Differential Backups question

[wbodger]

I have setup nightly differentials on my SQL 2K box. When I check Jobs under Management it says the job failed, but when I look in the directory the file is there, dated when it should be dated and then in the SQL Server Logs it shows no error. Any thoughts on what might be going on, or where I should look to try to track this discrepancy down?

wb

 

[JayKusch]

In the job history, it here more details you can relay as to what the job is saying it is failing on?

Can you tell me what the step or steps are in the job and then what step/steps it is failing?

Thanks

J. Kusch

 

[wbodger]

There is just one step and that is the step that is failing.

BACKUP DATABASE [Onyx] TO [Onyx Nightly Differentials] WITH  NOINIT ,  NOUNLOAD ,  DIFFERENTIAL ,  NAME = N'Onyx nightly differential backup',  NOSKIP ,  STATS = 10,  NOFORMAT

 

[JayKusch]

Has a full backup of this DB been executed?

If you are seeing the DIFF backup file in the folder (as you relayed) then we know it is not really failing.

Can you see if there are any error messages within the Job History, SQL event log and the Windows Appplication event log.

Also, can you read the DIFFs header to see if it is actually there and not corrupt:

restore headeronly
from disk = '<filename>'

Thanks

J. Kusch

 

[wbodger]

Well, at 11 pm I get this in the Windows Event Viewer

SQL Server Scheduled Job 'Onyx nightly differential backup' (0x6414F9333F70314E86B6518612180759) - Status: Failed - Invoked on: 2009-05-20 23:00:07 - Message: The job failed.  The Job was invoked by Schedule 217 (Nightly Diffs).  The last step to run was step 1 (Step 1).

Then at 11:03 pm, I get this

18270 :
Database differential changes backed up: Database: Onyx, creation date(time): 2007/02/18(13:44:15), pages dumped: 252032, first LSN: 78630:1081:4, last LSN: 78630:1135:1, full backup LSN: 78621:10846:16, number of dump devices: 1, device information: (FILE=1, TYPE=DISK: {'OnyxNightlyDifferentials'}).

Yes, a full backup was completed successfully and hourly log shipping is successful as well. There are no errors along these lines in the Event Log.

Thanks for your help,
Willie

 

[JayKusch]

Do you see anything in the Job History?

Thanks

J. Kusch

 

[wbodger]

The job history just says it failed on step 1, two days running.