Scheduling backup jobs
Published 13 February 2013
SQL Backup Pro provides the Schedule Backup Jobs wizard to guide you through the process of setting up a recurring backup job. The wizard creates a scheduled SQL Server Agent backup jobs that uses SQL Backup Pro to perform the backup.
You can use the Schedule Backup Jobs wizard to generate a SQL script for backing up multiple databases. You can then view this script and use it as a basis for your own multiple database backup scripts.
The Schedule Backup Jobs wizard automatically sets up a job step using the RAISERROR command so that the SQL Server Agent reports an error if the SQL Backup Pro command fails. To be notified of the error by email, select Send email notification in step 6 of the wizard. For information about SQL Server Agent jobs, steps, and the RAISERROR command, refer to your SQL Server documentation.
To start the Schedule Backup Jobs wizard, click 
Schedule Backup Jobs. The Schedule Backup Jobs wizard comprises the following steps:
| Step 1: | Select the SQL Server, and optionally choose a previously-saved template. |
| Step 2: | Select the types of backup you want to perform and the databases that you want to back up. |
| Step 3: | Define the details of the job schedules. |
| Step 4: | Specify the backup file locations (including any copies to hosted storage or a network location), and set options for existing backup files. |
| Step 5: | Specify compression, encryption, and optimization options. |
| Step 6: | Specify verification and email options. |
| Step 7: | Review the backup summary and script, and create the backup jobs. |
You can edit a scheduled job by right-clicking the job in the Jobs tab, and then clicking Edit. The Edit Backup Job wizard is displayed. This is similar to the Schedule Backup Jobs wizard; the wizard contains the settings for the selected job. Note that you can edit only one job at a time.
Scheduling backup jobs with SQL Server Express Edition
With SQL Server Express Edition, you can use the SQL Backup Pro GUI to take ad hoc backups and restores. However, you cannot set up scheduled backup jobs, scheduled restore jobs, or log shipping, because SQL Server Express Edition lacks the SQL Server Agent (which SQL Backup Pro uses to schedule jobs).
You can still schedule backups using the Windows Task Scheduler (found in the Windows Control Panel) and SQL Backup Pro's command line interface, SQLBackupC.exe:
- Go through the Back Up wizard to create a template backup job for the database you want to schedule jobs for.
- On step 6 of the wizard, choose the command line version of the script, and copy it.
- In the Windows Control Panel, open Task Scheduler and create a new task.
- On the Actions tab, create a new action which starts a program, and paste the command line script from the Back Up wizard into the Program/script box.
- On the Triggers tab, create the schedule on which you want to run your backup job.
- Click OK to create the scheduled task.
The backups will be listed in the Activity History, but the task will not be listed in the Jobs tab.
For more information about the command line interface, see Using the command line.
For more information about the Back Up wizard, see Creating backups.
