Enable backups
We need the ability to do backups. Just simple, standard backup files that we could create and download at the very least. It doesn't have to go directly blob storage or all these other suggestions. But we really, really need backups to use SQL Azure for production. Not data sync, not bcp, not SqlAzureMW -- just regular old sql server backups.
anonymous
shared this idea
For information about what’s coming from SQL Azure, go to about 38:00 in this presentation from TechEd. http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2011/DBI313
46 comments
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Paul Bibby
commented
So still no official word ? This was flagged as planned over a year and a half ago and demonstrated in the above link. Can we at least have some official statement on where this is headed ??
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David Lean
commented
SQL Azure having 3 copies for high availability is a great selling point over Amazon's SQL in a VM.
However it is let down by the SQL Azure backup story, which is totally lame. Even SQL Server v1.1 had a better backup story. The current convoluted answer of creating other instances to schedule & make backups, destroys any confidence that this is a robust production ready solution.
Anything you can do to encourage the Azure dev folks to offer a scheduled online transaction logged backup direct into Azure Storage, would greatly improve the appeal of SQL Azure for production systemsu
Note: This has been outstanding for way too long, at least we can now deploy SQL in an IAAS image & use SQL Agent with real backups. But that puts you head to head with AWS's SQL RDS offering, which has a very strong & very simple Backup Ops story. James Hamilton, Tom Rizzo, Alyssa Henry & other ex-SQL folks have been hard at work making it work well there too.
Please make it a top priority to fix this soon. -
James D. Schwarzmeier
commented
I wonder if there are any updates on this? I know there are ways to manually copy and then backup the copy to a BACPAC. As I understand it, that involves both manually scripting this, and more importantly, paying for the database copy. It seems like there should be an automatic way to schedule backups without having to pay for anything other than the storage costs of the BACPAC blob.
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Brian U
commented
Very cool that this has been added in a manual kind of capacity today. Do we know if there is plans to extend this just a little bit further and have scheduling for the backup exports?
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TimInTheCloud
commented
Still no news? This is a critical issue and it does not seem possible that Microsoft is still ignoring it.
Microsoft, do you actually want organisations to use Azure Database (was SQL Azure) or not? If so, then please get this sorted asap!
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LaughingJohn
commented
This is a really bad omission.
Ideally we should be able to schedule backups to run in the cloud to cloud storage on a regular basis, as well as to to off-line locations.
This is very important for situation where the data is altered/deleted accidentally, as well as for peace of mind.
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ryancrawcour
commented
Mary, any updates on when this sort of thing will land? It's been more than a year since you posted that comment and it still isn't in the product.
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Daniel Smith
commented
Is there any progress with the backup situation yet? This is one of the last few remaining blockers for my company.
As the suggestion states, the solution would ideally not involve scripting the database schema and data, but instead creating a transactionally consistent binary backup of the database. Ideally the backup feature would be implemented as a new admin section on the portal that allows us to schedule the backups, and list the available backups to restore. Hopefully this can be done without having to mess about with blob storage etc.
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Jason Steele
commented
This is absolutely critical - and if I had any votes left I would use them all to get this feature. I have pushed to get Azure adopted in my Enterprise but now I am having to raise this missing functionality as a high risk.
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ryan
commented
still waiting
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Anonymous
commented
Coming, when exactly?
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PabloInNz
commented
This is still a blocker for us. We need the capability to restore a database in case a client makes a mess of their data. We currently have over 100 client databases (nearly all under 1 GB) hosted. The cost of backing these up each night to bacpac or similar is bigger than any other cost, and makes the move to azure a non starter.
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Zack
commented
This is almost there with the bacpac Export to Storage feature (manually run) or a tool like http://sqldacexamples.codeplex.com/releases Although a simple schedule on the Export feature would seem like a no brainer?
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ryan
commented
still waiting...
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Dan
commented
This is currently holding our company back from moving several databases to the SQL Azure as well.
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Anonymous
commented
I saw the TechEd video and was wondering why i can't see the "Restore" button in my Azure management console. The video is 8 month old, is it still a planned feature? This would be the most important feature for me too.
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Basil Rormose
commented
Point-in-time Backup/Restore capability for live DB is needed. Database copies are not a solution, in part because of the cost of making daily backups of multiple DBs.
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Thirumalai commented
For automating backup on SQL Azure, you can look at the following codeplex url.
http://azureautobackup.codeplex.com/This utility enables to backup of the SQL Azure database using DAC framework and store the .bacpac file in blob storage service or in local file system.
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Joerg Mehlhorn
commented
For all the guys needing backups:
you can think about exporting the database with the daccli import / export tool. http://sqldacexamples.codeplex.com/releases/view/77085To be on the safe side for transactions.
1st copy your prod-db to a prod_copy-db
this allows you to already use it as a standby database
2nd you can export the prod_copy-db to a local file
3rd the prod_copy-db can be deleted
4th be sure that the bacpac-export file can be reimported: if there is an inconsitancy in say views or procedures the import-tool currently stops importing.
5th all the above tasks can be automated and scheduled.
That's it ... -
ThunderCloud
commented
It's one thing that you haven't delivered this yet (and as the comments below suggest we've been waiting a long time), but the worst bit about this is that you are giving us the cold shoulder in the meantime. We get a link, then NOTHING for 6 months.
Front up and be honest about it. If it's not coming until 2014, then tell us. At least we would know where we stand.
