SQL BACKUP DATABASE Keyword

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BACKUP DATABASE

The BACKUP DATABASE command is used in SQL Server to create a full back up of an existing SQL database.

The following SQL statement creates a full back up of the existing database "testDB" to the D disk:

Example

BACKUP DATABASE testDB
TO DISK = 'D:\backups\testDB.bak';

Tip: Always back up the database to a different drive than the actual database. If you get a disk crash, you will not lose your backup file along with the database.

A differential back up only backs up the parts of the database that have changed since the last full database backup.

The following SQL statement creates a differential back up of the database "testDB":

Example

BACKUP DATABASE testDB
TO DISK = 'D:\backups\testDB.bak'
WITH DIFFERENTIAL;

Tip: A differential back up reduces the back up time (since only the changes are backed up).

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