Brad’s Sure Guide to SQL Server Maintenance Plans- P32: SQL Server has a reputation as being a simple database application to install, configure, and maintain. This is a little misleading. SQL Server is a powerful relational database that can handle the needs of the largest organizations and, as such, its proper maintenance almost certainly requires the attention of an experienced DBA. | Chapter 12 Back Up Database Full Task Figure Generally the second option selected by default is the choice to make. A striped backup can under certain conditions speed up the backup process. However like backup devices this option is not used very often because there are many better ways to boost backup performance that are faster save disk space and are easier to administer. This better way backup compression we will discuss a little more in the pages ahead. As you have probably already guessed I recommend that you don t use this option in your Maintenance Plan. If for some reason you do need it you may be better off using T-SQL or PowerShell scripts instead as trying to use this option via the Maintenance Plan Wizard is tedious and not very flexible. Create a backup file for every database This is the default option and the one you should select. It will automatically create a new backup file on disk for each database you selected in the Database s section of the screen. Backup files will automatically be assigned the name of the database along with the word backup and the date of the backup. This means that you can easily identify which backup file is which and when it was taken. This option has three of its own sub-options. Let s look at them one at a time. Create a sub-directory for each database If you select this option a sub-directory will be created for each database you back up and the associated backups will be stored there. So if you back up two databases one called Sales and one called Marketing then backups for the Sales database will be stored in a subdirectory called Sales and those for Marketing database in a sub-directory called Marketing. 156 Chapter 12 Back Up Database Full Task If you don t choose this option then all the backups will be stored in the same folder which you specify with the next option . Either option works fine. Personally 1 don t use sub-directories because 1 don t like to go through multiple levels of folders to view my
