Read time 8 minutes
The data stored within a SQL Server Database is of paramount significance to organizations, leading them to exercise extreme vigilance and readiness to mitigate worst-case scenarios and high-risk data loss situations.
Given the significance of the SQL database, it is advisable to regularly create backup files of the database to ensure preparedness for potential instances of severe database file corruption and damage.
Otherwise, searching for methods regarding how to restore SQL Server database or tips to recover SQL database from suspect mode will become the only task with the highest priority in your to-do list. Achieving this task is a challenging endeavor due to the limited functionality of native Microsoft applications. They offer only a few useful features, provided that the user can access the database files, and that those files are free from corruption or damage.
In this post, we’ll lead you through the process of backing up a SQL Server database using various tools. Additionally, we’ll delve into the significance of differential backups and demonstrate how to create one in SQL Server. Finally, we’ll cover the fundamental principles of data and file backups.
It is crucial to establish a regular backup routine, particularly when data plays a pivotal role in the business. This practice helps mitigate the challenges of rectifying issues and salvaging lost information.
To grasp the significance of backup creation, the following points are expounded:
The benefits of creating backups are numerous, but the ones mentioned above serve as a starting point. Now that you understand the advantages of making file backups, let’s move on to creating a backup for your SQL Server database.
Follow the steps given below to create SQL Server Database using Transact SQL on a disk device:
Note: Backups created using an earlier or later version of SQL Server can’t be restored using the other version of the software.
GO
BACKUP DATABASE TechForums19
TO DISK = ‘Z:\SQLServerBackups\TechForums19.Bak’
WITH FORMAT,
MEDIANAME = ‘Z_SQLServerBackups’,
NAME = ‘Full Backup of TechForums19’,
GO
Note: Above, TechForums19, is the database selected for backup, change it with the one you want to back up.
To create the SQL Server database backup using PowerShell, we’ll use the Backup-SqlDatabase cmdlet, and to create the full database backup, we’ll specify the optional -BackupAction parameter with its default value, which is Database.
Execute the below PowerShell command to create the full SQL Server Database backup:
Note: Above example, demonstrates the full database backup of a SQL Server Database, where Computer/Instance is the backup location of the server instance. Again, replace TechForums19 with your SQL Server database name.
When generating a complete SQL Server database backup, several factors merit consideration. Notably, the process of creating full database backups is a protracted and resource-intensive endeavor. Furthermore, for databases with substantial file sizes, a significant amount of storage space is necessitated to accommodate them.
Create SQL Server Differential Backup
Follow below steps to create the differential backup of a SQL Server Database:
Example showing both the full SQL Server database backup and differential backup:
–Initiate the differential backup after a change, or an update is made on the select SQL Server database.
BACKUP DATABASE TechForums19
TO TechForums19_DB
WITH DIFFERENTIAL;
GO
Example showing only the differential backup:
GO
Note: Make sure that you’ve created the full SQL Server database backup already; otherwise, the differential backup cannot be initiated.
Here are the procedures to assist you in generating complete SQL Server database backups and differential backups. File backups are essential for recovering from database corruption, but what should you do if the backup files themselves become corrupted or damaged? In such situations, you have two alternatives:
Kernel for SQL Backup Recovery is made to fix corruption and damage issues in SQL Backup files. It restores MDF/NDF files from .bak files to live SQL Server/Batch file.
Follow the steps below for the data restoration from healthy/corrupt/damaged database backup (BAK) file.
You have successfully restored the data from SQL Server database backup (BAK) file.
Creating file backups is not only a good practice but also insurance which saves time and money. And Kernel for SQL Database Recovery is there to fix the issues, when the database files turn corrupt, and you wonder how to repair corrupt SQL database. It is a one-stop-shop for SQL repair & recovery. Alternately, you can restore SQL database files even from damaged SQL backup files using Kernel SQL Backup Recovery tool.