File and filegroup backup is a process of backing up only the datafiles and filegroups that you select. This process can be used to speed up the backup process and to reduce the size of the backup.
To create a file and filegroup backup, you must first create a backup device. You can use the backup device to store the backup files. You can use a disk, tape, or other storage media.
Next, you must create a backup job. The backup job contains the information that is needed to back up the datafiles and filegroups. The job includes the following information:
-The name of the backup device
-The name of the backup job
-The name of the filegroup or datafile to be backed up
-The backup method
-The backup history
The backup method can be either full or differential. The backup history specifies the number of backups that are kept on the backup device.
You can back up the datafiles and filegroups in any order. However, the backup job must be created in the order that the backup devices are listed.
When you create the backup job, the files are backed up in the order that they are listed. If you want to back up the datafiles in a different order, you must create a new backup job.
To create a file and filegroup backup:
1. Create a backup device.
2. Create a backup job.
3. Add the filegroup or datafile to be backed up.
4. Select the backup method.
5. Specify the backup history.
6. Save the backup job.
7. Run the backup job.
Contents
- 1 What is file and filegroup backup in SQL Server?
- 2 What is difference between file and filegroup in SQL Server?
- 3 What are the main 3 types of backups in SQL?
- 4 How would files and file groups help you in your backup strategy?
- 5 How do I restore a filegroup from a backup?
- 6 How do I restore a SQL .BAK file?
- 7 How do I find the size of a filegroup in SQL Server?
What is file and filegroup backup in SQL Server?
File and filegroup backups are one of the most important features of SQL Server. They allow you to back up individual files or filegroups, making it easy to recover specific data. In addition, file and filegroup backups can be used to create a database backup.
To create a file or filegroup backup, you first need to create a backup device. This can be a physical device such as a tape drive, or it can be a logical device such as a file. You then use the BACKUP statement to back up the files or filegroups. The following example creates a backup of the Northwind database to the file C:\Northwind.bak:
BACKUP DATABASE Northwind
TO DISK = ‘C:\Northwind.bak’
You can also back up files and filegroups to a remote location. The following example backs up the Northwind database to a remote server:
BACKUP DATABASE Northwind
TO ‘\\server\share\Northwind.bak’
You can create a database backup by including the file or filegroup backups in the BACKUP statement. The following example creates a database backup that includes the Northwind database and the Orders database:
BACKUP DATABASE Northwind
TO DISK = ‘C:\Northwind.bak’
BACKUP DATABASE Orders
TO DISK = ‘C:\Orders.bak’
You can also back up a database to a remote server:
BACKUP DATABASE Northwind
TO ‘\\server\share\Northwind.bak’
What is difference between file and filegroup in SQL Server?
SQL Server has two ways of storing data: files and filegroups.
Files are the most basic way of storing data. Each file is a collection of pages that are allocated to a certain database. When a database is created, a file is created to store its data.
Filegroups are a more advanced way of storing data. A filegroup is a collection of files that are related to each other. When a database is created, you can choose to put it in a filegroup.
The difference between files and filegroups is that files are limited in size, while filegroups can be any size. When a database grows too large, you can move it from a file to a filegroup to keep it from filling up the file.
Another difference is that files can only be in one filegroup, while filegroups can be in multiple files. This is useful if you want to split a large database into multiple files.
There are also some performance benefits to using filegroups. Filegroups can be read and written to simultaneously, which can improve performance.
What are the main 3 types of backups in SQL?
There are three main types of backups in SQL: full, differential, and transaction log backups.
A full backup backs up all of the data in the database. A differential backup backs up only the data that has changed since the last full backup. And a transaction log backup backs up the transaction log, which contains a record of all the changes made to the database.
Each type of backup has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, full backups are the most time-consuming to perform, but they’re also the most comprehensive. Differential backups are faster to perform than full backups, but they don’t include as much information. And transaction log backups are the quickest to perform, but they don’t include as much data as either full or differential backups.
Which type of backup you should use depends on your specific needs. For example, if you need to restore the database to a specific point in time, you’ll need a transaction log backup. If you just need to restore the most recent version of the database, a differential backup will do.
How would files and file groups help you in your backup strategy?
In any organization, data is the most important and valuable asset. As such, it is important to have a reliable and efficient backup strategy in place to protect this data from loss or damage.
One way to improve your backup strategy is to use files and file groups. This can help you to better organize your data and make it easier to back up.
When you use files and file groups, you can create a hierarchy of files and folders that reflects the way your data is organized. This can help you to more easily identify and back up the relevant data.
You can also use file groups to create archive files. This can be useful if you want to back up only a subset of your data, or if you want to compress your data for faster backup and transmission.
By using files and file groups, you can improve the efficiency and reliability of your backup strategy. This can help you to protect your data from loss or damage, and ensure that your business can continue to operate in the event of a disaster.
How do I restore a filegroup from a backup?
A filegroup is a named collection of files that are physically and logically contiguous. A restore operation can be used to restore a whole filegroup, or a subset of the files within a filegroup.
Before you can restore a filegroup, you must first create a backup of the filegroup. The backup can be created using the BACKUP statement, or using a third-party backup software.
Once the backup is created, you can restore the filegroup by using the RESTORE statement. The syntax for the RESTORE statement is as follows:
RESTORE {
| FILEGROUP
| DATABASE
}
FROM
[WITH {
| RECOVERY
| REPLACE
}]
The parameter specifies the location of the backup file. The backup can be on the local computer or on a remote computer.
The RECOVERY parameter specifies the type of recovery to perform. The possible values are NORECOVERY, STANDBY, and FULL.
The REPLACE parameter specifies whether to replace the existing files or not.
If you are restoring a filegroup, you must specify the filegroup name. If you are restoring the entire database, you must specify the database name.
The following example restores the filegroup Sales from the backup file Sales.bak on the local computer.
RESTORE FILEGROUP Sales FROM ‘C:\Backups\Sales.bak’
WITH RECOVERY
If you are restoring the entire database, you must include the WITH RECOVERY clause. The following example restores the database AdventureWorks2012 from the backup file AdventureWorks2012.bak on the local computer.
RESTORE DATABASE AdventureWorks2012 FROM ‘C:\Backups\AdventureWorks2012.bak’
WITH RECOVERY
How do I restore a SQL .BAK file?
SQL Server databases can be backed up in the BAK file format. The BAK file can be used to restore the database to the same server or a different server.
To restore a SQL BAK file, first connect to the SQL Server instance where you want to restore the database.
Then, use the following command to restore the database:
RESTORE DATABASE [database_name] FROM DISK = N’\\server_name\share_name\database_name.bak’
You can also use the following command to restore the database:
RESTORE DATABASE [database_name]
FROM DISK = N’\\server_name\share_name\database_name.bak’
WITH MOVE ‘database_name’ TO N’C:\database_name.mdf’,
MOVE ‘database_name_log’ TO N’D:\database_name_log.ldf’
How do I find the size of a filegroup in SQL Server?
SQL Server provides the sys.filegroups catalog view to list all the filegroups in the instance and their sizes.
The following query shows the total size of all the filegroups in the instance:
SELECT sum(size) as “Total Size”
FROM sys.filegroups
This query can be run on any edition of SQL Server, including the free SQL Server Express edition.
