Specifications

Chapter 5. Creating Backup

Archives

This chapter provides general information about backup methods, describes how to backup

Microsoft SQL Server databases, and which options can be set using Acronis Recovery for MS

SQL Server.

5.1 General Information

Backup is crucial to maintaining timely and consistent record of your databases for recovery

in case of failure. Acronis Recovery for MS SQL Server offers an easy and flexible process for

creating of backup archives.

5.1.1 What is a backup?

The concept of backing up data is based on copying it to a safe place to restore when

necessary. With an active database you need to backup and protect more than just your

database files and data. Databases include many components, such as transaction logs, that

must be backed up as well to ensure a fully functioning database upon restoration.

Acronis Recovery for MS SQL Server is a tool that backs up the necessary tables, data, and

user-defined objects, but treats the database not just as a combination of files. When the

backup procedure starts, Acronis Recovery for MS SQL Server finishes all the active

transactions, makes a snapshot of the database and resumes the transactions immediately.

The database idle state is minimal; and the backup will be written to the archive location

while the database is online.

Using this process to back up the database ensures that the restored copy will be

operational as is. Since the copy is made according to the snapshot, no transactions

made after the start of the process will be included into the current backup.

Acronis Recovery for MS SQL Server backs up transaction logs separately.

See Backup

Methods

(p. 28) for detailed information.

5.1.2 Backup Methods

Acronis Recovery for MS SQL Server can create full, differential and Transaction Log backups

for comprehensive protection of your data from hardware failure, user errors or even natural

disaster.

A full backup contains all data at the moment of backup creation – a complete database or

instance. You can recover the entire database by restoring the database from a full database

backup to a chosen location. Enough of the transaction log is included in the backup to let

you recover the database to the time when the backup finished. When the database is

recovered, uncommitted transactions are rolled back. The restored database matches the