The longer you work with computers, the faster you learn the importance of a reliable database
. Backup needs to be strategic and efficient and you should have a dependable recovery plan set up in case data corruption or a system failure would take place. You will find that there are a variety of options on the market, but it is important to find one that creates a high quality backup and recovery model using a SQL backup server.
At the beginning, it can be difficult to know which recovery model is best for you. Everybody's situation is different and the setting you choose depends on how important your data is to your business or to you personally. You need to consider what would happen if data loss would occur because of system failure.
If you use the SQL backup server, there are three different recovery methods that can be applied. The one you use will depend on your data and applications. You will configure the settings through the T-SQL or Enterprise Manager using an ALTER DATABASE command.
These data recovery methods are full, simple, and bulk logged. The full version creates transaction log backups and database backups of everything so you are completely protected if system failure would occur. The simpler version only recovers the data from a differential backup or your most recent full backup. You won't be able to get any incremental changes. The bulk logged method makes sure failure doesn't happen, at least allowing you to retrieve information so you can get back up and running. However, there won't be any point-in-time recovery.
It is important to use your SQL backup server, because it makes sure your online databases are safe and secure in any situation. It will be good to make several copies of the backups.