SQL Backup 5   

Scheduling Backups: File Settings

See Also
Scheduling Backups > Specify SQL Server> > Select Backup Type and Database > Create Backup Schedules > File Settings > Processing and Completion Settings > Review Summary

This topic describes the wizard page for specifying the locations and file names for your backups, and for managing existing backup files. You can also set options for optimizing the backup process on this page.

Choose:

Backup location

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

To change the file name, clear the Name file automatically check box, and type the new file name, or click and specify the file using the file browser. You can use tags in the path 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. For more information, see Using Network Shares with SQL Backup

If you have selected multiple databases, multiple backup types, or both, the backup for each database is created in a single file. A default folder for these files is displayed; the file names will be generated automatically. To change the folder, type the new path or click and specify the folder using the file browser. If you want the backup file to be created in a different folder for each database, in the file 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 file in which you want the mirrored backups to be created.

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.

File management

SQL Backup provides a number of settings to automate the management of your existing backup files.

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

Select the Delete existing backup files in this folder for the selected database check box if you want SQL Backup to delete backups of the selected databases that exist in the destination backup folders. In All files older than, type or select the age (in days or hours) of the files that you want to delete.

By default, the files are deleted when the backup process 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.

Optimization

SQL Backup provides some settings for optimizing your backup jobs.

If you are backing up to a Single file or Single backup file, mirrored to second location, SQL Backup can use multiple threads to create the backups. This can speed up the backup process. Select the Use multiple threads check box, and type or select the number of threads up to a maximum of 32. For more information about using multiple threads, see Optimizing Backup Speed.

Maximum transfer size specifies the maximum size of each block of memory to be used when SQL Backup stores backup data. The default value is 1024 KB; you may want to change this value if a SQL Server reports that it has insufficient memory to service requests from SQL Backup.

Maximum data block is used only if you are creating the backups on a network share. It specifies the maximum size of data blocks to be used when SQL Backup writes data to network shares. The default value is 4096 KB.

 

 

 


© Red Gate Software Ltd 2007. All Rights Reserved.