Taking backup of all the databases in SQL Server

Question

I have a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 DB server. In the DB server, I have around 250 user databases. I have to take a back up of all these databases. Since, manually taking backup consumes lot of time, I am looking for a Batch script or DB script which will automatically take the backup of all the 250 databases. Can anyone please help on this?

Answer 1

Note: First create a folder on D: drive. (e.g. D:\User_DataBackup\)

Step 1: Create a procedure that are given below.

Create PROCEDURE [dbo].[UserDataBaseBackUp]
AS

BEGIN
SET NOCOUNT ON;

DECLARE @name VARCHAR(50) -- database name
DECLARE @path VARCHAR(256) -- path for backup files
DECLARE @fileName VARCHAR(256) -- filename for backup
DECLARE @fileDate VARCHAR(20) -- used for file name
SET @path = 'D:\User_DataBackup\' -- as same as your created folder' 
SELECT @fileDate = CONVERT(VARCHAR(20),GETDATE(),104)
DECLARE db_cursor CURSOR FOR
  SELECT name
  FROM MASTER.dbo.sysdatabases
  WHERE name NOT IN ('master','model','msdb','tempdb','ReportServer','ReportServerTempDB')
OPEN db_cursor
FETCH NEXT FROM db_cursor INTO @name
WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0
BEGIN
  SET @fileName = @path + @name + '_' + @fileDate + '.BAK'
  BACKUP DATABASE @name TO DISK = @fileName
  FETCH NEXT FROM db_cursor INTO @name
END
CLOSE db_cursor
DEALLOCATE db_cursor
END

Step 2: Execute the above procedure.

 EXEC [UserDataBaseBackUp]

You can also schedule this procedure. This procedure is tested hopefully it will help.

Answer 2

Develop a Maintenance Plan

SQL Server has this amazing feature where it will create the script and job for you

• Step 1:
  Right click on Maintenance Plan under Management

  

• Step 2:
  Name your Plan

  

• Step 3:
  Select Database Backup Task

  

• Step 4:
  Configure the Task, select Databases, Folder location, Type of Backup (Full, differential, Transaction log) connection etc.

  

• Step 5:
  Configure the Job Schedule

  

---

I recommend having a separate plan for system-databases and your user-databases to avoid any kind of problem

Helping Links:

• Setting up a Maintenance Plan to Backup Databases
• Back Up Database Task (Maintenance Plan)

Answer 3

I know for a fact that maintaining a lot of databases with SSMS could be a little confusing, but it's straight forward.

I can recommend a more effective way, that is using Ola Hallengren's maintenance script. It is very cool and very effective. And you can do much more than just backing up all databases, you can do all types of maintenance procedures.

For example, you can backup all databases, compress them and encrypt them with a certificate of your choice, by using a command like this (and they are all optional, and encryption and compression will not work on SQL Server 2005 but I think it will show the flexibility and strength of Ola's script):

EXECUTE dbo.DatabaseBackup @Databases = 'USER_DATABASES',
@Directory = 'C:\Backup',
@BackupType = 'FULL',
@Compress = 'Y',
@Encrypt = 'Y',
@EncryptionAlgorithm = 'AES_256',
@ServerCertificate = 'MyCertificate'

Answer 4

Working on the answer by JP, I've added a parameter to pass the destination directory (and quite possibly add more options):

Create PROCEDURE [dbo].[UserDataBaseBackUp] (
  @OutputDir varchar(255)
) AS
BEGIN
    SET NOCOUNT ON;

    DECLARE @name VARCHAR(50) -- database name
    DECLARE @path VARCHAR(256) -- path for backup files
    DECLARE @fileName VARCHAR(256) -- filename for backup
    DECLARE @fileDate VARCHAR(20) -- used for file name
    SET @path = @OutputDir
    SELECT @fileDate = CONVERT(VARCHAR(20),GETDATE(),104)
    PRINT 'Starting Backups'
    DECLARE db_cursor CURSOR FOR
        SELECT name FROM MASTER.dbo.sysdatabases
            WHERE name NOT IN ('master','model','msdb','tempdb','ReportServer','ReportServerTempDB')
        OPEN db_cursor
            FETCH NEXT FROM db_cursor INTO @name
            WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0 BEGIN
                SET @fileName = @path + @name + '_' + @fileDate + '.BAK'
                    PRINT 'Starting Backup For ' + @name
                    BACKUP DATABASE @name TO DISK = @fileName WITH FORMAT
                FETCH NEXT FROM db_cursor INTO @name
            END
        CLOSE db_cursor
    DEALLOCATE db_cursor
    PRINT 'Backups Finished'
END
GO

So then:

