How do you backup SQL Server databases in high availability or disaster recovery scenarios?

2 Backup options and settings

SQL Server also provides various options and settings that can affect the backup performance, reliability, and security. For example, you can use compression, encryption, checksum, backup verification, backup to URL, backup mirroring, and backup to multiple files. You should consider the impact of these options and settings on your backup process, and choose the ones that suit your needs and environment. For example, you can use compression to reduce the backup size and speed up the backup and restore operations, but it may also increase the CPU usage and affect other workloads.

3 Backup automation and scheduling

One of the best ways to ensure that your backups are consistent, complete, and timely is to automate and schedule them using scripts, jobs, or tools. You can use Transact-SQL commands, PowerShell cmdlets, or SMO methods to create and execute backup scripts, and use SQL Server Agent, Windows Task Scheduler, or other schedulers to run them at regular intervals or events. You can also use tools such as SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), SQL Server Maintenance Plans, or third-party backup solutions to create and manage backup jobs and tasks. You should also monitor and review your backup automation and scheduling to ensure that they are working as expected and that they meet your backup objectives.

4 Backup testing and validation

Another important aspect of backup and recovery is to test and validate your backups regularly. You should not assume that your backups are valid and restorable until you verify them. You can use methods such as restore with verifyonly, restore headeronly, restore labelonly, or restore filelistonly to check the integrity and metadata of your backups. You can also perform trial restores on a test server or a different location to ensure that your backups are usable and that you can recover your databases to the desired state. You should also document and update your backup testing and validation procedures and results.

5 Backup retention and archiving

Finally, you should also have a backup retention and archiving policy that defines how long and where you keep your backups. You should consider factors such as legal, regulatory, business, and operational requirements, as well as storage capacity and cost, when deciding your backup retention and archiving policy. You should also ensure that your backups are stored securely and reliably, and that you can access them when needed. You can use methods such as backup expiration, backup deletion, backup copy, backup media management, or cloud storage to manage your backup retention and archiving.