Cloud Backup:Back up an SQL Server database

Usage notes

Environment setup

• Supported versions: Cloud Backup supports specific versions of databases, operating systems, and backup features. For more information, see Supported database versions.

• .NET framework: The ECS instance must have .NET Framework 4.5 or later installed.

• On-premises connectivity: On-premises databases must connect to a VPC through VPN or Express Connect. The client must reach one of these CIDR blocks: 100.64.0.0/10, 100.64.0.0/11, or 100.96.0.0/11. For more information, see Single-tunnel mode.

• File system compression: Do not enable file system-level compression on volumes storing SQL Server database files. File Locations for Default and Named Instances of SQL Server.

Backup type rules and limitations

The available backup types depend on your database's configuration:

• Master database: Only full backups are supported. Cumulative incremental and log backups are not allowed.

• Simple recovery model: Only full and cumulative incremental backups are supported. Log backups are not available.

• Full recovery model: Deleting a backup plan with log backups stops automatic log truncation. The transaction log may grow indefinitely until a new log backup runs. Monitor storage after plan deletion. View or change the recovery model of a database (SQL Server).

• Containerized databases: Not supported.

Conflicts with other software and features

Running Cloud Backup with other backup tools may cause conflicts:

• Using other backup tools:

  • If other software performs a full backup, Cloud Backup may convert the next incremental/log backup to a full backup, increasing storage costs.

  • Backing up an SQL Server 2019 database with Cloud Backup and another tool simultaneously can cause errors and prevent you from viewing database details. For more information, see SQL Server: Failed to browse database

• Anti-ransomware feature: When anti-ransomware is enabled for a database, Cloud Backup SQL Server backups become unavailable. For more information, see Anti-ransomware service overview.

Cost management

Follow these practices to manage costs and avoid issues:

• Free registration: Registering a database is free. Charges apply when you create and run backup plans.

• Use a single backup vault: Back up each database instance to one vault only. Using multiple vaults causes incremental/log backups to convert to full backups, increasing storage costs.

Procedure

Create a backup plan for the registered database.

1. Log on to the Cloud Backup console.

2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Backup > Database Backup. In the top navigation bar, select a region. On the Database Backup page, click the SQL Server tab. Click the ECS Database Instance or Local Database Instance tab. Find the target SQL Server database, then click Back Up in the Actions column.

   

3. In the Create Backup Plan panel, perform the following steps:

   1. Configure the backup parameters and click Next.

      1. Specify Plan Name.

      2. Select the SQL Server database that you want to back up.

   2. Configure the backup plan and click Next.

      Parameter	Description
      Recommended Plan	Preconfigured backup policies. Cloud Backup provides the following policies. Select one or create a custom policy. Typical Plan: enables the Full Backup and Cumulative Incremental Backup features. Critical Application: enables the Full Backup, Cumulative Incremental Backup, and Log Backup features. Customize: enables a custom backup policy.
      Full Backup	Backs up all database files. Run immediately or on a schedule (hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly).
      Cumulative Incremental Backup	Backs up all data changed since the last full backup. Run immediately or on a schedule (hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly). Important For deletion purposes, cumulative incremental backups are treated the same as normal ones. They form a dependency chain and can only be deleted after the full backup they depend on expires. This may extend retention beyond individual settings. Configure your backup cycle and retention period carefully. For more information, see How does Cloud Backup clear expired database backup files?
      Log Backup	Enables Point-in-Time Recovery (PITR) — restore a database to any specific moment. Point-in-Time Recovery (PITR): Restore data to a precise moment, such as right before an error occurred. High frequency: Backups can be scheduled frequently, with a minimum cycle of every 10 minutes. Important Log backups depend on the most recent full backup, which is retained until all dependent log backups expire. Plan your retention policy carefully to manage storage costs. For more information, see How does Cloud Backup clear expired database backup files?

   3. Configure the backup settings and click Next.

      Configure threading, retry interval, and speed limit.

      Parameter	Description
      Concurrent Threads	Number of concurrent backup threads.
      Retry Time	Interval between reconnection attempts if disconnected during backup. Unit: minutes.
      Speed Limit	Maximum backup throughput. Unit: MB/s. 0 means unlimited.

   4. Configure a backup vault and then click OK.

      Important

      A database instance can be backed up to only one backup vault.

      Parameter	Description
      Backup Vault	Where to store backup data. Valid values: Create Vault: Specify a vault name. If left empty, a random name is generated. Select Vault: Choose an existing vault from the drop-down list. Important You are charged for a vault after creation, regardless of stored data. For more information, see Billing methods and billable items. Cloud Backup uses zone-redundant storage (ZRS) where available, falling back to locally redundant storage (LRS). The storage type is selected automatically and cannot be manually configured.
      Vault Name	Name of the backup vault.
      Immutable Backup	When Immutable Backup is enabled, the backup vault and all its backup data cannot be deleted until they automatically expire.
      Backup Retention Period	How long backup data is retained before automatic deletion. Unit: days, weeks, months, or years. Modify on the Storage Vaults page. Changes apply to newly generated backup data only. Important Restoring an incremental or log backup requires the most recent full backup, which is retained until all dependent backups expire. Configure your backup cycle and expiration accordingly. For more information, see How does Cloud Backup clear expired database backup files?

      The backup plan is created.

Verify backup results

• Incremental backups require an existing full backup. Run a full backup manually first.

• After the backup plan is created, view details on the Backup Plans tab. The details include the next execution time and backup intervals for each backup type. Cloud Backup backs up the SQL Server database at the specified start time and interval.

• When the backup execution time is reached, Cloud Backup runs the backup plan. The job completes when the Status is Idle and the Next Run time is displayed.

More operations

On the Backup Plan tab, find the target backup plan. The following operations are available in the Actions column:

• Edit a backup plan

  Click Edit to modify the backup plan.

• Configure alert settings

  Click ⋮ and select Alert Settings, and then select a backup alert method.

  Backup alert method	Description
  Disabled	The client no longer sends alert notifications.
  Same as Backup Vault	The client uses the same alert method as the backup vault.
  Notify Alibaba Cloud Account	Backup alert notifications for the client are sent by email to the Alibaba Cloud account.
  Custom	Select one or more contacts or contact groups. After configuration, the client sends backup alerts to the selected contacts or groups.

• Delete a backup plan

  Deleting a backup plan will interrupt any running backup or restore jobs.

  Click ⋮ and select Delete Backup to delete a backup plan that is no longer needed.

FAQ

• Database backup vault

• Database backup FAQ

• Purging expired data

• Data size, vault usage, and billing

• Database backup FAQ

References

• Register SQL Server (ECS)

• Precheck an ECS-hosted SQL Server instance

• Register an on-premises SQL Server database

• For details on the database backup feature, see Feature overview (ECS database) and Overview (on-premises databases).

• Cloud Backup offers resource plans for backup scenarios to reduce costs. For more information, see Purchase resource plans.