Scheduling backups: file settings

Scheduling backups > Specify SQL Server > Select backup type and database > Create backup schedules > File settings > Processing and encryption settings > Verification options > Review summary

This topic describes the wizard page for specifying the locations and file names for your backups, and for managing existing backup files.

Choose:

• Single backup file to create each backup as a single file.
• Single backup file, mirrored to second location to create the backup as a single file and simultaneously make a duplicate of the backup during the backup process.

  This option is only available when you have selected a single database to back up. During the backup process, a warning is raised if any of the files cannot be written. However, the backup process continues as long as at least one specified backup file can be written. If none of the files can be written, an error is raised and the backup process is stopped.

• Split backup into multiple files to store each backup across a number of files.

Splitting the backup can speed up the backup process if backing up to a single file does not fully use the Input/Output capacity of your disks. For a single database backup, you can split (or 'stripe') your backup files across a number of disks. For multiple database backups, you can specify the number of files to split each database backup into (on the same disk). All backup files must be available when you restore the backup.

Backup location

For a Single backup file, if you have selected only one database to back up, a default folder and file name is displayed.

To change the file name, clear the Name file automatically check box, and type the new file name. To change the folder, type the new path or click and specify the path using the folder browser. You can use tags in the folder and file name, if required.

For information about how to specify file names on remote servers, see Specifying file paths. Note that if you specify a network share as the backup file location, the SQL Backup Agent Service 'log on' user must have Full permissions to access the location. Backing up directly to a network share can be slower than backing up locally and occasionally problematic. You are recommended to back up locally and use the Copy backup to network option instead. For more information, see Backing up and restoring on a network share.

If you have selected multiple databases, multiple backup types, or both, the backup for each database and backup type is created in a separate file. The file names will be generated automatically using the <AUTO> tag. SQL Backup uses the default file name format specified in your Server Options; if you have not set up a default file name format, SQL Backup uses the SQL Server instance's default format for file names. A default folder for these files is displayed; to change the folder, type the new path or click and specify the folder using the folder browser. If you want the backup file to be created in a different folder for each database, in the folder browser click Create subfolder for each database.

For a Single backup file, mirrored to second location, specify the backup file as described above, and additionally specify the folder and file name for the mirrored backups.

For Split backup into multiple files, if you have selected a single database and a single backup type, you must specify at least two destination files. Type or select each folder and file name as described above, and click Add to add it to the list.

If you have selected multiple databases, multiple backup types, or both, you can specify only one folder for the split backup files; the files will be named automatically.

In Files per backup, type or select the number of files into which you want each backup to be split (maximum 32).

Network copy location

If you want a copy of the backup files to be created on a network share when the backup has completed, select the Copy backup to network check box, and then type the network share details in the box or click to use the folder browser. For information about how to specify file names on remote servers, see Specifying file paths.

If you typed the network share details, click Test to check that the 'log on' user for the SQL Backup Agent on the source SQL Server has permission to create files on the network share. If it does not have the appropriate permissions, an error message is displayed next to the button; if you choose to keep the network share details, a warning is displayed in the Activity History when the backup has completed. If you browsed to the network share, this check is performed automatically.

For more information about using network shares with SQL Backup, see Backing up and restoring on a network share. For details about setting up permissions to use a network share, see Security model.

You may experience problems when you back up to network shares if your SQL Server is unable to write large data blocks (over 2 MB) to the network share. You can use the MAXDATABLOCK keyword with the BACKUP command to limit the data block size.

Managing backup files

SQL Backup provides a number of settings to automate the management of your existing backup files. You can specify these settings separately for the initial backup location, and the network copy location.

Note that if you specify a network path in the backup location folder, any network copy location options you specify will be applied to files at this path. Similarly, if you specify a local path in the network copy location folder, any backup location folder options will be applied to the copied files in the (local) network copy location.

Select the Overwrite existing backup files of the same name check box if you want to overwrite any existing files with the share/path name. Note that if a file of the same name exists already and you have not chosen to overwrite it, the backup or network copy will fail.

Select the Delete existing backup files in this folder for the selected databases check box if you want SQL Backup to delete backups of the same type for the selected databases from the initial backup or network copy destination folders. You can restrict deletion of existing backup files by age (All files older than) or number (All files except the latest).

By default, files are deleted when the backup process or network copy has completed. If the backup fails, the files are not deleted. To delete the files before the backup is created, select the Delete files prior to start of backup check box. For example, you may want to do this to create space for the new backup files. However, note that if the backup fails, the old files will have been deleted; you are therefore recommended to select this check box only if you have a copy of the existing backups. This option is available for the initial backup location only; existing network copies of files are always deleted after the copying process has completed.

Next: processing and encryption settings