Ch09

• FILE_SNAPSHOT - Azure snapshot
• DIFFERENTIAL - Differential backup (Full is default)
• ENCRYPTION - Encrypt the backup
• NORECOVERY - Backs up the tail of the log and leaves the
database in restoring state
• STANDBY - Backs up the tail of the log and leaves the
database in read-only state
• (NO_)TRUNCATE - Potentially allows backup of the logs
even when the database is corrupted
More WITH options

• INIT - Controls whether the backup operation appends to

or overwrites the existing backup sets
• Default appends the backup (NOINIT)
• COPY_ONLY - Not part of your regularly scheduled
backups, and therefore doesn’t affect your normal backup
schedule
• (NO_)COMPRESSION - Compress the backup (or not)
• (NO_)CHECKSUM - Verify each page of the backup, and
generate a checksum value for the entire backup
Demonstration: Performing Backups

In this demonstration, you will see how to:

• Perform a full database backup
• Perform a differential database backup
• Perform a transaction log backup
Lesson 2: Managing Database Backups

• Determining a Retention and Testing Policy for

Backups
• Options for Ensuring Backup Integrity
• Viewing Backup History
• Retrieving Backup Metadata
• Demonstration: Verifying Backups
Determining a Retention and Testing Policy for
Backups

• Planning for backup retention must be part of

the strategy and form part of the test plan to
ensure accuracy
• Several considerations:
• Combination of backups needed for a database
recovery
• Archival requirements
• Synchronization with database checks
• Available secure storage location
• Hardware required for restoring backups
• Completeness of backups
Options for Ensuring Backup Integrity

• Mirrored media sets:

• Can mirror a backup set to up to four media sets
• Mirrors require the same number of backup devices
• Only in Enterprise Edition

• CHECKSUM backup option:

• Available for all backup types
• Generates a checksum over the backup stream
• Use to verify the backup

• Backup verification:
• Can use RESTORE VERIFYONLY for backup verification
• Useful when combined with CHECKSUM option
Viewing Backup History

• SQL Server tracks all backup activity in a set of

tables in the msdb database
SELECT bs.media_set_id, bs.backup_finish_date, bs.type,
bs.backup_size, bs.compressed_backup_size,
mf.physical_device_name
FROM dbo.backupset AS bs
INNER JOIN dbo.backupmediafamily AS mf
ON bs.media_set_id = mf.media_set_id
WHERE database_name = 'AdventureWorks'
ORDER BY backup_finish_date DESC;

• The Backup and Restore Events report in SSMS

displays detailed backup history information
Retrieving Backup Metadata

• RESTORE LABELONLY returns information about

the backup media on a specified backup device
• RESTORE HEADERONLY returns all the backup
header information for all backup sets on a
particular backup device
• RESTORE FILELISTONLY returns a list of data and
log files contained in a backup set
Demonstration: Verifying Backups

In this demonstration, you will see how to:

• View the Backup and Restore Events report
• Query backup history tables
• Verify backup media
Lesson 3: Advanced Database Options

• Copy-Only Backups
• Compressing Backups
• Demonstration: Using Backup Compression
• Encrypting Backups
• Demonstration: Using Backup Encryption
Copy-Only Backups

• Back up the database without changing the

restore order
• Copy-only transaction log back ups do not
truncate the log
• Copy-only full database backups do not affect
the differential base
BACKUP DATABASE AdventureWorks
TO DISK = 'D:\Backups\AWCopy.bak'
WITH COPY_ONLY, INIT;

*TRUNCATE - Potentially allows

backup of the logs even when the
database is corrupted
Compressing Backups

• Reduces size of backup on device

• Reduces I/O requirements, increases CPU usage
• Increases speed of backup and restore
• Some restrictions:
• Cannot share media with uncompressed backups
• Cannot share media with Windows backups
• Cannot be restored to pre-2008 SQL Server versions
Encrypting Backups

1. Create a database master key for master

2. Create a certificate or asymmetric key
3. Back up the database, specifying the algorithm
and key

BACKUP DATABASE AdventureWorks

TO DISK = 'D:\Backups\AW_Encrypt,bak'
WITH FORMAT, INIT,
ENCRYPTION( ALGORITHM=AES_128,
SERVER CERTIFICATE = [BackupCert])
Lab: Backing Up Databases

• Exercise 1: Backing Up Databases

• Exercise 2: Performing Database, Differential and
Transaction Log Backups
• Exercise 3: Performing a Partial Backup

Logon Information
Virtual machine: 20764C-MIA-SQL
User name: ADVENTUREWORKS\Student
Password: Pa55w.rd

Estimated Time: 90 minutes

Lab Scenario

As a database administrator for Adventure Works

Cycles, you are responsible for the
AdventureWorks regional, national, and data
archive databases. You must implement a backup
solution for these databases, based on the backup
requirements that have been provided.
Lab Review

• In this lab, you have seen how to set the recovery

model for a database based on its backup
strategy, and how to perform full, differential,
transaction log, filegroup, and partial backups.
Module Review and Takeaways

• Review Question(s)
• Best Practice