Back up the Database Now

The Backup Database Now utility creates an unscheduled backup file on-demand.

• Unscheduled backup files are named as follows: “Unsched_[YYYYMMDD]_[HHMMSSMMS].bak”
  • The time at the end of the file name is in military time to the millisecond (MMS).
• The unscheduled backup file is stored in the following location on the server computer:
  • On a 64-bit computer: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL12.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Backup
  • On a 32-bit computer: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL12.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Backup

Never remove .bak files from these locations.

Backing up the Database On-Demand

When you back up the database on-demand, you are creating a one-time backup file of the database at that date and time. This backup file is created in addition to the daily backup, not instead of the daily backup.

If you have set up a backup copy location, a copy of the backup file is saved to that location.

To Back up the Database Now

Complete these steps:

1. On the server computer, access the Server Utilities application.
2. On the login window, select the Server and Database you want to back up and click Next.
3. On the Server Utilities window, the name of the selected database appears above the left column. The database backup utilities appear in the left column.

   

4. In the left column, click Backup Now. The Backup Database Now window opens.
   

   

5. The middle of the window provides the details of the backup.
   • Reindex is checked by default. Reindexing is recommended.
   • Backup Database displays the name of the database about to be backed up.
   • The bar shows the progress of the backup.

   • The text below the progress bar tells you if a backup copy location is set for this backup. If a backup copy location is set, that location appears in this line.

     

6. Click the Start Backup button. The backup starts immediately.
   • The left column is disabled to prevent you from doing something in Server Utilities that might disrupt the backup process.

7. The progress bar shows the process as the database is backed up.

   

8. When complete, the complete message appears above the progress bar. The database is backed up.

   

Reviewing Unscheduled Backup Files

Click Manage Backups in the left column to see the unscheduled backup files. The backup files in the database log appear in the middle of the window. The new file is at the bottom of the list.

Backup files on the Manage Backup Files window are listed from oldest to newest.

You can also check your backup copy location to verify that a copy of the backup was saved to that location.