v1.2.0

SQL Server 2025 Backup/Restore Benchmark — a Windows desktop tool for benchmarking SQL Server 2025's backup compression algorithms (MS_XPRESS, QAT_DEFLATE, ZSTD) across size, throughput, restore speed, and CPU cost.

Install

1. Download SqlBackupBenchmark-v1.2.0-win-x64.zip below.
2. Unzip and run SqlBackupBenchmark.exe.

No .NET install required — it's a self-contained, single-file build for Windows x64. On first launch, use the connection button in the header to point it at your SQL Server instance (defaults to localhost with Windows Authentication).

What's new since v1.1.0

• Striped backups — an Off/2x/4x/8x switch splits each backup across N files for faster I/O. Especially effective on CPU-bound high-compression scenarios; the Restore tab automatically groups a scenario's stripe files back into one restorable set.
• Ask for Feedback, overhauled — now sweeps the full 11-scenario backup+restore suite once per stripe count (Off/2x/4x/8x), folds in the same table-level analysis as the Analyse button, and captures timestamped CPU/I/O/memory samples throughout — all in one text report, saved to a fixed Analyse/ folder. Enough data in one file to compare every compression algorithm and every stripe count for a database without manual re-runs.
• Disk space guard — both tabs check free disk space before (and, in serial mode, during) a run and stop with a warning under 20% free, instead of running into a full disk.
• Restore cleanup — optional checkboxes (on by default) drop the scratch database and delete its backup file(s) once a restore succeeds, so repeated full-suite runs don't pile up disk usage.
• Per-scenario wall-clock start/finish timestamps, a live TOTAL DURATION readout, and assorted UI polish.

Requirements

• Windows
• A SQL Server 2025 instance you can back up and restore against
• Intel QAT hardware, only if you want to benchmark the QAT_DEFLATE scenarios (skipped automatically otherwise)

See README.md for details.

v1.1.0

SQL Server 2025 Backup/Restore Benchmark — a Windows desktop tool for benchmarking SQL Server 2025's backup compression algorithms (MS_XPRESS, QAT_DEFLATE, ZSTD) across size, throughput, restore speed, and CPU cost.

Install

1. Download SqlBackupBenchmark-v1.1.0-win-x64.zip below.
2. Unzip and run SqlBackupBenchmark.exe.

No .NET install required — it's a self-contained, single-file build for Windows x64. On first launch, use the connection button in the header to point it at your SQL Server instance (defaults to localhost with Windows Authentication).

Requirements

• Windows
• A SQL Server 2025 instance you can back up and restore against
• Intel QAT hardware, only if you want to benchmark the QAT_DEFLATE scenarios (skipped automatically otherwise)

Highlights

• Backup tab — 11 fixed scenarios (NO_COMPRESSION, DEFAULT, MS_XPRESS/QAT_DEFLATE/ZSTD × LOW/MEDIUM/HIGH), run serially or in parallel, with duration, size, MB/sec, and space-saved ratio per scenario. Backups run WITH COPY_ONLY so they never disturb a database's real backup chain.
• Restore tab — benchmark restore speed for the .bak files the Backup tab produced, each into its own scratch database.
• Analyse — a table-level compression readiness report (size, storage compression, and column types that help or hurt compression) for the selected database.
• Connection dialog — point the app at any SQL Server instance, Windows or SQL Login auth, with a Test Connection check.
• Info dialog — a built-in reference on how each algorithm works and how column data types affect what backup compression can save.
• CPU-aware: QAT_DEFLATE scenarios are automatically disabled on non-Intel CPUs instead of failing at runtime.

See README.md for details.