SQL Backup Tool in dbForge Studio for SQL Server

dbForge Studio for SQL Server is packed with advanced functionality that helps protect critical data in SQL Server databases, minimize risks of data loss, and keep data intact. Among other things, the Studio features SQL database backup software, which is an essential component of the working environment of any data expert: database administrators, data analysts, data architects, DevOps engineers. An actionable and efficient backup strategy prevents loss of data and ensures disaster recovery, bringing multiple business benefits:

  • Business continuity based on the ability to restore mission-critical systems with minimal downtime
  • Compliance with regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and others, that require data to remain secure and available
  • Confidence of system upgrades and migrations with the possibility to roll back to a stable version
  • Traceability and transparency enabled by an uninterrupted history of data changes

Data backup and restore opportunities by role

While a properly implemented database backup significantly improves the quality of work for people in any business role, there are certain role-related benefits. Let's see how database backup enabled by dbForge Studio for SQL Server supports professionals in different areas.

Software Developer Database Developer Database Administrator
  • Safe working environment encouraging experimenting and innovation
  • Effective collaboration across teams
  • Minimization of human error effect
  • Safe testing of schema and logic changes
  • Effective debugging due to the ability to reproduce errors from backup
  • Support for versioning based on access to historical data
  • Disaster recovery assurance
  • Regulatory compliance and conformity with data retention, recovery, and audit requirements
  • Support for high database availability through redundancy
Data Analyst Database Architect DevOps Engineer
  • Data consistency for reporting and analysis
  • Trust and confidence in data due to its integrity and protection
  • Access to archived and historical data
  • System reliability, resilience, and fault tolerance
  • Scalable data lifecycle management
  • Support for strategic planning for future data growth
  • Safe CI/CD deployments
  • Support for automation and infrastructure-as-code approaches
  • Effective planning of storage capacities

Backup and Restore wizards

The Backup and Restore wizards are comprehensive SQL Server backup and recovery utilities designed to perform tasks related to backup and automate the backup and restore processes. With the Studio's integrated SQL Server backup tool, you can minimize the risk of database failure, user errors, data loss and corruption. The Restore functionality of the MS SQL backup software allows you to efficiently recover the database in case of unexpected data failure. Using the Backup and Restore wizards, you can:

  • Perform a full or differential backup of SQL Server databases of any size
  • Generate data backup and restore scripts
  • Create a copy-only backup
  • Back up a SQL database from one server and restore it on another
  • Customize the backup and restore processes to your needs

Backing up a SQL Server database

The Backup wizard walks you through the process of creating a backup of your database in an intuitive GUI-based flow.

Starting a backup

To start a SQL Server backup, on the Database menu, navigate to Tasks, and select Back Up from the shortcut menu. In the Backup wizard, you can create a backup of a database in SQL Server that will reflect your needs:

  • View or modify settings for a database backup operation
  • Specify a server connection for the database backup
  • Choose between a simple and full recovery model. Simple recovery truncates the transaction log, keeping the log file from growing too large, however, you cannot recover the database at any given point in time. With full recovery, all transactions are fully logged, allowing you to restore the database to any point in time.
  • Select a backup type: full, differential, or transaction log.
    Note
    The TransactionLog backup type is only available when the FULL recovery model is selected.
  • Create a copy-only backup
  • Back up files or filegroups of data
  • Add or remove other backup files to/from the current backup
SQL Server Backup: Starting a Backup

Modifying media options

The wizard allows you to take control over the disk files to which a backup will be written. In the wizard, you can configure and modify the way the backup is written to the media:

  • Append to the existing backup set
  • Verify media set name and backup set expiration
  • Specify the name and description of the media set
  • Configure the handling of errors that may occur during backup operations
  • Verify the backup when finished
  • Truncate a transaction log
  • Back up a SQL Server database transaction log
SQL Server Backup: Modifying Media Options

Customizing SQL Server backup options

In SQL backup software by Devart, every backup operation can be customized up to your needs. The Backup options tab allows you to view and manage backup set and encryption options:

  • Specify the name and description of the backup set
  • Set up a backup expiration date or indicate a number of days after which the backup set will expire
  • Enable backup compression
  • Encrypt data during a backup by specifying an encryption algorithm, certificate, or asymmetric key
SQL Server Backup: Customizing SQL Server Backup Options

Restoring a SQL Server database

Using the Restore wizard, you can restore a database from a previously created backup.

Starting a restore process

You can start the restore process either from Database Explorer, Start Page, or the Database menu. dbForge Studio for SQL Server supports restoration of a full database or a data file. In the Restore wizard, you can configure the restore process as follows:

  • Specify the source and target databases to restore
  • Select the backups to restore
  • Choose whether to restore from an entire database or an individual backup file
SQL Server Restore

Specifying file locations

Optionally, you can use the Files tab of the Restore wizard to set data and log file folders to which the restored files can be moved, as well as specify relocation paths for individual database files.

Specifying file locations during database restore

Modifying restore options

The Options tab allows you to set advanced restore options as needed:

  • Handle the behavior of the restore operation
  • Determine the database recovery state after the restore operation
  • Manage tail-log backups
Specifying database restore options

With the Backup and Restore wizards supported by dbForge Studio for SQL Server, you can set up an effective data backup and restore strategy that meets your business needs.

Conclusion

The Backup and Restore functionality ensures that database data won't be lost or corrupted in case of a database failure or user errors. With the integrated SQL Server backup tools of dbForge Studio, you can back up and restore the whole database or data files, as well as bring the backup and restore process up to your requirements in a convenient GUI. Along with the SQL Server Backup and Restore utilities, dbForge Studio for SQL Server offers a bunch of advanced SQL backup solutions and useful tools for database development, administration, and management.

This short video tutorial walks you through the process of backing up and restoring your databases or data files using the backup and restore functionality of dbForge Studio for SQL Server.

FAQ

What is the best backup strategy in SQL Server?

Choose your backup strategy, taking into account your business goals, database size, data recovery needs, and update frequency. Do a full backup at regular intervals to capture your entire database. Between full backups, schedule differential backups to capture only the changed data. Such a strategy ensures effective recovery of your database, minimizing the risk of data loss.

What is the difference between backup and restore in SQL Server?

Backup initiates a process of creating a copy of the database for recovery purposes. Restore is the process of recovering data from a backup copy.

What are the three types of backup in SQL?

SQL Server supports the following backup types:

  • Full backup: a copy of the entire database including data, objects, and transaction log.
  • Differential backup: a snapshot of changes made since the last full backup.
  • Transaction log backup: a record of every change in the database (insert, update, delete, schema modification, etc.) made since the last full backup or transaction log backup.

For a full and transaction log backup, a copy-only option is available. A copy-only backup creates a copy of the data without interrupting the implemented backup strategy or changing the reference point.

How to back up and restore a database in SQL?

To back up a database in dbForge Studio for SQL Server, use the Backup wizard, guiding you through the steps of setting up a suitable backup strategy. To restore a database, use the Restore wizard that helps you recover your database from a backup copy.

How to import a backup file in SQL Server?

In the Restore wizard of dbForge Studio for SQL Server, choose the file to import from as the source.

How to automate SQL Server backups?

To automate SQL Server backups, use a task scheduler tool of your operating system to set up a schedule for your database backup.