As a lot of businesses use SQL databases for their CRM’s we are often faced with questions on how we handle SQL backups. Here is a question that has hit my inbox a few times this week:
How do we configure an SQL server to stop the database before performing a backup?
Simple answer is we don’t and here is why:
Our LiveVault™ backup system does not require SQL to be stopped or shut down so a backup of the database or log files can occur, unlike other backup services.
The LiveVault™ backup service uses snapshot to perform backups of databases and files. On Windows Server these snapshot are created by the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) that is already built into the Operating System. You can read more about VSS under Microsoft TechNet.
LiveVault™ does not require any extra plug-in’s or special configuration to make backups of SQL. You simply select the SQL folder you wish to backup and that’s it, couldn’t be simpler.
The old and tired way of backing up SQL
I’ll be honest and say the common practice of backing up SQL databases is awful and can be unreliable, unless strict procedures are in place.
Here is how one common practice on how an office would perform a backup of their SQL database using tape:
- A cron job is setup to stop or shutdown SQL
- The tape backup would start
- The tape backup would stop
- A cron job is setup to restart SQL
This isn’t a difficult thing to setup (some technical knowledge is required) but it does come with some major problems such as:
The backup tapes would need to be rotated on a regular basis which is a headache (I’ve been there and done that) and in most cases the task for rotating tapes doesn’t actually get done.
Another important factor with this is a once per day backup of your database may not be enough. Let’s say for example a busy office performs tape backups of their SQL databases. Their database server crashes and they need to perform a restore from tape. The latest backup version they have is from the previous day (if lucky) so a whole days worth of data is lost, this can be major problem for most firms.
Another great feature of LiveVault is that it can perform continuous backups. A SQL database can be backed up every 15 minutes (this is our default time check) giving you over 96 daily backup sets so that means if your database crashes we can simply restore it to 15 minutes previously, this is lightweight on server resources but also lightweight on bandwidth utilisation. Downtime on your business is totally minimal.
So, if you are sourcing a backup solutions for your SQL database look for something that needs less interaction from you such as an automated backup. Remote online backup is a great way to have SQL backed up as long as it can handle open files and databases but also can be set for continuous backup mode.
Related posts:
