I've been talking off and on for a while now about the database backup wars, but what I haven't done is explain why they're important to begin with.

Well, for starters, there are two big issues: space and usability.

Space:
Databases are getting bigger and bigger, and as cheap as disk is these days, it's still very expensive to house all the backups you need to keep online. So there's a huge need for compressed backups, not only for the disk savings, but also to ease the increased network usage created by the backup process.

Usability:
There are other utilities out there that perform the same basic functions as the backup tools I've been talking about. Tools like ArcServe and Backup Exec can compress and encrypt backups as well, but they have one major disadvantage... you have to manage the entire process from within their own interface. The tools I'm talking about allow DBAs to manage the entire process from the SQL Server interface using the same tools and methods they use with the native SQL Server processes. They also have repositories that you can use to report on different stats including failures, operation length, etc.

As well, these tools allow you to convert the compressed backup files back to a native file format. So, what you get is the advantage of compressing your backups while maintaining control over the process.

Some of these tools also have advanced features that tools like ArcServe and the like don't. For instance, Quest Litespeed has object-level restore which is something that nobody else has.

Right now, everyone has pretty much mastered the backup engines and they all perform very well. So the war now has moved from speed and stability to price and features.

So, you should really care about how these wars come out because it's going to matter. And before you buy any of these tools, especially from Quest or Idera, always insist on a discount. There's no reason to pay full price for any of them because they're too expensive as it is.

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Posted by Sean McCown on April 4, 2006 09:28 PM