Autobackup for sql server 2005

[Leesha]

Hi,

I have an database using Access with sql 2005 Express edition tables. I need to set it to automatically backup. Everything I've read on the internet says that this can't be done with the express edition. There are lots of references to code that can be written to do this in conjunction with windows scheduler but it is way beyond me and I don't want to mess this up. I'd appreciate any guidance that I can get with this.

Thanks,
Alicia

[Wendell]

Unfortunately you are pretty much stuck with either doing manual backups, or creating some code to run a scheduled backup. The problem is that you cannot run SQL Server Agent with either the 2005 or 2008 Express version. One possibility you might consider is using the Windows backup facility and making sure that the data file and the log file are included in that. It's not as nice as having a full SQL Server backup that you can restore from, but you can attach the files if disaster strikes. Another option would be to use an image program so you could restore the entire drive - many of those kind of programs can be scheduled. Otherwise you may want to look at the workgroup version (it comes with SBS 200x Premium) or the standard version of SQL Server. Unfortunately there is a cost.

[Leesha]

Hi Wendell, Sorry it took me so long to get back to this but it's been wild. The IT for the group using this database ended up writing a .bat file to schedule the backup to run everyday. So far it seems to be working OK.

Thanks!
Leesha