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This section introduces the different types of backups to protect your database data and log files, as well as the Windows configuration and objects from loss. It gives general recommendations for your backup strategy, which should comprise both the database and Windows backups. Keep in mind that the frequency and type of backups required vary widely. You need to find a solution that best fits your environment.
Database Backup
There are three main types of an SQL Server backup: Full database backup, differential database backup and transaction log backup. You can do all these backups when the database is online and you do not have to stop the SAP system. The following subsections describe these database backup types in detail:
Log Shipping
You can use log shipping to feed transaction logs from one database to another on a constant basis. Continually backing up the transaction logs from a source database and then copying and restoring the logs to a destination database keeps the destination database synchronized with the source database. You can use the Database Maintenance Plan Wizard to configure log shipping as a maintenance task that can be scheduled to run automatically at defined intervals. Log shipping enables you to run a backup server and provides high availability as required by large enterprise systems. Log shipping requires extra administration and well-defined procedures to monitor the status of all log-shipping servers. For details refer to SQL Server Books Online and SAP Note 493290. Do not use log shipping to replace a robust and validated disaster recovery plan. It merely provides a high availability solution for large enterprise systems.
A full Windows backup backs up the entire system including the database, SQL Server and Windows files. A Windows backup is only possible when the SQL Server is stopped because open files cannot be backed up. The database must be offline and the SQL Server shut down. The backup of these files is necessary for a restore operation when the disk on which SQL Server and SAP executables are located crashes. In addition, it serves as an additional backup that may play a vital role in dealing with emergency situations where other routine backups have been damaged. The Windows, SAP and SQL Server files need to be backed up: After installing a Windows or SQL Server Service pack Before special actions such as an SAP Upgrade To perform a full Windows backup, you use the Windows Backup tool.
Use the auxiliary Windows server system to backup the files. For information on how to proceed, refer to the Windows documentation. Never use a full Windows backup for regular database backups that are part of a predefined backup and restore strategy. When you restore such a Windows backup, the database and transaction log files are restored to the state they were at the time you ran the Windows backup. No subsequent differential or log backups can be applied. Therefore you cannot do a point-in-time database recovery. This means that the changes you made to the database since the last Windows backup are lost and cannot be redone. Instead, always use SQL Server-based backups for regular database and log backups.
Recovery Models
The Recovery Model influences the way in which the SQL Server executes backups and determines to which degree a database can be restored after it has been damaged. It is therefore a crucial setting for a production database. For an SAP production system, the Recovery Model must be set to Full to enable the database to be optimally restored when it is damaged. You can set three different types of recovery models for a database: Full Recovery Model Bulk-Logged Recovery Model Simple Recovery Model