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Sparse backup

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ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server supports sparse backup in addition to regular backups. This feature lets you configure more flexible backup policies and retain a minimum number of backup sets. Sparse backup shortens restoration times and reduces backup storage costs. This topic describes how to configure a sparse backup policy.

Differences between regular and sparse backups

Item

Regular backup

Sparse backup

Backup set retention policy

Backup sets are retained based on the configured data retention policy. You must retain 2 to 7 backup sets per week.

For example, you can set a policy to retain one backup set on Monday and one on Sunday of each week for 365 days.

You can set a more flexible backup policy and retain the minimum number of backup sets.

For example, you can retain one backup set on Monday and one on Sunday of each week for 7 days, and retain one backup set on the last day of each month for long-term retention.

Storage cost

Regular backups generate many backup sets, which results in high backup storage costs.

Sparse backup lets you set a more flexible backup policy to retain the minimum number of backup sets. This results in low backup storage costs.

Prerequisites

If this is your first time using the RDS backup service, use an Alibaba Cloud account to authorize the DBS service-linked role (AliyunServiceRoleForDBS).

Usage notes

  • A sparse backup policy takes effect approximately 10 to 15 minutes after you configure it.

  • The first backup policy row is fixed to Weekly and cannot be deleted. You must configure it to run on at least two days of the week.

  • If multiple sparse backup policies are scheduled for the same day, the system creates only one backup set and applies the longest retention period among the overlapping policies.

  • If you delete a sparse backup policy, the system retains the backup sets created by the policy according to their original retention period.

  • After you configure a sparse backup policy, if a backup set fails to be generated or dumped within the backup window on a specific day, the backup for that day is skipped. No extra backup set is retained. Examples of failures include a failed backup, a locked instance, or a dump that is not completed before the level-1 backup expires.

    For example, you set a policy to perform a backup on the first day of each month and retain the backup set for 30 days. If the backup fails within the backup window on December 1, no backup set is retained for December 1.

  • Incremental backup sets depend on their corresponding full backup sets and cannot be restored independently. If a full backup set that was created before you enabled sparse backup (that is, before you switch to advanced backup settings) expires, any incremental backup sets that depend on it can no longer be restored.

  • After you enable sparse backup (that is, after you switch to advanced backup settings), the system converts new incremental backup sets into full backup sets and issues them during the next full backup.

Billing

Each RDS instance includes a free backup storage quota. You do not incur backup storage fees if the total size of your backup files stays within the quota. Storage that exceeds the quota is subject to billing. For more information about the free quota and billing standards, see Backup fees.

Switch to an advanced backup policy

To configure sparse backup, you must first switch to the advanced backup policy page. If you have already switched, you can skip this section.

  1. Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides. Then, find the RDS instance and click the ID of the instance.

  2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backup and Restoration.

  3. On the Backup and Restoration page, click the Backup Strategy tab, and then click Switch to Advanced Backup Policy.

    image.png

    Important

    If the Switch to Advanced Backup Policy button is not displayed on the page, submit an application. After your application is approved, refresh the page to continue.

  4. In the dialog box, select Understood and click OK.

    Important

    This action permanently upgrades the backup settings page for the instance. You cannot revert to the previous version.

    The Backup Strategy page updates to the advanced layout, indicating the switch is complete. You can now proceed to configure a sparse backup policy.

    image.png

Configure a sparse backup policy

To implement sparse backup, you must manually configure one or more backup policies to retain the minimum required number of backup sets.

  1. Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides. Then, find the RDS instance and click the ID of the instance.

  2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Backup and Restoration.

  3. On the Backup and Restoration page, click the Backup Strategy tab. Then, click the circled number between SQL Server and Level-1 Backup.

    image.png

  4. In the dialog box that appears, click Add Backup Policy. Configure the policy and click OK.

    Backup cycle

    Backup time

    Retention period

    Weekly

    Select one or more days of the week.

    You can set a different retention period for each policy, ranging from 7 to 7,300 days.

    Note

    You can also select the Long-term Retention checkbox for a policy to retain its backup sets indefinitely.

    Monthly

    Select one or more days of the month, or select Last Day Of Each Month.

    Yearly

    Select a specific day of the year, such as January 1.
    Note

  5. Click Save in the lower-left corner of the Backup Strategy tab.

Configuration example

image.png

The following list describes the parameter settings in the preceding figure:

  • ①: A backup is performed every day from Monday to Sunday. The backup sets are retained for 7 days.

  • ②: A backup is performed every Monday. The backup sets are retained for 30 days.

  • ③: A backup is performed on the first and last day of each month. The backup sets are retained for 365 days.

  • ④: A backup is performed on January 1 of each year. The backup sets are retained long-term.

Next steps

View policies

On the Backup Strategy page, you can hover over the circled number to view all configured backup policies.

Note

The number in the circle indicates the number of configured backup policies.

image.png

Delete policy

On the Level-1 Backup page, click the image icon to delete a backup policy.

Note

The first backup policy row is fixed to Weekly and cannot be deleted. You must configure it to run on at least two days of the week.

image

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