Backing up database AND backing up whole server - does that cross-multiply storage space? X * Y?

Question

I'm a database guy. I don't deal with infrastructure/ sysadmin stuff (although obviously it ties in together a lot).

If I'm backing up say SQL Server to enable a certain amount of recoveries -- say every day for 14 days, and once a month for 12 months .... X amount of backups.

And there are server level backups ... I don't know what those are ... similar idea though, there are daily, weekly, monthly recovery points .. Y amount of backups.

If my backup storage takes my database(s) total size --- say 500 GB .... and ends up taking that to 1500 GB... 3x size.

And the infrastructure backup model takes the total server size and takes that x3 size (I'm actually not certain and haven't exactly looked into this --- yes accidental DBA indeed).

Then presumably our full backup plan is X * Y right? 9x?

Is this a dumb way to do backups?

Answer 1

You need to decide these things with the infrastucture/backup team.

Book a meeting with them, sit down and talk about what is best for the organization. SQL Server backups has upsides, including the ability to do transaction log backups (provides for point-in-time restore).

It is impossible for us to say whether you double the backup storage since we don't know how the "machine backups" work.

• Maybe they do include the SQL Server data, or maybe they don't?
• Or maybe they do include the SQL Server data, but in a bad way so when you try to restore you get corrupt databases.

Anything is possible.

You have a shared responsibility to provide the requirements for your organization. And your organization has the responsibility to give you and the infrastructure team specs to go by (typically RPO and RTO).