Knowledge Base

Backing up full-text catalogs using SQL Backup

Category: How do I?
Date: 13 Jul 2009
Product: SQL Backup
Versions: 3,4,5,6

In certain circumstances, database backups do not include the full-text catalogs, which must be re-created on the destination server after restoring the database by rebuilding them.

The type of data that is backed up during a backup process is identical to that performed by SQL Server.

For full-text data, this is dependent upon the version of SQL Server you are using. For SQL Server 2000, full-text data needs to be backed up and restored separately from the database backup. The instructions are available from Microsoft at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];240867 , but the recommendation, if at all possible, is to rebuild and repopulate the full-text catalogs after the database is restored.

For SQL Server 2005 and up, full text data is backed up as part of database backups, because the full-text catalogs are implemented as "special" filegroups inside the database being backed up and restored.