Automated SQL Database backup – Azure

Hi Friends Azure has a new functionality called Automated SQL Database backup, since its new you all must be having lot of questions regarding the same. I’ve compiled a list of questions with their answers, here you go:

What is Automated SQL Database backup?
Azure SQL Database has inbuilt functionality to backup all databases automatically irrespective of the service tier, that means Azure platform is protecting all your databases. The best part is you can also use these backups for point-in-time restores.

What is the frequency of Automated SQL Database backups?
The frequency of automated SQL Database backup is like this:
Full Backup → Weekly
Differential → Daily
Log backup every 5 minutes.
However, the exact time is not hard-coded anywhere Azure automatically determine this based on the server load.

Is it possible to recover a deleted database?
Yes, It’s very much possible to recover a deleted database on Azure.

Do I really need to take backups for my Azure SQL Databases?
No, Since automated SQL Database backup is taking backups automatically and the frequency is so high that you don’t really need to take backups.

But I never enrolled\configured any such backup! At what time this backup process gets started?
Azure SQL Database inherits this automated backup behavior by default and there is no configuration required. The first full backup gets initiated right after the database gets created\Restored.

Am I being charged in any way for these type of backups? If yes, what are the charges?
No, You get these backup feature complementary.

What is the retention policy for these backups?
Backup retention depends upon service tiers: Premium service tier has 35 days, Standard has 14 and Basic has 7 days of retention for automated backups.

Where are automated backup files gets stored?
Backup files are stored in a Geo-redundant storage account with read access (RA-GRS) to ensure availability for disaster recovery purposes.

What about the storage cost for all these backups?
Microsoft Azure SQL Database gives up to 200% of your maximum provisioned database storage of backup storage at no additional cost. Let’s take an example, if you have a standard DB and you’ve provisioned maximum size as 100GB Microsoft Azure will give you 200 GB totally free for keeping your automated backups.

What if my backup storage limit is reached?
You might exceed your backup storage limit, if that is the case you can either choose to pay for extra backup storage or reduce the retention period for which you need to get in touch with Azure Backline team.

What do you mean by standard Read-Access Geographically Redundant Storage (RA-GRS) ?
Read-access geo-redundant storage is a great DR solution, it gives dual availability of your storage account (Primary and Secondary). In case the primary site goes down your application\Webportal can be redirected to secondary site to be able to read the data. The secondary endpoint is similar to the primary endpoint, but appends the suffix –secondary to the Storage account name. So, if your primary endpoint for the Blob service is DBChamp.blob.core.windows.net, then your secondary endpoint is DBChamp-secondary.blob.core.windows.net. And the best part is that the access keys for your storage account are the same for both the primary and secondary endpoints.

Hope you got answer to your questions! Happy Learning!

feel free to leave a comment. 🙂

Thanks,
Sarabpreet Singh Anand
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