EXEC UserDataBaseBackUp @OutputDir = 'F:\Backups\SQL Databases\'

Answer 5

You can use SELECT Statement or CURSOR like this:

DECLARE @PathForBackUp VARCHAR(255)
SET @PathForBackUp = 'F:\Backup\User DB\'

SELECT 'BACKUP DATABASE [' + name + '] TO  DISK = N''' + @PathForBackUp + '' + name + '.bak''
WITH NOFORMAT, NOINIT,  NAME = N''' + name + '_FullBackUp'', SKIP, NOREWIND, NOUNLOAD, COMPRESSION,  STATS = 5'
FROM sys.databases
WHERE database_id > 4

OR

DECLARE @DBName VARCHAR(255)  
DECLARE @PathForBackUp VARCHAR(255) 
DECLARE @FileName VARCHAR(255)  
DECLARE @DateFile VARCHAR(255)
DECLARE @SQL NVARCHAR(2048) 
SET @PathForBackUp = 'F:\Backup\User DB\'  
SET @DateFile = REPLACE(REPLACE(CONVERT(VARCHAR(20),GETDATE(),120) ,' ','T'), ':','') 

DECLARE BACKUPING CURSOR FOR   
SELECT name  
FROM master.dbo.sysdatabases WHERE dbid > 4 

OPEN BACKUPING    
FETCH NEXT FROM BACKUPING INTO @DBName    
WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0    

BEGIN    
        SET @FileName = @PathForBackUp + @DBName + '_' + @DateFile + '.BAK'  
    SET @SQL = 'BACKUP DATABASE '+@DBName+ ' TO DISK = '''+@FileName+''' WITH COMPRESSION ' 
    PRINT @SQL 
    EXECUTE sp_executesql @sql   
    FETCH NEXT FROM BACKUPING INTO @DBName  

END    

CLOSE BACKUPING    
DEALLOCATE BACKUPING 

Answer 6

DECLARE @name VARCHAR(50)      -- database name  
DECLARE @path VARCHAR(256)     -- path for backup files  
DECLARE @fileName VARCHAR(256) -- filename for backup  
DECLARE @fileDate VARCHAR(20)  -- used for file name

-- specify database backup directory

 SET @path = 'DriveNeme:\Backup Folder Name\'  

-- specify filename format

 SELECT @fileDate = CONVERT(VARCHAR(20),GETDATE(),112) 

DECLARE db_cursor CURSOR FOR  
SELECT name 
FROM master.dbo.sysdatabases 
WHERE name  IN ('model','master')  -- exclude these databases

OPEN db_cursor   
FETCH NEXT FROM db_cursor INTO @name   

WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0   
BEGIN   
   SET @fileName = @path+@name+'_'+@fileDate+'.BAK' 

   BACKUP DATABASE @name TO DISK = @fileName  

   FETCH NEXT FROM db_cursor INTO @name  

END   
CLOSE db_cursor   
DEALLOCATE db_cursor

Answer 7

You could also use PowerShell as shown in Use PowerShell to Backup All User Databases by Buck Woody:

# Performs a Full backup followed by a transaction log backup on all user databases

[System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("Microsoft.SqlServer.SMO")  | out-null
$s = new-object ('Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.Server') 'BWOODY1\SQL2K8'
$bkdir = $s.Settings.BackupDirectory
$dbs = $s.Databases
$dbs | foreach-object {
    $db = $_

    if ($db.IsSystemObject -eq $False -and $db.IsMirroringEnabled -eq $False) {
        $dbname = $db.Name
        $dt = get-date -format yyyyMMddHHmmss
        $dbbk = new-object ('Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.Backup')
        $dbbk.Action = 'Database'
        $dbbk.BackupSetDescription = "Full backup of " + $dbname
        $dbbk.BackupSetName = $dbname + " Backup"
        $dbbk.Database = $dbname
        $dbbk.MediaDescription = "Disk"
        $dbbk.Devices.AddDevice($bkdir + "\" + $dbname + "_db_" + $dt + ".bak", 'File')
        $dbbk.SqlBackup($s)
        if ($db.DatabaseOptions.RecoveryModel -ne 'Simple') {
            $dt = get-date -format yyyyMMddHHmmss
            $dbtrn = new-object ('Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.Backup')
            $dbtrn.Action = 'Log'
            $dbtrn.BackupSetDescription = "Trans Log backup of " + $dbname
            $dbtrn.BackupSetName = $dbname + " Backup"
            $dbtrn.Database = $dbname
            $dbtrn.MediaDescription = "Disk"
            $dbtrn.Devices.AddDevice($bkdir + "\" + $dbname + "_tlog_" + $dt + ".trn", 'File')
            $dbtrn.SqlBackup($s)
            }
        }     
    }