Creating a full backup

Run a full backup to back up both the database file and the transaction log.

Prerequisites

You must have the BACKUP DATABASE and VALIDATE ANY OBJECT system privileges.

Context and remarks

The backup copies of the database file and transaction log file have the same names as the online versions of these files. For example, if you make a backup of the sample database, the backup copies are called demo.db and demo.log. When you repeat the backup statement, choose a new backup directory to avoid overwriting the backup copies.

Task

Connect to the database.
Validate the database to ensure that it is not corrupt. You can use the Validation utility, the sa_validate stored procedure, or the VALIDATE DATABASE statement.
Make a backup of your database file and the transaction log. For example, use the BACKUP statement.

Results

A full backup of your database file and the transaction log is created.

Example

The following statement creates a full backup of the database in the directory C:\temp\backup:

BACKUP DATABASE
DIRECTORY 'c:\\temp\\backup';

Creating a full backup

Task

See also