How to Backup Your SQL DB

Challenge

This is a "how to" guide on backing up your SQL DB. This is useful in cases where you have to do a quick backup before a DB edit or a backup alternative if you don't want to back up the whole server and just want to back up select information.  

Solution

I. Using SQL Server Management Studio
 

1. Open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (May need to be installed separately)
2. Connect to the "ServerName\Instance" of the server that has the DB you want backed up.  
3. Expand the Databases tab to get to the DB you want to back up.  
4. Right click the desired DB --> Tasks --> Back Up...
5. Set "Backup Type" to "Full"
6. Go through the rest of the General and Options tab information to set the options to what you want. 
7. Click OK to start the Backup process.

II. Using sqlcmd

In case you do not have management studio installed, Veeam database can be collected using SQLCMD utility:

1. Check the name of the SQL instance and Veeam database in windows registry

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VeeaM\Veeam Backup and Replication\SqlDatabaseName
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VeeaM\Veeam Backup and Replication\SqlInstanceName
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\VeeaM\Veeam Backup and Replication\SqlServerName

2. Open Windows Command prompt and connect to SQL instance:

SQLCMD -S (SqlServerName)\SqlInstanceName



Note: In case you have SQL server authentication enabled you may define username using '-U' parameter

3. Back up the Veeam database:

BACKUP DATABASE SqlDatabaseName TO DISK = 'C:\VeeamDB.bak'
GO




 

More Information

Alternatively you can copy the .MDF (database file) and .LDF (database temp file) to a different location.  The default path for these files are "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.'YourInstanceName'\MSSQL\DATA\" where "YourInstanceName" is the name of the SQL instance.