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MSSQL,SQL Server, SnapCenter, data protection, app-consistent backup, ONTAP
Protecting Microsoft SQL Server databases on ONTAP with SnapCenter and T-SQL commands.

Microsoft SQL Server data protection with NetApp management software

Planning database backup is based on business requirements. By combining ONTAP’s NetApp Snapshot technology and leveraging Microsoft SQL Server API’s, you can quickly take application consistent backup irrespective of size of user databases. For more advanced or scale-out data management requirements, NetApp offers SnapCenter.

SnapCenter

SnapCenter is the NetApp data protection software for enterprise applications. SQL Server databases can be quickly and easily protected with the SnapCenter Plug-in for SQL Server and with OS operations managed by the SnapCenter Plug-in for Microsoft Windows.

SQL Server instance can be a standalone setup, failover cluster instance or it can be always on availability group. The result is that from single-pane-of-glass, databases can be protected, cloned and restored from primary or secondary copy. SnapCenter can manage SQL Server databases both on-premises, in the cloud, and hybrid configurations.Database copies can also be created in few minutes on the orignal or alternate host for development or for reporting purpose.

Tip
 NetApp recommends using SnapCenter to create Snapshot copies. The T-SQL method described below also works, but SnapCenter offers complete automation over the backup, restore, and cloning process. It also performs discovery to ensure the correct snapshots are being created. No pre-configuration is required. …​ SQL Server also requires coordination between the OS and the storage to ensure the correct data is present in snapshots at the time of creation. In most cases, the only safe method to do this is with SnapCenter or T-SQL. Snapshots created without this additional coordination may not be reliably recoverable.

For more details about the SQL Server Plug-in for SnapCenter, see TR-4714: Best practice guide for SQL Server using NetApp SnapCenter.

Protecting database using T-SQL snapshots

In SQL Server 2022, Microsoft introduced T-SQL snapshots that offers a path to scripting and automation of backups operations. Rather than performing full-sized copies, you can prepare the database for snapshots. Once the database is ready for backup, you can leveraging ONTAP REST API’s to create snapshots..

The following is a sample backup workflow:

  1. Freeze a database with ALTER command. This prepares the database for a consistent snapshot on the underlying storage. After the freeze you can thaw the database and record the snapshot with BACKUP command.

  2. Perform snapshots of multiple databases on the storage volumes simultaneously with the new BACKUP GROUP and BACKUP SERVER commands.

  3. Perform FULL backups or COPY_ONLY FULL backups. These backups are recorded in msdb as well.

  4. Perform point-in-time recovery using log backups taken with the normal streaming approach after the snapshot FULL backup. Streaming differential backups are also supported if desired.