Do you know how to backup data on SQL Azure?
Last updated by Brady Stroud [SSW] 7 months ago.See historyMicrosoft Azure SQL Database has built-in backups to support self-service Point in Time Restore and Geo-Restore for Basic, Standard, and Premium service tiers.
You should use the built-in automatic backup in Azure SQL Database versus using T-SQL.
T-SQL: CREATE DATABASE destinationdatabasenameAS COPY OF[source_server_name].sourcedatabasename
Figure: Bad example - Using T-SQL to restore your database
Azure SQL Database automatically creates backups of every active database using the following schedule: Full database backup once a week, differential database backups once a day, and transaction log backups every 5 minutes. The full and differential backups are replicated across regions to ensure the availability of the backups in the event of a disaster.
Backup Storage
Backup storage is the storage associated with your automated database backups that are used for Point in Time Restore and Geo-Restore. Azure SQL Database provides up to 200% of your maximum provisioned database storage of backup storage at no additional cost.
| Service Tier | Geo-Restore | Self-Service Point in Time Restore | Backup Retention Period | Restore a Deleted Database |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web | Not supported | Not supported | n/a | n/a |
| Business | Not supported | Not supported | n/a | n/a |
| Basic | Supported | Supported | 7 days | √ |
| Standard | Supported | Supported | 14 days | √ |
| Premium | Supported | Supported | 35 days | √ |
Figure: All the modern SQL Azure Service Tiers support back up. Web and Business tiers are being retired and do not support backup. Check Web and Business Edition Sunset FAQ for up-to-date retention periods
Learn more on Microsoft documentation:
Other ways to back up Azure SQL Database:
- Microsoft Blog - Different ways to Backup your Windows Azure SQL Database
