SQL Server Express has no automated backup tool, you must do all backups manually or use scripts to automate nightly backups. (You do backup your production databases every night right?).
SQL Backup and FTP
SQL Backup and FTP is a program I’ve been using on my Production Server for the past month, allowing me to backup my production databases with ease every hour without any scripting. Here are some key features:
- The system will backup, zip and even email you an update when the backup has been completed.
- Transfer the backup offsite via FTP.
- Each backup is zipped, allowing you to save on harddrive space and easy upload to an online backup service such as Mozy Professional. (I don’t recommend the cheap Mozy, go pro for your server).
Creating a backup job took a little experimenting with the settings but I finally got it all worked out. Here are some tips:
- When you launch the program you will see a list of databases on the server where it’s installed. Click on the database you wish to backup every day, specify the folder where the job should be backed up to and save it with a name. The system will then schedule a task under scheduled tasks in the control panel.
- If you want to backup every hour, (recommended), go to control panel, pull up the task scheduler and modify the task to run hourly.
If you need to backup more than two databases on a server then you will want the Lite version which will backup up to 5 databases for only $29. Additional licenses are available if you need to do more.
You can find the program at sqlbackupandftp.com.
