SQL Backup Question

[deejay33]

Hello All,

I have two questions about backing up a SQL Server.

1. I am doing Full (nightly before our tape backup starts) and transactional (every 6 hours) backups though maintenance plans. I then pick up those backups via our Arcserve tape backup at night. Is there any need to use a SQL agent through Arcserve if we don't have any transactions going on at night? Our office only runs from about 4am to 5pm so everything should be on the backups that are run though the maintenance plans right?

2. I do my full nightly and then run transactionals every 6 hours. Should those be differentials instead?

Thanks for your help with clarification on these points.

Daniel

 

[LawnBoy]

No you don't need a remote agent. What you are doing is (arguably) the most foolproof.

Differentials take up more disk/tape space, but they're quicker and easier to restore. Roughly, the 1sf diff would be the size of the first inc. The second diff would be the size of the first two incs, 3rd diff = 3 incs, 4th diff = all 4 incs (give or take 20%). But when you restore you only have to restore the full and the last diff instead of the full and all incs up to that time. Since you're only keeping 4 incs it wouldn't be a big change either way.


"We must fall back upon the old axiom that when all other contingencies fail, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - Sherlock Holmes