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
- Download
SqlBackupBenchmark-v1.2.0-win-x64.zipbelow. - 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_DEFLATEscenarios (skipped automatically otherwise)
See README.md for details.